Whenever I have stayed in a holiday let, either in the UK or abroad, and they have a welcome pack or guest book – I always have a read. They are so helpful, make you feel invited and can show how genuine a host is. I actually recently helped someone set up an Airbnb in the area and put together an information pack to have in their Airbnb. So, in this week's blog, I plan to help set up a structure for your welcome pack which can improve the stay for your guests – bumping up those reviews!
- A warm welcome: Introduce yourself; give them your name, why you love the area so much, and maybe what you love doing in the area. It will make guests see the host as a genuine person.
- Wi-Fi details: Nowadays when guests are booking a holiday, Wi-Fi can be a dealbreaker – so make sure this is all set up. Write down all the details; where the router is, what the name of the Wi-Fi is, and what the password is.
- Heating instructions: Every heating control is different, and sometimes not straight forward... Let them know how to set timers, adjust the temperature and switch on & off.
- Parking: If you have parking included – that is awesome! However, if not, then this is crucial and can be quite difficult, especially for town centre locations. Most of the time, people are going to be staying for a couple days, so you will need to inform them of any long stay parking, and also some loading bays/short term parking outside so that they won't be dragging their suitcases through the centre.
- Emergency contact: Make sure they have someone to call at all times. It would even be better to give them a secondary number to the emergency number, just to be sure. Guests love knowing that there is someone there at all times for if something was to go wrong.
- Hospital: Give all details of the hospital; how to get there, how much parking is, where to find A&E, etc. This can ease your guest’s mind and be super helpful in a crisis.
- Taxis: Realistically, most guests are going to want to have a couple drinks as they are on their holiday and will want to know all the local taxi companies. Especially in a small seaside town like Aber, this can be difficult to find online.
- Walks: List all the best walks. Mention how long they are, how long it will take, what type of walk it is (coastal, views, etc.). Even give them a map of the walks and list of directions, just so that it is less to think about for them.
- Takeaways: Jot down different takeaways and their numbers, and collect some menus from the local restuarants so that they can place orders easily.
- Checking out: Give all checking out details, I.e., what to expect of the place, how to leave your towels, where to leave keys, and asking them kindly to leave a review in your guest book or online.
Anything else that you think could be mentioned in a welcome pack that would be useful for others to know, please comment below because we would love to know what everyone else thinks.
