What Should You Include in a Holiday Cottage Welcome Pack To Delight Guests?
Welcome packs: Some owners swear by them, others consider them an unnecessary expense, only provided to keep up with the Jones’s, but what makes a great welcome pack – and why is it justified?
We asked holiday cottage owners what they included in their welcome packs and why and came up with some helpful information for all owners looking to stay ahead of the competition – especially when looking to encourage repeat visits.
Why provide a welcome pack? About two-thirds of the owners we spoke to include a welcome pack for guests because:
1. Impact: It gives guests something special on arrival and reduces the likelihood of subsequent complaints about the property afterwards.
2. Gratitude: Many guests arrive after regular closing hours – or at properties some distance from (as yet unknown to guests) local shops – so they need something to keep them going until breakfast (or for breakfast). This particularly applies to overseas properties where it’s not uncommon for visitors to arrive in the early hours of the morning. Offering a measure of self-sufficiency to guests until they are ready to go foraging for themselves is an excellent enticement to attract bookings.
3. It’s worth the investment
- They play a part in encouraging repeat bookings (more on this later).
- They help to reduce complaints.
- They are vital to getting 5-star reviews
4. They improve a holiday: They provide an opportunity to introduce guests to the local culture or cuisine.
Reasons given by those owners who did not provide welcome packs in holiday cottages were usually for financial reasons – especially for smaller holiday lets or due to the lack of time to put one together. However, what subliminal message does this send your guests? Do you want to be considered lazy or overly Scrooge-like, who doesn’t know how to care for guests?
Generally, though, there is much to be said for offering guests an appropriate welcome pack. So, what exactly should it contain?
Firstly, ensure what you include is commensurate with the size and quality of your holiday property. If you’re a small 1-bed budget apartment, then, unless you are at the luxury end of the market, create a pack that shows you care – but doesn’t break the bank. However, it won’t make you stand out from the crowd, so always consider including something special in even the most basic of welcome packs, such as a lovely cake or locally made biscuits.
On the other hand, if you have a luxury holiday home, ingredients for a full English, Scottish or Welsh breakfast wouldn’t go amiss.
Essentially, provide a mix of essentials plus something special such as a box of luxury biscuits or a home-baked sponge that gets the ‘aaah!’ factor.
Essentials depend on what your guests will most likely need when arriving. Arrivals mid to late afternoon will probably be gasping for a cup of tea or coffee and will be delighted to find a sponge cake, tea cakes, crumpets, fruit or something similar, but still have time to go shopping to buy dinner and breakfast.
For holiday properties off the beaten track or where arrivals frequently occur after closing time, consider breakfast essentials - a packet of cereals, bread, croissants, butter, jam or marmalade, and some biscuits and fresh milk. Add bottled water if appropriate. One owner said they had negotiated a good discount with their local pub to include a discount voucher for guests to enjoy meals the evening they arrived without worrying about shopping.
Another provided bread rolls, spread, jam, muesli, fruit juice, tea, coffee, sugar and milk for breakfast on the 1st morning of their stay. She also included essential supplies such as cooking oil, olive oil and wine vinegar for salads, salt/pepper/herbs/spices, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, stock cubes and flour: basic essentials easy for guests to forget to bring.
What extra things don’t cost a lot but can make a difference to how a guest feels about holidaying in your property? For example, why not include a ‘Welcome Back’ card if it is a returning guest? One owner with a large holiday cottage on Exmoor not only gives her guests a dozen postcards of the property, but she also ensures they are pre-stamped. She says, “They not only get used, rather than taken away as souvenirs – but they help attract new guests.” Close to the coast, Jenny at Devon Beach apartment in Woolacombe likes to know the names of any young children amongst her guests as they get a personalised welcome message using fridge magnets.
It's helpful to ensure that your pack doesn’t include too much fresh produce, although items such as fruit, bread and dairy products are essential. This gives you the option of being able to purchase some items in bulk – for the season and save money.
Of course, welcome packs include more than edible and gluggable contents. One owner we spoke to with a cottage in Kent consists of a much more comprehensive range of disposables such as cling film, foil, tea towels, washing up liquid, fresh or new dishcloths cloths, bin bags, dog poo bags, a doggy welcome bag of biscuits or treats, dishwasher tablets, a few laundry capsules, kitchen towel, toilet rolls, liquid soap. It dramatically affects guests’ perception of a place if they’re not given month-old dishcloths and scourers! Some may say you’d expect a holiday property to provide these items. True – but why not present them nicely together as the kitchen wizardry’ pack? Ensure people will see the main welcome pack first; otherwise, their first impression may be that you expect them to start cleaning on arrival.
If you can source them, why not include discount vouchers for local attractions? Offer to include vouchers in your welcome pack in exchange for a link to your property on their website –that way; you’ll enjoy an additional bonus through having another potential source of bookings. The vouchers cost you nothing but will be financially valuable to your guests.
Consider your welcome pack's visual impact (Think of it as a mini-harvest festival display). Of course, some items will be stored in the fridge (leave an explanatory note), but place items that can be left on the table, on a lovely white napkin in a basket, for example. Bowls of fruit look charming, like a vase of fresh-cut flowers from the garden. Place it somewhere where guests will discover it as soon as possible after they cross the threshold.
Suppose you’re finding it impossible to please people. In that case, you can always include contact details for the nearest local supermarket doing home deliveries and invite them to arrange for their shopping to be pre-delivered. Why not go one better and support your local village shop? Set up an arrangement with your local shop whereby you can include a food checklist from your village shop with their booking confirmations enabling guests to order local produce to await their arrival.
So, a properly thought-through welcome pack can deliver tangible benefits to you and the local economy, encouraging return visits or helping keep the village shop in business. Just give yourself a budget that can be factored into the rental fee, see what you can provide for free and test it on your guests this season.
Rick Bond is the director of My Favourite Holiday Cottages, a business established in 2010 specialising in advertising UK holiday cottages. Click Add A Property' To advertise your holiday cottage through us.
Read these articles for more information on Welcome Packs for Holiday Cottages:
1. Ways To Ensure Your Holiday Cottage Guests Feel Welcome
2. Ten Ways to Ensure Guests Feel Welcome and Cared For
3. A North Yorkshire Holiday Cottage Welcome
4. Ideas for a Wow Factor Welcome Pack For Your Holiday Cottage