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?

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 at a mobile home in France once (there were various options and this wasnt the most basic) and there was no loo roll or anything. Luckily I take everything including the kitchen sink had some that we have for the journey/stop offs. They also asked us to clean very thoroughly before leaving, despite the fact no cleaning cloths or products were left. (Again I did have a limited amount with me but I thought it was a bit of a cheek)
My biggest bug bear in holiday cottages is lack of/positioning of mirrors. Just because I'm on holiday doesnt mean I dont care about what I look like!

Some places that I've stayed have provided bowls of local fruit

Chocolates

Towels in the shape of an elephant

Peat or chopped wood for the real fire

Locally sourced.
We stayed in a brilliant holiday cottage a few years ago and basically they supplied provisions for a cooked breakfast the first morning: bacon, eggs, milk, sausages, loaf of bread, butter & jam. They also provided a nice packet of biscuits 4 bottles of locally produced beer & a very nice bottle of wine.
The dog treats is a lovely touch. Also if guests have children an activity pack might be a nice idea.

What’s with all the wine?

See if you don’t drink wine, that’s a really expensive thing you’re just sitting looking at going, well that’s a giant waste of my money... because you know you’ll have paid for it somewhere along the line. It’s not like a few teabags not getting used.

Hampers - oh yea!

Tea/coffee and some type of milk (depending on any fridge)
Local goodies (biscuits or pastries)
If it’s self catering - something to make breakfast or a sandwich! Bread and pastries.
Where we used to go when ds was little they would include some ‘kids’ Juice cartons and sweeties
Bottled water and fruit juice
Wine (we used to stay in houses next to vineyard so, very local wine)
One place left a basket and a note to say ‘help yourself to the garden (huge full of fruit and veg) and orchard. Oh yesss fresh plums every morning!

Forgot

Last place we stayed

Free bottle of wine & could choose red or white

Ah yes - and the wine we used to get was the local plonc (or even home brew) so cents, not expensive (and good for the local economy).

I would include in my advert that cleaning supplies were all provided, most basic cooking items (oil, spices etc) plus a first aid kit.

I'd leave a basket with tea, coffee, milk, biscuits and apple juice.
A 'local delicacy' ie welsh cakes, shortbread, cream tea supplies.
And a small bunch of fresh daffodils on the table.

If it is a higher end place I would add wine, cheese and chocolates
And a small themed item for eg Xmas, Easter, Anniversaries.

I would appreciate
Tea
Coffee (either ground for cafetiere or pods for a machine, I would leave instant)
Milk for tea/coffee
Fresh bakery type bread
Butter (or vegan alternative) for the bread
Some 'treat' biscuits eg borders or mini choc bars
Some savoury snacks/nibbles to have with a drink eg nice crisps/roasted salted beans
If staying with kids they'd love a bag of haribo/candy kittens depending how upmarket you want to make it.
Definitely wouldn't say no to a bottle of wine but that's a bit budget dependent.

I'd go for locally produced or 'treat' brands, it wouldn't feel particularly luxurious if it was an aldi plastic wrapped loaf.

@macaronirabbit I am often entertained by what is supplied in French-aimed mobile homes vs eg Eurocamp that caters mostly for brits.
Ones that rent mainly to the French market rarely have an oven, often no toaster either, frequently no cheesegrater but almost always have an oyster knife
As it happens my DH makes excellent use of the oyster knife but not being able to grate/grill/toast anything can get frustrating if self catering for 2 weeks.

I'm trying to think what we've been given and the majority of holiday cottages we've stayed in in the UK have provided things like kitchen basics, some toiletries, etc. The only time we've had a welcome pack was in Cornwall. There was a tray with a cream tea on it: pint of milk, teabags, dish of clotted cream, jar of jam, butter and some scones. There was also a locally made wrapped loaf cake. I would steer clear of giving bottles of wine as not everyone drinks/has the same tastes, etc and it really depends what is provided as standard.

I don't expect anything - I take it all with me.

All I would like is instructions on how to work things, I would like to have a comprehensive welcome pack with where supermarkets and attractions are and if there are any local markets on and which days. Money off vouchers are always appreciated as the attractions are so expensive.

Also see if you can get any deals for your guests for money off local restaurants/takeaways or even the local farm shop.

I don't want a welcome basket as I would feel how much extra am I paying for this holiday to cover the cost of items I may not like or use.

I think I may be in a minority looking at some of these answers, but I think if you must provide something - go with tea/coffee/hot chocolate, bottle of water, fresh milk and a packet of local biscuits.

Finally, make sure the bedlinen, towels etc are clean and there is a cloth to do the washing up if no dishwasher.

Ooh, I love these. Any locally made delicacies - cheese, jam, bread, etc. Milk, coffee and tea are handy. Biscuits good too.

I love a bottle of white wine too.

One of the best ones we had was scones and clotted cream in Cornwall - yum!

We stay in lots of cottages and always take a basic stock anyway- tea, coffee, milk sugar, spread, ketchup, juice- just what you'd need to serve a good breakfast with locally bought meat and bread etc.

I think something local and unusual would always raise a smile- or a treat. Fresh cake, biscuits, wine.

I'd rather do my own shopping and pay less on the hire. I've always been able to find "local produce" myself and it's easy enough to do rather than spending I presume an extra £30 for the hire just so there's a scone in a basket when I get there.

Totally agree stopringingme

@tabulahrasa

What’s with all the wine?

See if you don’t drink wine, that’s a really expensive thing you’re just sitting looking at going, well that’s a giant waste of my money... because you know you’ll have paid for it somewhere along the line. It’s not like a few teabags not getting used.

As well as that any of your guests could have a drink problem so I'd never leave alcohol.

Most places I've rented in Ireland leave a bottle of wine and some baked pie or cake .
I love when they leave you enough dishwasher tablets, loo rolls for a weekend stay and a few tea towels.

A group of friends and I go an annual weekend away to a holiday cottage and have done for many years. They always leave a jam jar of flowers on the side, a small carton of milk in the fridge and then sausage rolls and cheese vegetarian equivalent and a lemon loaf cake all hand made from the local farm shop. Everyone having a mini sausage roll and a slice of cake and a cuppa on arrival has become part of the tradition of the weekends away - and we all invariably stop at the farm shop on the way home to get treats for our families.

@Aracanum

Have a good quality non-alchol bottle of drink such as botanical bottle of drink !
or and a normal bottle of quality cider /or wine .!

See, im assuming that if this is even a think for these holiday cottages, then they are pretty higher end. Knocking £30 off the bill won't particularly be noticeable to the people going, but having all these treats that feel special will be.

Leaving out alcohol might be a good idea unless there is a local producer to highlight (who'll give you a bulk order discount), its easy to get wrong with lots of people, and locally produced apple /pear juice will feel fancier without eating too much into your budget.

I love the idea of a tea towel with a picture of the house, and that must be a pretty safe bet as a gift / souvenir

I own holiday cottages! Have a look at the Netflix programme 'Stay Here' as there are some great ideas.

A of thumb is to spend 10% of the cost of the first night's stay.

Do be aware that if you provide any alcohol then strictly speaking you should have a licence. This is obviously ignored by thousands of people, but it is the law. Visit Britain have all the rules in the Pink Book which is online. Do also be aware that to provide any food at all( even packaged) you need a basic food hygiene certificate, but your employer probably has this.

I live onsite and my accommodation is advertised as luxury.

I leave an afternoon tea in a cake box, it is homemade cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam. I also leave a homemade loaf of bread and a large bunch of flowers from my garden. Sometimes the flowers end up just foliage with just a few blooms. This is the 'surprise'.

I advertise a light breakfast for their first morning which is tea, coffee, bread, croissants, butter, jam, marmalade, milk and homemade granola.

In two years I have only had the afternoon tea not eaten twice! The thing that gets left most often is the granola- it is not even opened a lot of times.

The welcome pack nearly always gets mentioned in reviews.

Does the budget include cleaning products and toilet rolls? I leave cleaning products, reusable cloths and sponges, toilet cleaner, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, olive oil, salt and pepper as standard.

If you leave cleaning products they will clean as they go.

It all adds up.

I run 2 high end Airbnbs and we leave a selection of local organic produce. Seasonal fruit/vegetables, local eggs, milk, and if it’s a special occasion (Christmas or guest’s birthday) we would leave a bottle of Prosecco and some chocolates too.