Welcome packs are a great way to leave a good lasting impression on your guests.
The gesture creates immediate goodwill on their arrival and can also be a great way to support local supplies in your area.
– Purchase local, long life products in bulk and store them in your property for a hassle free way of providing a great welcome pack. All that will be left to do is to make a quick stop at your local farm shop or convenience store for a small carton of fresh milk and any other fresh treats.
– We love a good old fashioned ‘basket’ as a way of presenting your welcome pack. It then becomes a focal point in your kitchen when your guests arrive at the property. We suggest also leaving your house handbook and an extra set of keys with it, so that everything important can be found in one place.
This is down to personal preference, but we have suggested some long life, local products below:
– Local honey and / or jam go great with leisurely breakfast when on holiday.
– Local shortbread / biscuits are always a winner with a cup of tea.
– Local Coffee makers have sprouted up everywhere so grab a bag of ground coffee for the cafetière!
– Regional cheese/chocolates/snacks are always popular.
– A fresh carton of milk is always useful after the train/car journey to your holiday home.
– Who doesn’t love a piece of cake – you will find local bakers wherever your holiday home is.
– All elements of your welcome pack must be professionally made and sold ensuring they have the right packaging, best before/use by dates and of course full list of ingredients detailed on them.
– Often local producers have great social media presence, we suggest giving them a shout out on your social channels to showcase your delicious welcome pack. In turn they will often share/re-post your post and you will get some extra pr for your property!
All hosts or agencies are difference but we ask for a minimum of at least milk and cake/biscuits. However, in all New Forest Escapes houses’ you will also find supplies of tea, coffee, sugar, herbs, oils and more which is more than most holiday homes.
This is a gray area as you are not selling the alcohol and it is not part of the ‘package’ of your accommodation cost. What we suggest for clarity is contacting your local counsel as they would deal with any licensing locally and they can tell the situation in your area.
The answer is yes but do remember that there are rules and regulations concerning the making, processing, packaging and selling of all food products and you must abide by these.
All holiday homes are unique but I would work on the basis of the size of property and how many guests it will sleep. Our recommendations would be:
Sleeps 2 – £10 / Sleeps 4 – £15 / Sleeps 6 – £20 / Sleeps 8 – £25 / Sleeps 10 – £30 / Sleeps 12 – £40
First impressions really count when it comes to guests, so making a generous gesture like providing a thoughtful and local welcome pack will always go down well.
We know from experience that a positive first few minutes in your holiday home means less gripes and issues from your guests during their stay. It is also a way of standing out from the crowd, in a very competitive market and guests will remember your welcome pack and compare versus others they have had.
Lastly it is also a great way to support other local businesses in your community and in turn a good way to promote your business through them as well!
