You’ve prepared the property, listed it on booking platforms, and now you’re attracting some bookings. Excellent! So what can you do to ensure they have a great first impression? You should always include a holiday home guest welcome packs to help your guests get acquainted with your home and the local area.
Even if you are meeting them in person, a small guide with useful information will keep them informed throughout their stay. Here are five guest welcome pack ideas from our St Andrews holiday lets management team.
What to include in guest welcome packs
1) Transport close to the holiday home
Your guests have probably made their own way to the property (though we do recommend including directions in the booking email) – but that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate local information for when they arrive. Include timetables of popular routes, plus links to transport websites. Is there a local transport app? Let them know.
For example, we know many guests staying in St Andrews from outside Scotland also like to visit Edinburgh. In this instance, we would include information about public transport – as well as parking charges in Edinburgh.
Quality Cottages suggest including transport ticket prices as well. This makes planning day trips much easier for your guests.
2) Include appliance info in your holiday home welcome pack
This is absolutely essential in your guest welcome packs. Washing machines, dishwashers and even showers can sometimes be difficult for guests to figure out. You can leave manuals in a drawer – but if you can you should also include a basic round-up of the key points in the guide. This is even more important if your property has additional features – like a hot tub or a log burner (A great way to add value to your holiday let).
Make sure you write this in as basic language as possible. If your holiday home has appliances you’re already used to, put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never used it before. Your holiday home welcome pack should be as accessible as possible.
3) Rules and emergency contact info
These go hand in hand! You’ll want to make sure you set down a clear set of rules for your guests to prevent further damage. Think of these more as care suggestions than strict rules. You’d be surprised how many small details aren’t easy to figure out straight away – so do a walk through of the property before compiling your holiday home guest welcome pack.
On the other hand, accidents happen – so make sure you include emergency contact info. Having your contact details will be invaluable if they lose their keys or something breaks down. Sophie Orr from Sykes Holiday Cottages also recommends numbers for doctors, dentists and your preferred maintenance workers. She also suggests including vet details if your property is pet friendly – and we couldn’t agree more! This is a nice little touch to show your guests you care.
4) Don’t forget the fun stuff
Ultimately, your guests are here to have fun. Chances are, you’ve probably bought a holiday home in a location you already love – so make sure to sell it in the welcome pack. Include a good variety, and if you have a working relationship with local businesses make sure they appear quite high up. You should have at least two restaurants and three attractions – plus some more specific suggestions for your area.
Speaking about businesses you have a relationship with – see if you can include some vouchers for your guests. At the very least, we would recommend leaving a few leaflets for them to read over. Tailoring these to your usual demographics would also be super handy. If you attract a lot of families, make sure there are plenty of kid friendly activities included.
5) Present your guest welcome packs in a luxurious hamper
This is entirely optional, but a nice little touch that will bring in five star reviews. Schofields recommend including products from the local area. This will be much easier if you keep in touch with cafés, boutique stores and artisans close to your holiday let. It’s also a great way for them to advertise their products.
Beyond local goods, think about what needs your guest has. Do you usually attract couples? Include a bottle of wine. Family planning a late arrival? Tea, coffee and milk means they won’t have to go to the shop first thing in the morning. The more you can tailor the hamper the better.
Final thoughts on guest welcome packs
Aside from these five suggestions you can also include a nice little welcome message at the start, information about local parking and that all important WiFi code.
Think about the kind of information you look for when you are visiting a new place. Keen to go paperless? You can also include a PDF version of your holiday home welcome pack in the booking email. With great attraction recommendations, they’ll be super excited to come visit.
Short Stay St Andrews are experienced in all aspects of holiday let management – including sourcing, refurbishment and guest turnovers. With over 1000 5-star reviews, we have years of experience behind us. We’re also based right in the heart of St Andrews, so we know the local holiday home market like the back of our hand. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help you.