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Being a successful vacation rental host takes a bit more effort than may meet the eye. If you want to not only get people to find your Airbnb rental, but also be happy with their stay and leave you a glowing review to help other potential renters choose to stay at your place too, it’s the little things that count.
One of the little things that can go a long way for your renters’ happiness and to help you go from a regular Airbnb Host to Airbnb Superhost status? An awesome Airbnb welcome basket for your Airbnb guest!
A welcome basket for guests to see upon check-in will illicit an excited and positive reaction from guests as soon as they arrive at your Airbnb, setting the tone for their stay. With minimal effort to make your guest feel welcome and cared for, you can increase your chances of earning an awesome 5 star review! The better and more reviews that you have for your rental, the more people will notice your property and also choose it for their stay.
So in short: a guest basket = better reviews. Better reviews = more guests.
Now that you understand why you should have a welcome basket for your guests, how can you create a great Airbnb welcome basket?
It’s important to actually put some thought into your welcome basket and to include items that your guests will actually like and use. You don’t want to spend frivolously on items that will go untouched. Set a budget for each basket, and try to buy in bulk on Amazon or at the store when possible to save money on items that you know you’ll include every time.
For ideas on what to include in your vacation rental basket welcome gift for your guests, check out our list of suggestions below!
A welcome book is always great to have somewhere near the front door for check-in, so guests can check out what past renters have written about staying at your Airbnb and what they may expect. It’s like a living time capsule of your property!
As well, including a short and sweet hand-written card or note in or next to the welcome basket adds a personal touch that will make your guests feel special.
Your note can say something simple yet kind, such as what we’ve included in our template below:
Thank you for staying at [your vacation rental name]. I hope you have a great stay! Please feel free to contact me at [phone number] if there is anything you need. – Your Airbnb Host
Estimated Cost: $40 (one time for welcome book purchase)
After a long day of travel to finally arrive at their destination, your guests may be thirsty and craving something to eat. Including some bottles of water as well as a variety of healthy and delicious goodies in the basket is perfect for those who are hungry upon arrival or want to have a late night snack option during their stay. Try to include a variety of both salty and sweet snacks that are friendly for most dietary restrictions.
In addition to waters, it’s also great to provide some coffee and/or tea in the welcome basket or near the coffee maker.
Estimated Cost: $10 (if items are bought in bulk)
What time of year is it when people are staying at your Airbnb? Is it around a certain holiday, or did they mention that they were booking a stay at your vacation rental to celebrate a specific event? Try to incorporate these things into your welcome basket!
For example, you can include some candy canes over Christmas or a bottle of wine, champagne or sparkling cider for a celebration. (Make sure your guests are 21+ if you are including alcohol!).
Estimated Cost: $5 to $30
Whether your guests choose your short term rental for a local getaway or are visiting from out of town, a local treat is sure to make your gift basket even more special. Including a baked good from a local bakery or some fresh coffee from a local coffee shop are examples of items your renters may love.
Estimated Cost: $5 to $20
While you don’t have to provide a ton of items, it is nice to include some small travel-sized shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and lotion at your Airbnb. Whether you choose to include these right in the welcome basket or to place them in the bathroom(s) is up to you.
Estimated Cost: $10
If you know some great local spots around the area that you enjoy going to, why not recommend these to your guests? You can include some brochures and menus for local restaurants and attractions for awesome suggestions for your guests. If there’s a spot nearby you really love, you can bring your gift basket to the next level by including a gift card in a denomination of $10 to $25 to that cafe or restaurant for your guests, if your budget allows.
Estimated Cost: Up to your discretion
Not everything that you should have available and include for your Airbnb guests will be contained within the welcome basket, but they are still important nonetheless.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind to have a wonderful short term rental that your guests will be attracted to and love to stay in.
We all know that internet access is a necessity nowadays, so you want to ensure that your vacation rental has WiFi for guests to use. Try to place important information like the WiFi network name and WiFi password somewhere that they can easily see it, such as right next to their welcome gift! You may want to print this information on a piece of paper, or use a white board or chalkboard to display it.
Though they are probably outlined on your Airbnb or Vrbo listing, make sure to lay out the house rules again for your house guest somewhere in the rental itself for better communication. You can have a printed piece of paper in a nice frame to showcase the rules.
Is your vacation rental near the beach? Or a cabin in the woods? Perhaps it is an apartment in a bustling city. Whatever area that your rental property is in, try to add in some nice decorative touches to your home decor that is in theme with its location! This will create more excitement and personality to your property for your guests — especially if they are traveling from somewhere far away and want to really feel immersed in the local community.
This probably goes without saying, but you should have your property professionally cleaned between each house guest’s stay. You want to ensure that your vacation rental is clean and welcoming for each new guest or group of guests who visit your place. There’s no worse way to get some complaints in a review than from a guest feeling like where they are staying is not clean and sanitary for them.
By going the extra mile to have an amazing vacation rental welcome basket and convenient amenities included for your house guests, you have better chances of becoming an Airbnb Superhost. Your Superhost status will entice more people to choose your vacation home for their short term rental.
When you include a welcome basket that wows, as well as offer important amenities for your renters to use while staying at your place, you are sure to earn awesome 5 star reviews and referrals to help you rent out your property more and more.
Hopefully, these vacation rental welcome basket ideas have inspired you to start creating welcome baskets of your own for your future Airbnb guests! Feel free to share this post and comment below with any additional thoughts and tips that you may have for other short term rental hosts.
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