What would you expect from a welcome hamper?

[Aracanum]

Starting a new job soon and part of the role includes making up welcome hampers for holiday cottages.

What kind of thing would you expect or want from a welcome hamper? Branded of unbranded items? Locally sourced or supermarket standard?

My predecessor has some fabulous reviews stating she went above and beyond even including dog treats for guests with dogs. So, I'd like to also go above and beyond. What kind of things could I do to go above and beyond in general?

Oooh, locally sourced all the way!

I mean, milk, bread, butter tea and coffee mean you could have a cuppa and a slice of toast from the hamper. No random bits either. Smaller things too so there's less waste.

Oh definitely locally sourced brown bread, jam, eggs, scones, bottle of wine or locally sourced apple juice. You could partner with a local farm shop to include their produce at a discount and then some leaflets can be included.

Some passes or discount vouchers for local activities would be a nice touch too.

nice tea/coffee (even just a small bit), fresh milk, bread, butter and maybe some local treats?

above and beyond would be wine, chocs etc - I wouldn't expect those but they would be lovely

Local products certainly appeal to me - nothing from a supermarket value range! You can find that basics provided duplicate what we have brought along so helpful to know if milk, bread etc is provided. I like to receive a few treats - artisan marmalade, choccies, nibbles, and a presse type non alcoholic drink as examples. Acknowlegement of a booked in child/dog is a nice touch. Good luck in your new role!

The basics like bread, milk, Jam, cereal, tea, coffee and sugar obviously. I always think that something from a local company is a lovely touch.
A bottle of wine usually goes down well and also seasonal things like Easter eggs, Halloween treats etc help to make people feel special.
And yes if you advertise as pet friendly then something for the pet that's coming would be lovely.
I'd say that apart from breakfasts, there's not a lot of mileage in providing food as such as most people don't want to cook. Some snacks to eat in front of a film or take in a packed lunch might go down well. I'd say, if you can, tailor the hamper a little bit to the visitors rather than making it generic. That really makes visitors feel special.

We went glamping and they had left a game of Donkey for the kids. I think it only cost a couple if quid but we played it all holiday.

Where are the cottages based? If all in a similar area, I echo a PP's post about trying to partner with a local farm or farm shop/local business.

Things that might be nice are a bottle of wine, local bread, eggs, honey/jam (maybe a few of those mini pots), and any other nice looking/quirky local goods.

Lurpak butter though, every time 🥰

Definitely locally sourced. Bread, butter, eggs, milk, cheese, honey/jam, tea/coffee, a packet of local biscuits or a cake. I would go for good basics rather than unusual flavours. You could add extras according to what you know about the guests.

I would scope out what the competition do to judge where to pitch things - look at online listings and reviews for photos and comments. Some places include a photo of their welcome pack in their Airbnb listing, for example. Remember they have to be paid for somewhere although you may be able to do a deal with some places in return for putting additional business their way or for a bulk purchase.

Definitely local produce. Perhaps a mug with a scenic picture of the area on.

Anything locally sourced is always welcome.
Best was 3 packs of luscious fudge made as a sideline by our cottage owner.

Local definitely! Loaf of home-made looking bread, milk, nice biscuits, and maybe some butter and jam too. Also would like to know it would be there in advance so I didn't stress about having stuff in.

Nice tea and coffee, bread from local baker if possible, milk and butter, a bottle of nice wine of each colour, maybe a cake or locally produced biscuits. You could provide a bunch of flowers if you really want to push the boat out.

A nice bread
Butter
Tea/Coffee/ sugar / milk
Biscuits / Cake
If children / pets then perhaps something suitable for them.

I guess it depends on where the accommodation is, what it's stocked with by default and how much you have to spend.

Dog treats if they have dogs, sounds nice. Maybe a print out of local walks if they have dogs? Or a list of dog friendly pubs etc nearby?

Maybe a card if they've mentioned they're celebrating an occasion? Honeymoon, birthday, anniversary etc

Other than that just the usual snacks/tea/coffee. Definitely locally sourced if possible.

Definitely locally sourced.

I've stayed in a few holiday cottages and have really appreciated the following:
Milk
Cake/ pastries
Small jams and spreads
Orange juice
Bacon/eggs
Bread
Local info I.e. good walking routes, local attractions, good pubs.

The one that really stood out was when I was pregnant. They sent a little questionnaire a few weeks before asking what the purpose of the trip was and asked for any dietary requirements, intolerances etc. When we arrived they had included a pair of yellow booties in the hamper and a card saying congratulations. It was lovely.

Don't forget to check and cater for allergies.

Leaving bread and cakes for a family with celiac disease would disappoint and be a waste.

An article a few days ago suggested WRT furnishing holiday lets that most people expect/want to find something better than they have at home, so I think you should take the same approach with welcome hampers. Local produce, like biscuits and baked goods but not bread, preserves perhaps, a bottle of wine and milk in the fridge, dog treats only if the cottage permits them, a few tea bags, etc. But pay attention to the general staples -- some dishwasher tablets, salt and pepper, ketchup, oil, vinegar, sugar, loo rolls and tea towels. Nothing worse than arriving late afternoon gasping for tea and finding completely empty cupboards.

Tea, coffee, milk, bread, nice jam, butter, eggs a bottle of wine and some biscuits/ cake.

Definitely the biscuits/ cake. It's so nice to be able to have a cup of tea and a small treat either when you get there, or the next morning/ afternoon.

Agree with pp about local produce... bread, milk, eggs, butter, jam, tea, coffee, biscuits. Seasonal items are a great idea, as are something for children/dogs as appropriate.
I don't know about a mug though, as a guest I wouldn't be sure I could take it home? And it's one thing that we have too many of at home anyway. May be costly to provide for all guests, and odd to provide just one.

We use holiday cottages a lot and it’s always the local treats we look forward to. Having bread, butter, milk, tea and coffee means you don’t need to get breakfast things in as soon as you arrive and is really welcome. Once we had a lovely chocolate cake waiting for us, which was fab after a long drive! One place we stay in gives a pack which includes local juice and jam as well, which is super, and we’ve had enough individually wrapped local flapjacks at one place to save us buying lunch for a couple of days! Over and above might include a luxury like wine/beer/cider from a local supplier.

I like the idea of vouchers for a local attraction, or even for a meal somewhere local. I’m sure you could set up some good partnerships which would be mutually beneficial with local businesses.

Is it an ‘essentials’ or ‘treats’ hamper ? If the basics like teabags are already included then a treats hamper is lovely. When we went to Scotland we had a nice box with individual / small items in. It was great we dipped in throughout the week. From memory , tiny jars of local honey / chutney / jam (handwritten label) , small miniature bottle of local whisky (decanted only 1 or 2 measures), local shortbread fingers, scented candle etc. It was all the sort of local farmer’s market type things but just in smaller packages

a snack that you can sit down and have after a long drive before you unpack - so some nice teabags and cake or biscuits - and then something nice to add into your breakfast on the first day so fresh local juice or pastries.

Dog treats are great but don’t worry about food as many dogs have a favourite brand and owners should have brought it with them.

Notes of nearest shop in case they’ve forgotten any essentials!

Also, I always think fresh seasonal flowers are a lovely touch (don't have to be over the top), but I know that might not be to everyone's taste.