What 'out of the ordinary' things would really delight you in a holiday rental?

[Malin52]

Just bought a holiday rental property (yes, I'm in another country with no COVID restrictions except the border remains closed) and I'm super keen to make sure my guests have a really lovely experience.

I've had many experiences of my own of staying in holiday homes with crap or limited amenities that ruins a holiday so between that and the various threads on here I've got a pretty decent list of 'non negotiables' ie full length mirrors, table lamps, 2x the crockery/glassware for max capacity, range of sharp knives, potato peelers, sieves, enough lounge/dining space for everyone, good towels, various saucepans and oven dishes, food serving dishes and tools, games and books you can actually read rather than a job lot of shite picked up at a knockdown price (the beginners guide to Visual Basic in one place I am reminded of) etc.

But I'm Keen to know what would really make you think your hosts had really thought about your needs? Some of those things that you wouldn't normally find but you wish were there or things you have to remember and pack, or go out and buy

Rental is a two bed , beachfront location

Some thoughts I've had:

• basic cooking bits on top of oil, salt/pepper such as mixed herbs, chilli?
• kitchen consumables such as paper towels, cling film, tin foil?
• couple of Tupperware boxes for picnics, cool bag and ice packs,
• ice made up in the freezer
• chilled tap water in a glass bottle the fridge
• beach bits: sunshades, blankets, body boards
• reuseable bags for the supermarket
• sugar, teabags, coffee.

Anything else?

How would you feel about using food items someone else had used previous such as the herbs, oil, sugar etc? What if there was a decanted sealed jar of ketchup in the fridge (bbq on the deck and I always find buying yet another ketchup just for a couple of burgers v annoying). Would the ice and water delight you or make you go eurggh?!

Thoughts welcome? Too much effort for the potential for someone to think it's all a big grim?

Not bothered about a coffee machine, board games , or anything in the cupboards other than salt and pepper.
Dishwasher tablets would be nice but I tend to take some anyway.
Don’t like little bossy instructions stuck around the place but appreciate a folder with local details and how to work some of the appliances. Also expectation of how the place is to be left on departure.

A decent hair dryer.
Good shampoo and conditioner
A handful of dishwasher tabs and laundry capsules
A went to one Airbnb in December and they had put Christmas decorations up! That was lovely
A welcome / starter pack with milk bread butter and a few local treats
Beach towels and a bucket and spade if you're near a beach
A couple of magazines

Make it clear where rubbish needs to go, and what can get recycled.
If there are buses etc, where is the nearest bus stop, do you buy tickets on there or have to go to a specific shop like in France. Do you need change? Any quirks eg some go round the houses, others more direct etc.
I get a bit fed up of nespresso as it’s wasteful and expensive. But if that was the only choice then it would be good to know to be able to take some pods rather than expensive ones in a local shop.
A kettle and a cafetière is more helpful for me.
I would probably use olive oil etc as long as it didn’t look too ancient.
Some fleece blankets are nice if it gets cold in the evening and there isn’t good heating. Oh yeah, heating and cooling controls that make sense are nice.
A good smart TV is what I tend to look for. Especially when non UK when the advertised “satellite” just means rubbish channels with loads of adverts.
Generally though if there are comfy beds, a good level of cleanliness and maintenance and not too much clutter it’s good for me.

Could you have a list people can choose from? Maybe an option of 'welcome pack' which could have spices, or milk, or chilled water. A sort of, 'pick 5 things from the list'.

I realise some people would not want an open jar of spices but others wouldn't mind so could you have a shelf for people to leave things for other guests?

I'm always happy as a coffee drinker for there to be anything other than instant coffee. I'm lactose intolerant so not impressed by milk.

Using the same oil and spices would be fine but not ketchup as I’d like to know how long things have bend open

Ed's Diner always has small ketchup bottles, they are filled from a mega plastic container so everyone thinks they are getting a 'new' bottle. You could do something like that OP

Don't forget a tin opener and a corkscrew.

We have an air bnb apartment in Switzerland. It has a bean to cup coffee machine, which guests really appreciate (although there are more ‘real’ coffee drinkers here than in the UK, in general).

My heart always sinks if I stay somewhere with only a cafetière as it’s impossible to make espresso strength in it. At least with a pod machine you can.

Nespresso machine !

Not keen on foodstuffs,even herbs, tea/coffee or toiletries unless it's clearly a fresh Welcome Pack and not just random leftovers that might not be hygienic or fresh. Cleaning materials,laundry and dishwasher detergent are good as they really are a pain to buy for a week. I think the ice and water would be a bit eurgh and I would throw them out. Stainless steel ice cube trays, ice bucket & tongs would be welcome. Beach bits,games,books,tupperware quickly get tatty and risk giving a poor impression. The items that often seem to be missing are lighting strong enough to actually read by,proper air conditioning throughout,a good clothes airer,instructions for operating washing machines,dishwashers,heating etc.,enough electric sockets and enough door keys.

@harknesswitch

We stayed in a holiday cottage in Scotland and the owners put us some local produce in the fridge for us, think local smoked salmon, cream cheese, eggs, bread and enough tea, coffee and milk to see us through a few days. It was a lovely touch and meant we didn't have to rush off food shopping as soon as we arrived, we could leave it until the following day

Yes - I think a welcome pack is better than food in cupboards. If I’m on holiday I generally want to eat out so I wouldn’t be interested in cooking ingredients.

OP, I would buy a bag of ice for the freezer, only £1 at Ocado and they are sealed so no worries about hygiene.

Your place sounds great and you are a very thoughtful owner! 💐

I wouldnt use ice or water that I didnt know how long it had been there.
This is going to sound stupid, but please leave me a couple of empty cupboards in the kitchen. When I turn up with my box of kitchen essentials, I need somewhere to put it. I've spend too many summers with the box on the work surface (I used to spend 6 weeks each summer in UK holiday lets).
Somewhere to hang towels so they can dry.

Coat hooks.

Good wifi, v important.

Comfy beds. Good shower.

Minimal limescale in kettle.

I would say no to food, maybe salt and pepper. Also make sure there is space in the kitchen for food. Amount of holiday homes I have been to and every cupboard is full (10 wine glasses for 2 people!) and no space for my food.
Tin foil and cling film as we always forget ours.
Good comfy bed and sofa.

In colder months I want control over the heating.

At least 1, if not 2, empty cupboards in the kitchen. If I'm self catering I need somewhere to keep my food.

I've stayed in too many self catering places that have every cupboard filled with crockery, cutlery, appliances, gadgets etc etc. Either I end up rearranging the cupboards to make some space or we end up leaving half our food out on the worktops which annoys me.

Just enough space for some breakfast cereal, a few tins, pasta, biscuits, squash. And a fruit bowl is useful too.

A pillow menu-being given a choice of pillows. I’ve been to holiday lets that have had those cheap foam pillows which have given me a really bad neck So to be asked if you prefer firm or soft and feather or foam would be great!

Don’t like instructions everywhere, do not do this etc. People I imagine will be paying a lot of money to stay and it’s nice to feel a guest not an inconvenience. I wouldn’t bother with food other than a small welcome basket, it gets confusing what they brought or what was there already etc. A fridge freezer is always a bonus so I can go shopping once and then it’s done. Decent size glasses not thimbles, loo roll and plenty of it. Nice quality bedding

I would not want ice made in an ice tray, but a sealed bag of ice from the supermarket would be welcome.

My main bugbear in rental properties and hotel rooms is dim lighting. I hate not being able to see properly. And no to low hanging chandeliers and extractor hobs. We are a tall family.

Sufficient loo roll for the length of our stay would be welcome, full size bars of soap, beds that don't have footboards (because we are tall).

And lastly, instructions on how to use any electrical equipment in the house.

@goodjoujou

A pillow menu-being given a choice of pillows. I’ve been to holiday lets that have had those cheap foam pillows which have given me a really bad neck So to be asked if you prefer firm or soft and feather or foam would be great!

I always take my own pillow. I don’t risk the pillow situation.

As another poster said, a sealed bag of ice rather than cubes in a freezer.

Family size cafetière, preferably a metal one rather than glass so I didn’t need to worry about breaking it.

Plenty of pillows.
Control over heating and hot water timings.

Reading lights at every bedside
Big mugs
Teapot and tea cosy

If you’re going to have got and high chair in the cottage anyway, it’s always struck me as a bit tight to charge extra for them. Just envelope them in the overall cost.

For me it would
Draining rack on the sink
Clothes airer
Dustpan and brush
USB sockets
Beach towels separate from bath towels
Outdoor tap to rinse sandy feet

-kingsize bed
-shower
-kitchen stuff that works/is not broken
-electric items that you don't need an engineering degree to operate
-dishwasher

Decent sized cups! I hate rentals where the mugs are the size of a thimble and I have to essentially shot my morning coffee instead of sip it out of a suitable sized mug!

I think it really depends on who you are marketing to.

Personally I wouldnt want any herbs, oils, sugar anything anyone else has used. I think it's grotty when you open a cupboard or fridge and it's full of half used stuff. Wouldn't use your ice or water either. Would rather have a fridge that dispenses them.

We don't cook at all when we go away so don't care what is there. I just want clean mugs and glasses and a dishwasher. I bring my own travel kettle. Coffee machine is good, but please say what type it is in advance so that people can bring their own capsules.

Other than that I just want good quality sheets on the bed and lots of nice towels and a smart tv so can log into our apps if we fancied watching a film one night.

We only go self catering as a base to explore an area so wouldn't be spending much time inside. Anything like books or board games I'd rather bring with us than find ones with missing pieces etc

Instructions! Don't presume everyone has used an induction hob or a Nespeesso before, so leave the instruction books handy for us.

If you have a dishwasher, please leave a week of tablets. If your guests haven't a d/w at home, they'd have to buy tablets and the smallest pack I've found is 20 tablets - so 13 spare at the end of the holiday with no point taking them home.

Please leave me a kitchen cleaning spray and cloths so I can clean spillages as they happen. Ditto bleach for the toilet.

A range of mug sizes! Some people like dainty mugs. My husband like a big mug. We generally end up bringing one just in case.

Have a sensible approach to rubbish. Bin day rarely coincides with changeover day. I don't want to arrive to find the bin full from the previous guest; equally I don't want to be asked to leave no rubbish and to drive home via the local tip. Maybe two bins???