Do you offer food and drink to your guests?

[Rebecca]

Hello hosts 👋

I’m really excited to hear about the lovely things you do to make your guests feel right at home. So, I’m super curious, do you offer any delicious food and drink to your guests? 

Whether it's a charming welcome basket filled with local treats, a delightful breakfast spread, or a thoughtfully curated selection of beverages, your special touches can make such a difference in their experience. I once stayed in a yurt in Derbyshire that was on a farm, and we were provided with a a very tasty bottled cows milk to go with my morning coffee. Delicious! 

Please share your creative ideas, heartwarming stories, or any unique offerings you provide below! I can’t wait to hear all about it!

[Lorna170]

@Rebecca   We would need a food license and annual inspections of the kitchen from the County if we left any food or drink in the property for guests.  So unfortunately, we cannot treat our guests.

[Rebecca]

Hello @Lorna170 👋

It's super interesting how it can change from state to state and country to country. Do you provide things like tea or coffee, or do you advise your guests to bring their own? 

[Lorna170]

@Rebecca Guests have to bring their own.  We are a drive-to location with a full service grocery store located nearby on the main road to the property, so we advise them to stop here for their food supplies.

[Rebecca]

That's super convenient having a store close by for your guests @Lorna170.  

If you wanted to offer food/drinks and get the licence, is the process quite complicated/tough to go through? 

[Lorna170]

@Rebecca  Complicated, expensive and annoying as inspections take place at irregular intervals and may impact guests. The rules regarding alcohol, even if simply leaving a bottle of wine on the premises as a gift are also challenging.

[Juan63]

We offer a starter self-made breakfast for our guests. We only have singles and couples stay with us. It includes local pastries, fresh eggs from our chickens, high end espresso machine, yogurt and granola.

[Rebecca]

This sounds wonderful and an excellent start to the day @Juan63! How long do your guests usually stay with you, and do you provide this for the whole stay or just the first night/morning? 

[Juan63]

We have anywhere from 1-4 nights. We don't allow longer stays. The breakfast is one serving per guest, if that makes sense. But the espresso machine and tea is always available. When we travel, having something to eat, really sets the tone for our vacation.

[Greystone0]

Hi @Rebecca ,

Great topic and totally interesting to hear what hosts do - who knew there was regulation about this (see previous) - very interesting.

- we keep a stocked 'coffee & tea' drawer. This includes: 3-4 kinds of tea bags, ground coffee, hot chocolate packets, tinned milk, keurig pods.

- for special occasion we've added a bottle of wine or a bottle of local oil/vinegar and note of 'congratulations' or happy birthday or whatever-the-case.

- for high season reservations I sometimes include a bowl of various snacks, just depends what caught my eye: pretzels, chocolate treats, granola, bars. We shop at Trader Joe's and they often have seasonal, specialty items that feel special and are easy to present.

- I would love to offer only a local specialty treat, like fresh baked goods, but since we are not close to our rental it is hard to stage this for ease of putting out. 

Wishing all much success!

[Rebecca]

These are lovely little 'extras' that I'm sure your guests appreciate @Greystone0 😊 

I've never been to a Trader Joes but I see a lot of videos online about the amazing seasonal stands they have, from food to decor! 

I didn't also realise that there were restrictions in some places. It's really fascinating how much it fluctuates. 

Have you had any lovely feedback from your guests about the snacks/goodies that you leave out? 

[Carlo7794]

Ciao Rebecca! 

In Italia purtroppo non è cosi semplice questo tipo di "experience" a causa di norme che differenziano molto i vari tipi di attività del settore. Nel caso dello short rental, in particolare case vacanze, non è consentito offrire degustazioni, colazioni o pasti. Possiamo lasciare solo qualcosa di confezionato e non deperebile come "welcome kit". Io personalmente faccio trovare prodotti locali della mia regione: sono di Genova, i miei ospiti trovano del Pesto genovese con un particolare formato di pasta: le trofie!

Hi Rebecca!

In Italy, unfortunately, this type of “experience” is not so easy because of regulations that greatly differentiate the various types of activities in the sector. In the case of short rental, especially vacation homes, we are not allowed to offer tastings, breakfasts or meals. We can only leave something packaged and non-depressing as a “welcome kit.” I personally let people find local products from my region: I am from Genoa, my guests find Genoese Pesto with a particular pasta format: trofie!

Translation added by community manager

[Rebecca]

That's a shame! But it's wonderful you can point them in the right direction. 

What is the Genoese pesto? Is it made with basil? 

[Catherine3503]

We will offer something special like a card or a treat and sometimes glassware with special treats inside if the guests let us know they are celebrating a special occasion while staying with us. We also have a onsite store that guests can purchase just about anything while staying with us as well. Our situation is a little unique as all of our properties are located within our campground. The best way to find out if a guest is celebrating something special is to set up a scheduled message that goes out a few minutes after booking your property. Just say thanks for choosing to stay with you and that you are excited to be hosting them and them ask casually what brings them to the area and do they have any questions. 

[Rebecca]

This is a fantastic little knowledge nugget @Catherine3503 😍 

Have there been any unique reasons for someone coming to stay with you?