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?

Like other posters have said locally sourced stuff is nice. If the booking includes kids and you can see their ages then activity packs with crayons ,colouring book and activity book is a nice touch, even if they only use it when on drives to different places or on the way back home. For those with pets, pet treats would be a good idea.

Local sourced ethical Artisian stuff as much as possible

A wrap of coke and a nice young man in a thong.

Most places are unlikely to have the licences to allow them to put wine in a welcome pack.

I've had wine in every holiday house welcome pack I've had. It's fairly common I think.

I normally take milk, tea bags etc with me, I would never say no to a welcome pack of locally sourced food, but what would impress me would be buckets and spades for kids or crabbing gear if close to a beach, small posy of handpicked flowers, home made cake. Ok, this was a hotel in San Francisco but if you go with kids they offer to give you a goldfish in a bowl that they can look after for the duration of your stay, my kids loved that.

I got a welcome hamper once, and honestly I was thrilled with the pack of playing cards as we forgot ours. Kept us busy all holiday. Also appreciated andrex loo roll, decent coffee, yorkshire tea, biscuits and a hand written note of where to go for food with recommendations on restaurants, who to call if needed and local attractions and "insider knowledge" of when and where to go. There were also board games in the cottage for anyone to use, so thoughtful. They even left a bed, towel, bowls and a bone for DDog.

@BackforGood

I wouldn't really expect to be provided with much 'produce' as such - it is, after all, self catering, but I agree with this from P1

Pay attention to the general staples -- some dishwasher tablets, salt and pepper, ketchup, oil, vinegar, sugar, loo rolls and tea towels.

Milk is good, and if there is somewhere that would supply some local speciality (eg Welsh cakes or Ginger Biscuits), or a home made cake, but I wouldn't expect more than that. I do expect some soap in the bathroom and some toilet rolls etc.

The crucial thing is, as I always say on 'what to provide in holiday cottages' threads, is for that information to be available before the customers leave home.

Everyone has different thoughts about what is 'nice' or 'essential' . I never minded if I had to take my own hairdryer or not, but I hate taking one and then finding one there (substitute 'hairdryer' for 1001 other things you might take).

Agree with this. We do lots of SC holidays. It's quite nice to have milk, bread, cheese, wine etc, but I'm not too bothered about that, and a waste if people are GF, don't drink etc

Flowers and a local paper would be a nice touch

Seasonal gift eg Easter egg would be fun

Personalised gift eg toy for a child would be a nice touch

But the holidays that stand out in my memory are the houses which were really well equipped (Or not). It just seems so tight fisted to provide 1 loo roll and some watered down washing up liquid

We stayed one place which provided nice toiletries. That felt a bit of a treat, and should be suitable for most visitors

My kids get a kick out of those miniature cereal packets. If it's a family friendly rental.
Also the miniature nutella packs.

My DH would be impressed by a couple of locally brewed beers.

I'd like some posh crisps.

Locally sourced is always lovely.

Agree with partnering with local farm. Especially if there's one that delivers and so the give discount in return for allowing their card left so guests can arrange further supplies for themselves if needed/wanted.

As to what's in a welcome pack it depends on the budget.

I've seen places like CP offer welcome pack but it's about £10 worth of shuffling for £20/25. They just value it on their own 8n store prices and not actual value!

Netflix serietay Here is about preparing for air BnB may be some good tips

I'd echo the basics like salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar etc. And enough cleaning stuff.

I'd like to be given a choice .... the milk, butter and eggs would be a waste for us. We wouldn't eat jam or honey but at least it wouldn't go off. Oat milk would be great though!

Really helpful ideas, thanks! Budget is 3k per year for all welcome hampers replacement bed linen, etc. For two holiday cottages.

Good bacon and eggs, maybe some smoked salmon. No good including breakfast pastries at they'll go stale.
But surely you'll have a budget to stick to?
Local guide books/history and fiction set in the area - not to be taken away but nice to read.

This is a thread all about how the other half live!

Depends on the available budget surely?

The cottage I usually go to has tea bags and coffee to get you started, home made cake, and dog treats if you have a pet. And eggs from the owners chickens (got dropped the year that a fox got the chickens).
My cat wasn't impressed, but they changed to cat treats after out first visit.

The cottage was fully equipped with washing up liquid/cleaning stuff/dish cloths - something I'd been uncertain about when I first went, and I certainly don't want to be faffing about for in the supermarket. Providing them must lead to guests leaving the property cleaner.

I really appreciate fresh flowers in a vase - not showy or supermarket flowers, usually from the garden or fields, but very welcoming.

With more vegans/people with intolerances, providing a huge welcome pack with cheese/butter/bread as some PPs have suggested could be an expensive waste.

The only thing I would really appreciate that's not provided where I go is a pint of milk in the fridge on arrival.

We usually try to plan our route to a cottage so we can stop in a supermarket near the destination and stock up. So I don't particularly want things that we might already have bought.

I don't really expect there to be a welcome hamper, so if there is something I'd much rather it was a luxury, like a small treat that we could eat on arrival - a nice cake, scones or biscuits, preferably from somewhere local that we might want to visit ourselves while we're there. And flowers are always welcome.

What I don't particularly want are teabags (I'm very fussy and bring my own, though I'll make an exception for Glengettie) or a pint of semi-skimmed milk (we drink gallons of milk but only whole milk - for DCs and DH - or skimmed for me).

Local sourced ethical Artisian stuff as much as possible

Personalised gift eg toy for a child would be a nice touch

Good bacon and eggs, maybe some smoked salmon

I've had holidays in self catered accommodation for most of my life (over 50 years), and I'd FAR rather the accommodation were £30 cheaper, than you left this sort of stuff on the table for when I got there.

This is a thread all about how the other half live!
I agree with this ^

and this

With more vegans/people with intolerances, providing a huge welcome pack with cheese/butter/bread as some PPs have suggested could be an expensive waste.

I always provide lots of nice cleaning stuff too. Method and cloths. Kitchen roll, enough toilet paper for stay. Dishwasher tabs, enough for stay not just two! Generally if the place is clean on arrival and you provide decent cleaning stuff. Guests will look after it.

This is a thread all about how the other half live!

Aye, the half that live in la-la land.

In France, we've had a homemade cake & local wine. Small jars of homemade preserves.
In England, usually individual teabags/coffee/sugar/pint of milk. Occasionally local bread, biscuits or sweets. Being able go make a cuppa before unpacking is always a bonus.
Once, there was a disposable BBQ which was a nice touch and can often be purchased dirt cheap at the end of summer ready for next year.
Another year, a small vase of cut flowers from the garden on the tray with teabags etc.

@dogsareshit

Sadly overlooked comment.

Magazine. Coca-cola.

If there's a bath, bubbles or smelly salts.

Nuts. Cheese. Popcorn.

@User478

We stayed in a seaside house that had new buckets and spades on each child's bed and chocolate and wine for adults, it was great and the buckets and spades have come on lots of holidays since (there was a note that we could keep them -we didn't steal them!)

A different one was a very pretty house that had a teatowel with a watercolor of the house printed on it to take away (I think they had postcards too) which is a lovely reminder of our holiday when you're drying the dishes.

Wow, these are wonderful ideas!! Especially the tea towel.

I once stayed in a hotel that I requested a cot and they left me the cutest baby toiletry bag with mini samples of baby wipes, baby bath, nappy cream, and some bath toys and a rubber duck. They also had a tiny little dressing gown (obviously not to keep). I really appreciated that.