How to create an awesome welcome hamper for your guests

We all know that first impressions are vital to creating a great holiday experience. The amount of effort and care that you put into ensuring your guests have a warm welcome has a lasting effect on how guests perceive, and review, you and your property. A well-run holiday let incorporates a welcome strategy into its marketing and customer service toolkit; little things really can make all the difference.

The holidaymakers of today have high expectations and an entire rental market clamoring to fulfill their needs. In this competitive sector, paying attention to the smaller details that make up guests’ overall experience often pays dividends for attentive owners.

One such detail that can be easily used to create a lasting, positive impression is the welcome pack, or welcome hamper, that you put in the property for each guest. Imagine guests arriving at the property tired, stressed and probably hungry, and then think of the smiles that a thoughtful, well-constructed welcome hamper can bring to their faces. This is one area where you can be as creative as you like and really impress upon your guests.

Your imagination is your only limit in how you put together your pack or hamper, but some recent ideas that we’ve shared with our owners include:

Themed Baskets

What is your area well known for? Sports? Nature? Romance? You can use these themes to tailor your welcome basket to the target audience seeking out these things. For example, if you’re in a popular ski spot, why not include some spare gloves and socks, or some muscle ease gel and chapstick. Tailoring your hamper in this way can be one way to really stick in guests’ minds and differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

Go Local

A great way for people to get to know your area is to provide them with examples of produce and products in your welcome pack. This is also an excellent way to build links with local businesses and pass on those benefits to your guests. Why not pop in some of your local favourites and leave a note explaining a bit about the local business, and where they can try more!

Attractions & Gifts

Another way of helping out local businesses as well as pleasing your guests is to make use of your welcome pack to offer information, and deals, to your guests for local restaurants and attractions. For example, you could team up with a few restaurants in the area to offer a special discount to your guests: it’s a win win situation, you send customers to the restaurants, and your guests feel special.

Personalized Products

By the time your guests arrive at the property you will have had enough correspondence with them to figure out the general nature of their stay. This is invaluable information for personalizing your welcome pack, and can really make a great impression on guests. For example, if it’s a birthday or anniversary celebration, why not leave some Cava in the fridge and some chocolates and a card in the pack. Or, if you know that there are going to be children in the property, why not include some magazines or treats suitable for the age range of the child. These little touches are the things that really make a stay special, and that people will remember.

Memorabilia

As much as we all like to deny it, most people loves picking up little bits and bobs on holiday that we would never pick up anywhere else: it’s part of the fun of travelling. Why not make this easier for your guests by including things like disposable camera, magnets, pens, postcards and mini frames. It will encourage guests to document their stay and will also give them reminders of your excellent service. Plus, people always forget to pick up these things themselves, so it is generally much appreciated!

Contact Details

In your literature for the property guests expect to have your contact details. However, why not go the extra mile and include some more details that might be of interest to your guests. For example, you could include literature and contact details on local attractions or restaurants. If you wanted to go further you could concentrate on places that would your target market would enjoy, for example, cosy pubs for couples, or children’s play areas for families. If you’re pet friendly you might want to include details of the local vets, and it’s always a good idea to leave details for doctors and dentists, just in case.

Handwritten Correspondence

In the present age of online communication, a handwritten, personal message can really make an impact on guests. You don’t need to say much, just thank them for choosing your property and wish them a nice stay, you’d be surprised how much a personal note can mean to people.

Those are our top tips for creating a great first impression with your welcome pack. We hope some of them were useful to you, and we would love to hear your own ideas.