Welcome packs

[Linda1274]

Hi

Recently  I was chastised by a guest for not having a ‘welcome pack’.  She said that I was the only host that doesnt provide one and she felt that ‘ I didn’t care about my guests’

Heres a list of my welcome things

tea, coffee, sugar all individually wrapped

fresh milk

individual  packs of biscuits

individual shampoo, conditioner, body wash and bars of soap

There is toilet and kitchen rolls provided, also tin foil, cling film .

What more do people put in their properties.

Im not sure I want to start putting wine in! 

Also I am not on site to get fresh bread etc in. My cleaner gets the milk but I cannot expect her to do a shop each changeover.

Any ideas anyone?

[Paul1255]

@Linda1274 I hope you are well!

If you are getting feedback from more guests than not that something could be improved or changed, then I would take action.

This particular guest might be used to staying in  property company-managed listings, who do tend to offer welcome packs, or perhaps every host they have stayed with has happened to offer more than you do- that doesn't mean you have to change what you offer.

Personally, I don't offer welcome packs in the listings I manage- I find that guests often sting on value when you fill the fridge or offer "freebies" like wine, chocolates and so on, as they feel they are paying for it through the nightly price.

The only time I might put something special in a listing is if it is brand new and needs the first 3 reviews to show in aggregate on the listing, so I might add a small bottle of prosecco and glasses in the fridge, or similar to get the reviews off to a strong start- or if I know there might be a potential issue- last week a neighbour posted a note through the door of a listing I manage to say they would be partying intil 3am, so I left a selection of cupcakes for the incoming guests, and the number for the council noise abatement team in case they were kept awake.

It sounds like what you are offering is more than enough, I wouldn't start second-guessing yourself!

Paul 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Linda1274   I host a private room in my home and I don't provide anything beyond the basics- clean towels, soap, toilet paper and I offer my guests coffee or tea in the morning, sometimes I'll offer them some of what I'm preparing for myself to eat. I've never had any guest complain or expect more.

This just sounds like one of those entitled people, or, like Paul says, she's used to staying in places that provide more. I wouldn't give it another moment's thought. To say you don't care about your guests was really rude of her. It sounds like you already provide a nice array of stuff.

[David6]

I offer just the bare minimum as so many guests prefer not to be tempted by biscuits or are vegan or don’t drink alcohol. We provide a well stocked cupboard full of all the basic oils/coffee/selection of teas. 

i used to provide a basic breakfast but after throwing loaf after loaf of bread out and ending up with cartons of unopened and out of date milk I stopped it all about 2 years ago.

The bottle of water we leave - seems to be welcomed by all and our ratings have not been impacted in any  way. 

[Saff0]

Hi David,

Thanks for this advice. It seems very sensible and well balanced.

[Robin4]

@Linda1274 

Linda try not to get upset....there are some guests who you will never satisfy. 

I have found  the guests who have given me less than 5 stars overall have also given me less than 5 for value. It is also those guests who have felt it their right to clean out the fridge and the restock cupboard....one of them even cleaned out the medicine cabinet, $80 worth of medical aids, never left a thing. Most of these guests have actually taken more from the property than what they paid for their stay....but they have still found a way to rate it as a 4 star or less for value.

Unfortunately you can't see them coming Linda, but just accept they do come a long way apart and all those nice guests in between who respect what you do make up for it!

It all evens out in the wash!

Cheers......Rob

[Susie5]

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@Robin4 wrote:

@Linda1274 

Linda try not to get upset....there are some guests who you will never satisfy. 

I have found  the guests who have given me less than 5 stars overall have also given me less than 5 for value. It is also those guests who have felt it their right to clean out the fridge and the restock cupboard....one of them even cleaned out the medicine cabinet, $80 worth of medical aids, never left a thing. Most of these guests have actually taken more from the property than what they paid for their stay....but they have still found a way to rate it as a 4 star or less for value.

Unfortunately you can't see them coming Linda, but just accept they do come a long way apart and all those nice guests in between who respect what you do make up for it!

It all evens out in the wash!

Cheers......Rob

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@Linda1274 and Rob - wise words as always from Rob!!  

[Mark1412]

We always leave a couple bottles of water and some coffee for the guest. We round out the pack with items from the closeout store so it varies from guest to guest.. but guest could find, nuts, candy, crackers, snack cakes, beef jerky, popcorn, etc.

The town rolls up the streets at 10 so if late arriving guest are hungry, they are out of luck. A few snacks to get them through the night is all we offer but the presentation is nice.

[Robin129]

I share a room here in my home. I have all the basics (soap, towels) in the room. I also have a 3-ringed binder with information on the house, community, places to eat, historical sites, and TV channel listings. I have a 5x7 frame with the wifi information printed and in it. When I stop in places that have rack cards on local touristy stuff I pick up a couple and place in the room. Most guests don't care and don't seem to look at them. But a few have thanked me. 

Don't fret. Think of what you'd like to have in the room of a distant cousin you are visiting for the first time. That's how I look at most guests, like cousins. And you know, some of those cousins are kooks.

[Ben551]

@Linda1274 don't sweat it. If you ask me I think your guest has been watching reality TV. The show called Instant Hotel made a huge deal about hosts offering a welcome pack.

Personally I think it's ridiculous and encourages wasteful behaviour.

I already totally boycott "individually wrapped" consumerism. A guest welcome pack just seems like yet another ten steps backwards for the environment. Time is up. The time to change our ways and save the planet is now... we should be focusing on bulk soap in pump bottles, bulk shampoo and conditioner on pump... plastic free biscuits and spreads in refillable glass jars... Tupperware with lids instead of cling film... these are the things to work on, in my opinion. Most are actually money savers in the long run.

I don't think adding a bunch of pointless, throw away, sachet crap to a gift bag is in any way responsible in today's society...

[Robin4]

@Ben551 

Love your sentiments, your heart is in the right place Ben but, part of your rite to offer paying guests food is that it must come to those paying guests in sealed licenced manufacturers packaging!

You are not legally able to cut open a sealed 1Kg pack of bacon short cuts, remove 5 rashers and supply them in a plastic re-use container.......You have not just breached the integrity of those 5 rashers, you have breached the integrity of the whole Kg pack. On the other hand and egg shell is regarded as a sealed container and you may handle individual eggs. 

This also follows through into milk, juice....any foodstuff, anything you personally handle!

You can do what you like with friends and family but where paying guests are concerned, the law is quite specific....you either get your food handling practices  certified and get a food licence yourself or you supply the product of someone who has!

I have been the kitchen co-ordinator for Meals on Wheels, responsible for the preparation and delivery of many meals each day, and although there are some stupid rules in commercial cooking Ben, they are there for a reason.

Many times the department of health will get reports of minor stomach ailments from the consumption of food. When the source is traced, the person responsible will say...."I have been cooking all my life, nobody has ever got sick from my food, it must be something else"! What they don't take into account is the body does build up a resistance to certain bacteria over time, and people who eat that persons food, prepared under that persons hygiene regime, on a regular basis, have no problems with it.....but introduce someone new to that same cooking and, they get sick!. How often have you heard of 'Bali Belly'!!

I have gone to some length here Ben but  the health departments of local councils are all the time scrutinizing listings just like yours and mine, I have been inspected and I am only allowed to supply food where the quality is certified by the manufacturer. Sure I would love to increase my profitability by buying in bulk and parcelling it up.......NOT LEGAL! 

Cheers......Rob

[Ben551]

@Robin4  I think we've done this dance before...

The truth is, the rules in your part of the world are not the global rules of the world. We are quite allowed to offer 'complimentary food items' in New Zealand without complying with food licencing rules.  We aren't allowed to sell it, but we can give it away however we like in an Airbnb.  There are other parts of the world the same.  There is nothing in consumer rules in New Zealand that says home accomodation providers have to offer cereal in an unopened, individual box, or a teabag in an individual packet lol.  If there was, there would be environmentalists marching up the steps of parliament, believe me.

But that's not the entire sentiment behind my original post, to be fair. We were also talking about individually wrapped soaps, shampoo, and things like cling film.  We need to be setting a better example here, in my view.  We can provide guests with a couple of clean, washable containers with air tight lids... instead of cling film. It's cheaper.  It's not illegal to do it lol.  And don't even get me started with people who offer orange juice in a plastic carton... what the hell is wrong with fresh oranges and a bit of elbow grease with a hand juicer...

Anyhoo, with single-serve-mass-consumerism it's an ongoing fight to educate people.  Instead of throwing up reasons why not, people need to start looking for the ways they can make a difference.

Start with the guest soaps 🙂

[Cathie19]

@Linda1274. the beauty of Airbnb is that we cater to our needs and create listings and options that work for us, as well as a niche of the market that suits our booking guests.

What you choose to offer is or isn’t what makes your listing, just a part of the overall hosting options we offer. If you are happy with what you provide and your listing descriptions mirror and reflect this truth,  then seriously, don’t worry yourself. You can never please everyone, and never all the time. 

🙂

[Sarah977]

@Linda1274  If I got a guest who told me I didn't care about my guests because I didn't provide what she "expected" (all an Airbnb guest can reasonably expect is what is stated in the listing) I would definitely mention it in the review to warn other hosts.

"You should be aware, if hosting this guest, that she "expects" a Welcome Pack over and beyond what was promised in the listing description and may tell you that you don't care about your guests, as she did to me, if she doesn't find one that is up to her standards."

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Linda1274  ah, just put everything you already offer in one basket and write "welcome" on it  🙂