Going above and beyond for guests

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

Going above and beyond for guests

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Good day everybody!

 

I've come a long way in my hosting journey since I officially started on September 1st. One thing that I've made a point of since I started is doing at least one nice "extra" thing for every guest who has stayed with us. It doesn't need to be anything big or cost any money, nescessarily, but I make sure I do something for everyone.

 

Some examples:

- Giving early check in or late check out at no cost when requested and if it's feasible;

- Leaving a card and small gift (usually chilled champagne) for guests celebrating an anniversary or recent wedding;

- Giving small gifts at Christmas (it was just chocolates or similar food treats);

- Cleaning off the guest's car when it snows during their stay;

- Letting a guest's dogs out so they could stay out later at a wedding;

- Putting a couple of cold beers in the fridge for guests who were getting in late.

 

Doing these kinds of things seems to have paid off for us: we've had excellent reviews so far and we got our Superhost in January.

 

What kinds of things have you done to go above and beyond for your guests, and do you feel it has paid off for you?

 

 

151 Replies 151
Michael1548
Level 2
Victoria Point, Australia

Hi Huma,

 

My wife and I have a two bedroom cottage or Vila as we call it, on a little island called Coochiemudlo, 30 minutes sound of Brisbane in Queensland Australia, it takes 8 mins on the passenger ferry, 12 mins on the car barge, just enough time to fill your holiday experience with fresh sea air. I was following your converstion with Michael from CA looking for ideas and thought I'd add some thoughts to the conversation, our check in time is 10am with 12pm check out, we can very these times if needed and offer self check in, I forward the key code that morning, on the day our guests arrive, I open the blinds/curtains, put the deck chairs out on the verandah take fresh bread, milk and the morning paper, we include cereal, fruit salad, butter, jam, vegemite spread and orange juice, coffee and tea and plunger coffee also. We also provide a mini bar/pantry with extra's, one bottle red wine, white and champange, 4 cans of beer, nuts, crackers, potato chips, baked beans, noddles and frozen meals at reasonable prices, which we don't tell guests and it's always a nice surprise and guests treat it accordingly and love it, they love being trusted, as Michael said, under sell and over deliver. On average I will communicate with our guets by phone or predominately by text half a 6/8 times before there arrival, asking relevent questions about there stay, what to expect and a list of activities, places to eat/shop and if they need anything special, this certainly gives me a feel for who they are, what we do and offer. Its great to share one another story and journey and the appreciation that comes with.

 

Thank you both for some handy hints

 

Mike & Sandy

Villa 7 Coochie Heaven    

Emanuela105
Level 3
Bran, Romania

I've been an Airbnb host since 2013 in a market where nobody ever heard of Airbnb (at that time), I was the one doing "crazy" things like the following:

 

- leaving a welcome basket with local cheese, wine, baked sweets.

- my place is high up on a hill, the road is steep and unpaved. I always recommend people to hire a 4wd, but when they don't, I'm always available to pick them up from the main road. This is not funny, especially when guests arrive in the middle of the night on a terrible snow storm. We've been often called "the heroes of the trip" by guests in need. 

- we always offer to light up the fire in the fireplace. We offer firewood at no extra charge. 

- the kitchen is always stocked with cooking oil, spices, teas, coffee, sugar, etc.

- guests will always find dishwasher tabs and laundry powder in the house.

- as soon as I receive a booking, a send out a file with useful informations about the place, the surroundings and how to get here. 

- for Christmas I always decorate a tree and the chalet, this way guests can trully experience a magic Christmas.

- I tried to offer flexible checkin/checkout, but it didn't work well at all. My place is way too big and it takes time to prepare it for the next group. The demand is also huge lately, so I cannot afford to block a day after each checkout, we're struggling to get the house ready in 4 hours. The biggest struggle is to get people to respect the checkout time.

All in all, Airbnb works great for me and its guests are my favorite by far. It seems that Airbnb makes it easier for the guests to appreciate what they're getting. 30% of my bookings come from Airbnb, but this percent kept going up every year. I'm looking forward to the day when it will get close to 100:)

Ema

Here’s another idea....

Buy a laminator. They are very inexpensive. I have laminated all the sheets in my welcome books, with exception of my personal note to them. All the brochures have been laminated, both in English and Spanish...so that the guests aren’t dealing with dog-eared copies. 

 

Sounds like we’re doing many of the same things...except we don’t have to deal with snow...and though our hacienda/villa is large, each of our private entry rooms sleeps only 2 so we don’t deal with crowds. We have terrible roads here in MX, and I like to let them know ahead of time, so it doesn’t register as too much of a negative in their mind....but I reassure them, the destination is worth it. 😊

 

We have gotten almost 100% of our bookings so far from AirBnB. Perhaps the difference is small groups vs large. 

 

I love all the ideas you all are sharing. Thanks! 

Sherifat0
Level 2
Houston, TX

I always leave Welcome cards on the counter for my gets with a little message written in it, always makes them feel special and i also put travel size body wash, tooth paste etc. It doesn't cost much and can easily be gotten at walmart or a dollar store. I also do early check-in when requested as well.

James14
Level 2
Portland, OR

Our guests have been loving our homemade yogurt and offers to harvest greens from our garden the most! And interestingly, so many have loved the quirky tour we give of the ins and outs of our self-composting toilet. At the core level, I think they are responding to the personal connection and the feeling of being a part of something unique (we're creating a sustainable urban homestead, which we market on our listing page). 

 

I love so many of these ideas and will definitely be testing more than a few of them out!!

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

Wow, tons more good suggestions! I would love receiving fresh produce.

 

@Huma0 I keep thinking about a universal adapter: I should make that happen. I'm the queen of forgetting my adapters when I go places.

We go above and beyond for our guests all the time.  If they are not renting a car, we pick them up from the airport and also take them to the supermarket - no charge.  If they are arriving late, I put a couple of cans of soup, bread, butter, and fruit and eggs for the morning for them - all free of charge.  Had a guest arrive who told me in advance that she had a bad cold.  I made her fresh chicken noodle soup.  We really want our guests to have a good experience and be happy.  We have met so many lovely people and enjoy hosting.

@Pat-And-Mike0Home made soup is amazing: what a thouhtful gesture. 

Lisa860
Level 2
Black Mountain, NC

Going above and beyond for each guest is one of the things I most love about hosting. 

Each guest receives the following: fresh flowers, fresh organic eggs from my backyard flock, a bottle of wine, and two small chocolates by each bedside. I can usually offer early check-in or late check-out times and I extend these to guests whenever possible. Our house is well equiped for families, and if I know that children are coming I make sure to leave a basket of books or simple toys out where the child can find them easily upon check-in. And if families are visiting I also try to leave a bowl of fruit in the kitchen. I achieved SuperHost status within a few months of starting to host and I belive that all of the little things really do make guests feel welcome. Guests almost always mention the small tokens with appreciation. 

@Lisa860That's really lovely regarding the eggs and other treats. I love fresh flowers, and receiving some when I check in would certainly make a stay more special for me. 

Becki--And-Bob-0
Level 2
El Caballito, Mexico

I make homemade cookies for each guest, which keeps me pretty busy, and always leave a handwritten note welcoming them. I love the chalkboard idea! We’ve only been at this a few months and have been loving it. 

We have a birthday guest coming before long, and I thought I’d make cupcakes? We’ve had people who don’t drink, so didn’t want to go there (that, and our rooms are extremely inexpensive in Mexico). I’ll for sure do a birthday card with that!

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Oo your homemade cookies sound amazing @Becki--And-Bob-0, I bet your guests love them. Do you normally get some nice comments?


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Oh, yes. They comment on them almost every time. I make a large scoop chewy cookie that is oatmeal, craisin, pecan and chocolate chip. And of course, let them know there are nuts.  Some have even asked for the recipe. 

We always have coffee, tea, creamer and sugar as well for the entire length of their stay...leaving a bag of Mexican coffee for the ones who rent the apartment. 

@Becki--And-Bob-0 Wow, that sounds wonderful! Nice idea.

Stephanie365
Level 10
Fredericksburg, VA

I provide my guests with bottled water, drink mixes for the water, teas, coffee and donuts for the first night.  As I have some mad cartography skillz, I am also in the process of creating an online, interactive map to all the touristy and historic sites within an hour of my location, plus places to eat off the beaten path. So I can send them the link once they've booked and they have a custom map just for them.