Getting creative to welcome your Airbnb guests is a great idea and there are ways and means to do it in style. Some are tried and tested and other ideas need exploring.
Asking yourself what kind of ‘welcome’ you want to stage might be a good idea to start with.
Remember, the goal here is to make the guests happy, bring a smile to their faces and turn their welcome and stay a memorable one.
Though welcome baskets are very common, what you place inside can make all the difference.
Here are a few ideas to make them unique, interesting and value for your money spent.
On a budget of $15 to $20 approximately you can create these baskets.
Basket Idea 1:
We all love to read and sip on coffee or tea. Create a basket of books, coffee, tea, crackers or cookies.
About books, the topics can range from motivational, spiritual or even something about business, DIY, cooking etc.
(There are tons of books available on sale in book stores starting anywhere from $2 to $4 range. I own many books on various topics, fiction as well as non-fiction. I also go to my local library and buy used books on sale. One time they were selling a medium sized bag of books for a $1. No kidding. This is my library in Mississauga)
Basket Idea 2:
Cheese, chocolate and candies and a bag of dehydrated fruit seems like a perfect mix of goodies.
When we say welcome baskets, they don’t have to be huge ones. Opt for a small one and include bite-sized cheese, a small chocolate bar and a few candies.
(Bite-size cheese costs less than $5)
Basket Idea 3:
Bite sized eats like tiny muffins, or brownies and cookies with a bag of baked chips, and add a beverage, preferably water or some fruit juice. And you have another snack welcome guest basket.
Basket Idea 4:
A meal basket that can be used for lunch or dinner, or even snacking.
A basket of instant food appeals a lot to people on the go. Cup noodles, soup packets, flavored mashed potatoes.
No matter what part of the world the guests come from, noodles, soup and potatoes speak a universal language and I personally feel they are excellent at connecting cultures.
Basket Idea 5:
A little improvisation on the meal basket would be a breakfast basket with some pancake mix, butter, a fruit or two like a couple of oranges or apples.
Soaps and other essentials like cosmetics are a bit too personal and providing those can sometimes pose a challenge. What if the guests don’t finish it and say a little over 40 per cent goes to waste?
You might want to reconsider the toiletries basket only for this reason. The other option is to label the contents in the basket saying these are ‘souvenirs for their stay’. Making it clear that they are not taking things from their hosts is one way to avoid any wastage.
Basket Idea 6:
So then if you are willing to take a chance, then go for the toiletries basket and add lotions for hands, body, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, a small tube of toothpaste and a small bottle of mouth wash.
This basket might cast you more than $20. But if it is about making your guests happy, take a chance.
Want to be a bit more daring and treat your guests to an extra special treatment?
Basket Idea 7:
Provide them with a complete bath kit and include towels, razor, shower caps, depilatory wax/cream and include the other essentials mentioned above.
Welcoming guests can also be done in style by giving gifts. This would definitely get in the souvenir category.
Gifts can include anything from trinkets to knick-knacks. You can pick something handcrafted.
Basket Idea 8:
If your guests have pet dogs, a ceramic dog souvenir would be ideal and these ceramic knick-knacks cost less than $15.
Yes, there is a danger of this souvenir getting broken/chipped. Then how about a mini bronze kangaroo figurine set? Costs less than $10.
There are tons of gift ideas for you to welcome your guests with. All one needs is to get creative and spend some time digging in to find something good.
I like giving diaries or notebooks made from recycled papers to show and express my love for environment via using recycled products.
My friend living in London, Ontario hosted me one time and gifted me a pair of wooden earrings handcrafted by local artists. It is over a decade now and I still have them.
So you see, trinkets such as these also make excellent welcome gifts for your guests.
No, nothing is mandated here. These are courtesies you are extending voluntarily.
You see it is also the thought that counts.
In some countries including India, it is a tradition in most households to offer water to the guests the moment they arrive. Even restaurants serve glasses of water to guests as soon as they take their seats. It is got to do with being hospitable.
So how about serving welcome drinks then?
Seems like they are still in vogue and if you like this idea, make or buy one and serve.
(If you are not welcoming them personally, leave the drink ready for them and make sure to have some ice ready.)
Basket Idea 9:
From simple lemonade to an icy fruit punch, iced tea, plain old orange juice can do wonders to quench your thirsty guests. Flavored water works too. Cold beer sounds like a fabulous idea as well.
Leaving a drink in the refrigerator is different than a welcome drink. You have to try and add a special touch to it, say like placing the drink in a crate/tray, followed by a card on the console informing them about the same.
Want to know how I will welcome my guests?
I will give them a feel of Canada by buying them Timbits (bite-sized fried donuts) from Tim Hortons and, and maybe, also leave an Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.
So you see, it is all about getting creative and welcoming our guests. Smiles work, but gifts combined with gestures, works always, every time.
Try giving your guests a gift of ‘memories’ to reminiscence later.