Festival of Hospitality 2023 🏡 What Hospitality Means to Me

[Laurelle3]

As I have said in for a penny and in for a pound, I have made a commitment to myself that my Airbnb guests will have an enjoyable and memorable stay.

Hospitality for me is promoting our Airbnb to our unknown guests. We try to give more than an experience that they may have had in the past or something new if they are first timers staying in an Airbnb. Our emphases begin with giving our guests a warm welcome when they first arrive.

My intentions are to give our guests more than a place to stay, but a memory to take away with them. I try to give our guests more than I take (monetary) and have made a commitment to myself that all our guests have had a satisfactory stay. My commitment to giving our guests a memorable stay is shared with my long-time husband, mate, friend, and partner. He always introduces himself to our guests as the manservant and if you need anything just ask and we will try to help you out.

My joy of being an Airbnb host has allowed me to welcome guests who want to get away from the daily grind, meeting up with family and friends, a quite romantic weekend, travellers having a break from long distance driving or a family holiday by the beach.

I take pleasure in providing something special for our guests when they arrive by providing them with a hamper full of goodies to get them started with enough food for a light continental breakfast and enough food for a cooked breakfast. If our guests arrive in the afternoon, I always make freshly cooked scones, jam, and cream. If they arrive late, I provide them with a cheese platter and biscuits. This is our extra personal touch to make them feel welcome as most guests have travelled over 200 kms to stay at our Airbnb.

The hamper that I supply for 2 guests staying.

Families staying with children can be a challenge, but we take delight in trying to make their stay comfortable and try to make their stay more enjoyable for all the family members. Making our Airbnb accommodation child friendly and safe we have removed potential hazards, sharp objects and covered low unused power points.

Communication with guests before their arrival can assist with understanding if there are specific needs and preferences for their stay. We offer a Porta Cot and highchair to families and set it up if required with linen and remind them to bring their little one’s cuddly blanket. Other items supplied are a nappy bin with extra waste bags, baby wipes, night light for the bathroom, Powerpoint covers, extra towels, waterproof protectors for the cot and the beds, suitable plates, and cutlery for children.

Part of the setting up for children, we make up a welcome tub with small toys, games, books suitable for their age. For the younger children make a colouring book with their name on and supply pencils and a small gift. We sometimes buy gifts, or make homemade sailboats, a dilly bag with their name on, or a butterfly brooch.

We have written a helpful information list of family friendly activities and ideas in our local area for the children. We place these in a folder in the information box along with places to eat that are child friendly.

Hosting families with children requires additional attention to details which we have tried to achieve, as we have a genuine interest in making their stay enjoyable. My philosophy is if the child is happy, it makes life easier for parents while on holidays or travelling.

Lastly, a poem by Gpt chat for in for a penny and in for a pound with my What Hospitality Means to Me. 

“In for a booking, host so profound, I'll don my cap, let's astound, In Airbnb's embrace, we're bound, A haven of warmth, we'll expound.

With smiles, we greet, hearts unbound, Guests find solace, safe and sound, A tapestry of cultures, rich and round, In our cozy abode, stories surround.

From check-in to farewell, service crowned, Comfort we serve, like dreams renowned, Hospitality's melody, sweetly profound, In Airbnb's world, memories are found.

[Bea2137]

Wow, it's clear that you're incredibly passionate about providing a memorable experience for your guests. Your attention to detail, especially when it comes to families with children, is truly commendable. You've set a high bar for hosting, and reading about your efforts makes me realize that I need to level up my own hosting game. Your personalized touches, from the welcome hamper to the freshly baked scones and tailored activities for kids, are inspiring. Your philosophy and practice of hospitality certainly bring a whole new meaning to what it means to be an Airbnb host.

[Laurelle3]

@Bea2137 thank you for your words. To me I give my heart to make our Airbnb stand out from others and I want to leave a lasting impression my way. 

I am always on the look out for new ideas and I make the butterfies in advance along with the dilly bags and just add their names prior to arrival as I have 24hrs cancelation policy. 

Yes, we do enjoy having familes stay and the saying "In for a penny in for a pound" will stay with us untill we have lost the love of Airbnb.

[Felicity11]

Oh @Laurelle3 

What an incredible experience you offer your guests.  They are so lucky to find you and be able to stay.  What you offer is so much more than a place to stay, it is an incredible experience with no detail not thought of.  You are an inspiration to all of us. 

[Laurelle3]

@Felicity11 thank you for your thoughts. Before we started hosting we had stayed in several Airbnb's in Uk and took away the best ideas that we experienced for our Airbnb. 

         When researching on what to do before we listed I had read that you should give back 10% in return to guests. This I put into our hamper. The gifts I make for the children is because I enjoy sewing and crafting.

         I have lots of materials that I have collected over many years and thought I would recycle them into something for the children staying. I enjoy seeing their small faces light up when they see something with their name on.

           My husband makes up a batch of wooden sailing boats and we just add their name when setting up the room for them. It costs nothing but time which can add up. 

          Communication is a must for finding out their names and ages. We have achieved this for asking their names of their family members and guests for registration. What I love is seeing if the messages sent have been read. This app is much appreaciated.