First impressions count, and welcoming a guest into their short term home sets the tone for their stay, and catalyses great Airbnb reviews from happy travellers who then tell their friends and family about their amazing stay at your home. One of the easiest ways to impress guests (as well as giving them the GuestHug app) is by treating them to a surprise (or asking them to buy from you) welcome pack. Here’s some suggestions to help you create something memorable.

Airbnb welcome pack ideas

Seasonal – What time of year are your guests arriving? Have they booked to stay with you over Christmas? Is their visit coinciding with Easter? Think about some kind of treat – whether it’s a some mince pies, Easter eggs and nice bottle of bubbles to welcome them to your home. Or, add them to the GuestHug app and let your Guests purchase them directly from you. You set the price and keep 100% of the revenue.

Useful – Hotels provide soap, shampoo, body lotions and toothbrushes to help travellers who forget to pack the basics when they leave home. Not all guests will use the items you leave for them (which means you will be able to save money on future welcome packs by recycling non-used items) but they’ll definitely appreciate having them there.

A Nice touch – We recommend putting a few non-perishable food items in your welcome pack. Organic chocolate, gourmet cookies, a packet of roasted nuts and any other treats that your guests can snack on during their stay. When choosing these products, try to select brands that are locally made or have a story that connects them to your home or neighbourhood. Your guests will appreciate the personal touch. Don’t forget to include a few bottles of water and a selection of tea.

Household items for Guests

Useful – A universal power adapter, a few different phone chargers, a hair dryer, an umbrella – all of these items could prove very helpful to your house guests. These don’t have to be part of your welcome pack outside of your welcome pack and can belong to the house for your Guests use as and when.

A nice touch – When you go travelling, what are the comforts you miss from home? Bathrobes, a soft throw rug for the couch, a hot water bottle to warm your feet before bed? It’s not vital to provide these things for guests but it’s a lovely gesture and is bound to make their stay more enjoyable.

Helpful information

If you live close to the Tube or metro line, you might consider leaving some pre-paid transit cards for guests. You don’t have to put much money on the tickets – just enough to get them started. Maps, city guides, brochures on popular attractions…all of these things are helpful to those who are new to a city. Indeed, you could offer this service to increase your revenue from your short let property by using GuestHug the GuestHug app to sell these items to Guests. As usual - you set the price and keep 100% of the revenue Many GuestHug hosts use the app to deliver a welcome letter to list useful information and travel tips for guests. This also includes smart direction to the property.

Local flavour

Some Guests will be coming from abroad, and one of the reasons many people choose to stay in an Airbnb over a regular hotel is that it’s an easier way to experience to ‘local flavour’ of a city. So why not embrace this? What local beers or wines are there, local produce or specialties such as Devon Clotted Cream - all these items are everyday for the locals...and your Guests may enjoy a little bit more local.

The thought that counts

Not everyone will have the budget to create a super indulgent welcome pack for your guests. Equally, not all guests will want to purchase a high value of good or service prior to arriving, but...it’s the thought that counts, and first impressions count for everything. Even the smallest and simplest gesture can result in Airbnb reviews full of praise for hosts. Need some help optimising your short let? GuestHug is the app for supercharging your short term let and maximising margins.