Groceries For Guest

[Matthew800]

I was thinking of running out and getting groceries that my guest requested ahead of time. 

Has anyone done this before? 

Please share your thoughts!!!

[Julie143]

I would only do this if the listing was in a very remote area. My house is a 4 minute walk from a nice grocery store, though.

We also have InstantCart, Amazon PrimeNow, Fresh Direct and others in this area. I put a list of the grocery delivery services in the house manual.

If this post is really a business pitch,  I think it’s only going to work in places that are not already served by the many online grocery shopping sites out there.

[Sonia1249]

Hello! I hope this is not too much of a bother. I just rented a house for my friends in a couple weeks and i have my own grocery shopping and delivery business and thought how great of an idea it would be to offer my services to guests!! I am now at the problem of how to let hosts know that I exist as a service to be offered!! How did you go about finding info of services for your guests to use?

I didn't want to just start messaging hosts with my business info!! thank you for the help. 

[Sarah977]

@Sonia1249  You rented a house for your friends? On Airbnb? That isn't allowed. 3rd party bookings are against Airbnb terms of service- the person who booked must be one of the people who stays at the accommodation. This will also upset the host and could lead to the booking being cancelled.

You are correct- messaging a host with advertising will not be welcomed. Perhaps there is a local Airbnb Facebook group where you could offer yourr service.

[Sonia1249]

Thank you for the info! Yes, I double checked before I made the reservation that it will be ok! It is a birthday surprise getaway. I live right in town and the host does know this info!! Thank you for your concern! And for your help and suggestions!!

[Sarah977]

@Sonia1249  Well, it's good that you checked with the host first. Some hosts are okay with 3rd party bookings, depending on the circumstances.

The main problem with these bookings, especially if it has been booked as a surprise gift, is that the person who is staying hasn't read the listing information. So they can arrive with expectations of things which the host doesn't offer, be completely unaware of the house rules, etc. Of course this will cause issues for both the guests and the hosts, so just make sure that your friends are informed beforehand of all of that.

[Sonia1249]

Thank you!! I will be picking them up from the airport and checking in at the house with them and giving them all information needed, while still communicating with the host!! I appreciate you!

[Anonymous]

@Sonia1249 You can't contact hosts directly on Airbnb without making a booking inquiry. Doing so as a pretext for marketing your services will get you flagged as a spammer and banned from the site. Definitely don't do that.

Where I live, grocery delivery services got really big since the pandemic hit, so it's hard to imagine a local host being unaware of them. Marketing through the usual channels would be much more efficient than surgically targeting Airbnb hosts. Bear in mind, we love giving useful insider tips to guests, but we tend to prefer the ones who go out for most of their meals over the ones who make heavy use of our kitchens, so we might not go out of our way to expedite their grocery shopping.

[Sonia1249]

Yeah I definitely didn't want to contact directly!! And thank you for the inside perspective!! I never thought of it from that point! I appreciate the help!!

[Helen3]

You do what any other business does . Invest your time in doing market research to identify whether there is a demand for your service in your area and what channels you should invest budget in to reach your target market.

in my city it wouldn't be needed I have about 85 food shops within a few minutes walk and most of the supermarkets and food delivery companies offer a food delivery service. 

[Katherine461]

I have had my cleaner do this previously.  She messaged with the guests for questions and charged for her time (what I normally pay her by the hour).  I requested the money from the guest (grocery bill plus cleaners time).  Really no big deal for me and the guest gave great reviews.  I already supply a bottle of wine and a local bottle of beer upon arrival of all guests, I have someone that drops it by that is a 'wine valet' and then he provides more if needed and the guest pays.  I'm in a resort area however, so it works.

[HannahyMartín0]

Hello,

As a co-host to a luxury villa in a remote jungle setting, We do offer this service. The price for the shopping service is given to the guest in advance. I require the guest to give me a grocery list a week prior, so I can give them alternatives. It’s true, not everyone uses this service offered when staying at the villa, but it’s an added bonus for those that prefer not to grocery shop after traveling all day. I think it’s something that helps a lot of people, but it’s knowing your target market/area, will it work or not?

[Charles78]

Hi Hannah, how do you let your guests know about the grocery service you offer? Do you post it directly in the listing or in a message after they book?  Thanks in advance!

[Connor44]

I've been paying for 2 pints of milk per guest. £0.80. I have cereal in tupperware containers and the obvious coffee and tea. 

[Nancy115]

If you had an upscale listing, you could provide quality items such as sparkling water, chocolate, local specialities, etc. I've seen recommendations of 30% of the cost of 1 night stay. 

I provide filtered water, coffee & tea. I used to provide chocolate until guests stained my linens. 

[Jacqueline809]

I already supply the basics, tea coffee sugar and cooking oil, but I also stock the fridge with a carton of fresh orange, a pint of milk and some free range eggs from our own hens, and my guests are usually more than happy x