Going above and beyond for guests

[Alexandra316]

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?

[Alexandra316]

@Steven614sounds nice, and it looks like you're doing a great job, based on your reviews! 

[Lisa-Ann3]

What a fantastic thread! Thanks everyone for all the inspiring ideas! 

I’ve been hosting about 11 months so I’m still fairly new at this. Some of the things I’ve been doing that I’ve really enjoyed and seem to consistently get noticed by guests:

Standard stuff:

- I aim for a sense of welcoming guests into my home as if they were family and friends

- a glass message board with “Welcome” and their names written on it in dry erase markers

- two Lindt chocolate balls in a nice dish, set atop the rolled towels on the bed

- a compendium in the room with the wifi code, emergency contact info, local restaurant info (with my own recommendations), must-see things to do nearby, and information about the art pieces around my home

- use of my De Longhi Magnifica cappuccino machine, with a range of coffee options, and an extremely well stocked tea cabinet, with an indulgent range of sugars, honeys, caramel syrup, milk, cream, etc

- breakfast options provided, with a menu in the compendium (grab & go fruit or granola bars; quick prep things like toast with a range of jams and other toppings, cereal, eggs, yogurt, etc; or a couple of specialty items for guests with more time, like Dutch Baby Pancake with a range of fabulous toppings, or cloud eggs)

- free use of my kitchen, including oils, spices, condiments, etc

- bathroom stocked with a range of nice body wash, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash (with single use cups obviously), etc

- firewood and marshmallows for the firepit

- use of the laundry (and I provide the pods)

- and recently I’ve converted one wall of my air BnB room into a feature wall, where I’ve been inviting guests to paint a jellyfish on the wall — obviously I provide a range of paints and paintbrushes. 

One-off stuff:

- drove a guest to an amazing museum she wanted to see, because she didn’t have a car, it was late in the day, and public transport would have taken too long at that point 

- spent the day taking a guest to go in search of amazing scenery and wildlife

- drove a guest out at night to go see the aurora

- had a dinner party with classic Australian dishes for an overseas guest who wanted to experience Australian foods and people

- arranged for a local opal jewelry designer to come to my home for a guest who was mad-keen about opals

- arranged a pavlova birthday cake for an overseas visitor who was spending her birthday in Australia

I’ve had many repeat bookings and good reviews, and more importantly to me, I’ve made some really amazing new friends! Air BnB has been a splendid experience!