Self catering welcome pack - yes or no?

[Malteser71]

So I’m wondering about our holiday let in Cornwall and ether it’s worth continuing to provide a ‘welcome pack’ of goodies.

It generally costs us about £15 per changeover. We include tea/coffee/milk/sugar/biscuits and crisps.

Thing is, when I’m a guest myself, I dont drink tea and I don’t take sugar. Lots of people have food allergies/intolerances.

What do you all think? Do you appreciate these welcome gifts on arrival? What goods do you like ?

We had a great welcome pack at a cottage once

Freshly baked bread
Organic milk
Freshly baked homemade cake
Jam, butter, tea, coffee, sugar
Loo rolls, hand-wash, dishwasher tabs
Bottle of red wine
Bottle of white wine
Fresh flowers

It was included in the letting price which wasn't that expensive either!

I'd far rather have 15 quid off the price.

Milk is handy but I'd be supplying teabags and coffee in small quantities. Posh teabags often come in individual envelopes and a handful should be enough for those who arrive without food.

It’s harder than it used to be as so many people have allergies or dietary requirements such as vegan or vegetarian etc nowadays.

And how on earth is cleaning costing £110? Are you paying £20 an hour? I'd have thought you could clean a property in 3-4 hours depending on size, so about £60 at most. And linen £50? When I have had my duvet cover professionally laundered it was about £7 so even with other sheets etc £20? I think someone has seen you coming OP

I don't know what size property you are talking about but the one I look after is 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, dining room, lounge and kitchen. I get paid £50 to do bedlinen for 2 doubles and 3 single beds, plus towels, teatowels, and bathmats - about 6 loads in all. All the bedlinen is 100% cotton and I am quite a fast ironer but it takes me about 2.5hrs to iron it all.
The cleaning takes around 6-7 hours. In all I get £140 in all. I earn every penny! Cottage housekeeping isn't as easy a gig as some people seem to think. Some guests are oddly obsessional so there are few short cuts taken; I once received a complaint that there was dust under one of the sideboards, something which I think could only have been spotted by lying flat on the dining room floor!

Booking days change during the year but there is an expectation I will be available for all of them - Friday, Saturday, occasionally mid week.

In fact, I think I might ask for a pay rise!

@PennineWayinSlingbacks

And how on earth is cleaning costing £110? Are you paying £20 an hour? I'd have thought you could clean a property in 3-4 hours depending on size, so about £60 at most. And linen £50? When I have had my duvet cover professionally laundered it was about £7 so even with other sheets etc £20? I think someone has seen you coming OP

I don't know what size property you are talking about but the one I look after is 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, dining room, lounge and kitchen. I get paid £50 to do bedlinen for 2 doubles and 3 single beds, plus towels, teatowels, and bathmats - about 6 loads in all. All the bedlinen is 100% cotton and I am quite a fast ironer but it takes me about 2.5hrs to iron it all.
The cleaning takes around 6-7 hours. In all I get £140 in all. I earn every penny! Cottage housekeeping isn't as easy a gig as some people seem to think. Some guests are oddly obsessional so there are few short cuts taken; I once received a complaint that there was dust under one of the sideboards, something which I think could only have been spotted by lying flat on the dining room floor!

Booking days change during the year but there is an expectation I will be available for all of them - Friday, Saturday, occasionally mid week.

In fact, I think I might ask for a pay rise!

Also in fairly rural areas with lots of holiday lets, there’s not enough people able or willing to do the cleans and laundry all on the Saturdays, so a good/reliable cleaner can set their own rates.

“Freshly baked bread
Organic milk
Freshly baked homemade cake
Jam, butter, tea, coffee, sugar
Loo rolls, hand-wash, dishwasher tabs
Bottle of red wine
Bottle of white wine
Fresh flowers “

That’s lovely. Only thing I might add, if it were rural, would be a box of local eggs, breakfast sorted.

So after reading this thread, I’ve concluded that

• my housekeeper is expensive
• not everyone wants a welcome pack
• most people do
• most people want tea, coffee and milk
• you can’t please everyone
• £15 is too much

Having researched the cost of buying in bulk, it seems my housekeeper is charging £15 for goods that I can buy for just under £8. So I’m narrowing it down to tea, coffee, sugar, milk and local biscuits. Other things as standard will include loo roll, cleaning products etc.

That seems like a good idea. Anything fresh is quite likely to get wasted if it's not consumed the day people arrive, which makes scones a no.

I'd investigate a cash and carry for individually wrapped items, but you may find it cheaper and/or easier to just get small packs from supermarkets and replace with new each week, you could always use the things like sugar yourself if it doesn't get used and looks OK.

What about coffee bags for the coffee? Easier than proper coffee and nicer than instant.

I think you've hit it on the head, @Malteser71. You can't please everyone but you will, I think, please the majority of people with individually wrapped tea and coffee, a pint of semi-skimmed and some nice biscuits!

👍👍

Even if you can get the bits for £8 the housekeeper still needs to use his/her time to buy them and get them to the holiday home.

Well not if they are stored in the property. Apart from fresh milk.

Good plan.

I'm not sure your housekeeper is expensive - it's not like a normal house clean and a good thorough housekeeper is worth the cost

If you don't check beforehand for allergies and tailor it to them I can't see the point really.

We (precovid) self cater in Cornwall a lot and never use any of it, it's such a waste.

Various reasonably severe health problems mean I cant do gluten so bread and nice biscuits are just taunting. Can't do alcohol or caffeine either so all the tea/coffee/milk goes to waste as do bottles of wine (obviously we leave behind rather than dispose of). It isn't the end of the world of course but always feel exclusionary and I assume weve ultimately paid for it built in the costs which grates.

I'd have thought anyone who does self catering regularly would know to bring their own and get food en route. Local businesses can be supported with a gift voucher or discount voucher of the same value with less waste if it needs to be given I'd have thought.

If you don't check beforehand for allergies and tailor it to them I can't see the point really.

We (precovid) self cater in Cornwall a lot and never use any of it, it's such a waste.

Various reasonably severe health problems mean I cant do gluten so bread and nice biscuits are just taunting. Can't do alcohol or caffeine either so all the tea/coffee/milk goes to waste as do bottles of wine (obviously we leave behind rather than dispose of). It isn't the end of the world of course but always feel exclusionary and I assume weve ultimately paid for it built in the costs which grates.

I'd have thought anyone who does self catering regularly would know to bring their own and get food en route. Local businesses can be supported with a gift voucher or discount voucher of the same value with less waste if it needs to be given I'd have thought.

I personally think that alcohol is the easiest and usually most appreciated. Sugar, tea, coffee, oil, salt and pepper should be in the cupboards anyway. However for an upmarket let I also do a £30 hamper from a local deli - supports the local business and has lots of little treats in it. At Xmas and Easter I always do Christmas hamper and presents for kids, and Easter eggs.

Scones are a 'no'. Well, I would say they are a 'yes' as I provide them and they are eaten every time!

Welcome packs are 'taunting'. If you are going to feel like this, maybe contact them.in advance and tell them not to.provide anything for you as you will feel taunted by it.

Your housekeeper is not expensive. If you want somewhere cleaned to high standards what she charges is about right.

I'd only say no to scones because they need eating on day they're made, or the next day at a stretch, so if people have other fresh food with them or they have other plans, they might struggle to fit them in with their other plans in a tight deadline.

We self cater in Cornwall yearly ...
Best packs we've had were a small milk and few sachets of tea/coffee / sugar and a homemade cake !
We only need sachets as we can then have a drink before unpacking completely ...
We did stay over Valentines once and were left a box of chocs and a bottle of Prosecco ...again lovely

OP I wouldn't be tinkering too much with the cleaning arrangements at the minute, right before what is likely to be the busiest summer season ever for Cornwall, as it may be difficult to get a replacement at this point.

From a business point of view unless you're struggling for bookings and really want/need repeat guests for future years I'm not sure it's worth it. If you go to the place yourself a couple of times a year you could buy a catering pack of tea bags and make sure it's stocked up with basics like salt and pepper. I personally like the kitchen to be well equipped and would like things like washing up liquid/sponges/dishwasher tablets but don't really see the point in 4 tea bags and 4 coffee sachets if I have to buy more anyway. Plus I've usually brought tea and coffee with me.

If self catering, I pack all of the bits and pieces needed for at least the arrival night/first morning. Plug in cool box takes care of any meat/other chilled stuff.

Packing the food/drink is part of the fun of going away! I wouldn’t use anything provided that was already open.

What I desperately want in place when self catering is adequate cleaning equipment/supplied, a torch, candles, matches and (ideally) access to phone chargers.

supplied = supplies