Baseline - the house is spotless, pillows plumped, etc. In winter I leave dried flower arrangements in various places - in summer I make bouquets from flowers and things I find on my property.
I always stock the fridge with local farm fresh eggs around the corner, butter and milk for coffee and I leave a beautiful little jar of jam from a special bakery nearby on top of my welcome note.
Recently I hosted a family for a week who were in the area to ski. I suggested a few fantastic diners that I suspected would be fun for the family as well as alternative activities in the area like bowling if they got tired of skiing. I just thought about what I would have enjoyed doing with my own family and made a few suggestions since I’m more familiar with the area.
The family so appreciated my suggestions they booked a return trip to stay with me for Easter weekend before they left the first stay! When they came back over Easter I made a little Easter basket filled with some treats.
I think putting yourself in the mindset of the guest and thinking about what would make their stay special can really help to make a great stay.