Hosts are always in pursuit of ideas for making their rentals more unique and memorable for their guests. If you’re looking for the next thoughtful addition that will improve your guests’ Airbnb experience, a welcome gift basket can be the perfect addition!
With the help of our Airbnb welcome gift basket ideas, you can put together the most wonderful gift basket that will keep your guests coming back and make your reviews nothing but five stars and praises.
What Is an Airbnb Gift Basket?
An Airbnb gift basket can be a basket, box, or gift bag filled with gift items for your guests. These items can be something your guests get to take home as well as useful goodies they can use while staying at your rental. Hosts usually add a few small gifts wrapped in beautiful packaging that complements the style of the rental.
Why Should I Provide a Gift Basket for Airbnb Guests?
There are many benefits to welcoming your guests with a gift basket:
- Make a lasting impression by showing guests that you’ll go above and beyond for them
- Give guests something to rave about in the reviews which will attract new guests
- Get more return bookings by standing out from other rentals
- Create a more cozy feel and make the rental homier for your guests
- Encourage more detailed and enthusiastic reviews from satisfied guests
Do All Hosts Need to Provide a Welcome Basket?
A welcome basket isn’t one of the necessary items on hosts’ checklists, but it is a thoughtful touch that guests will appreciate. Every additional detail that isn’t among the list of basics will make your rental more impressive and bring you 5-star reviews!
However, if your guests are staying just one night, putting together a welcome basket may not be so worth the while. Investing your time and money in a welcome basket is sensible when guests are staying at least two nights.
How to Put Together the Best Airbnb Welcome Basket
Here are a few handy tips for making the perfect (and budget-friendly) gift baskets for your guests:
- Set a budget for the basket based on how much you charge for the night (you can make a more elaborate basket for luxury rentals)
- Buy items in bulk to get a lower price
- Add individually packed items (you can find loads of examples of delicious individually packed snacks in our best snacks post)
- Decorate the basket to go with your rental’s theme
- Personalize it with a handwritten note and/or more unique gifts
What to Include in a DIY Airbnb Welcome Basket
A gift basket doesn’t need to have a dozen items inside or be overflowing with expensive products. It can be as simple as a gift bag with a few gifts from the heart and it will still wow your guests.
If you’re all for making a gift basket, but you don’t know where to start or what to put inside it, here is the list of essentials:
- Beautiful Container – It all starts with the container. You don’t need to use a real basket since they tend to be more expensive. A suitable alternative is a gift box or bag. If you’re crafty, you can make the boxes yourself.
- Welcome Letter – A few lines of heartwarming words will make your guests feel special from the minute they arrive. You can also include your contact info in the letter.
- Guest Book – You can add a printed version of the welcome book with useful information, such as the WiFi password, where to find extra towels, the nearest grocery store, restaurant recommendations, local restaurant menus, local activity guides, and so on.
- Personalized Gift – Every type of gift is amazing, but when you go the extra mile to include something personalized, that’s when you’ll win over guests for sure. It can be a local product, a DIY item, or anything that would add a personal touch to the mix.
- Delicious Snacks – Snacks are always welcome in a gift basket, especially when you have hungry travelers coming into your rental. Even a little bag of chips or small chocolate would do the trick.
The Best Airbnb Gift Ideas for Guests
Make a gift basket that guests will always remember and rave about to their friends with the help of these perfect gift ideas.
1. Themed Gifts
If your rental is ‘dressed up’ in a certain style, the basket should complement the whole ambiance you’ve created. For example, if you’re going for a country or rustic theme, freshly baked goods from your favorite bakery would be such an ideal addition to the welcome basket.
2. A Touch of Local Culture
Make your guests feel welcome in the new area by giving them something specific from your town, city, or region. Local products such as locally grown foods, local snacks (for example, Lammes Texas Chewie Pecan Praline Candy), or even a gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant will give guests a taste of local cuisine and make a long-lasting imprint in their memory.
If you plan on repeatedly buying products from local shops, they might even give you a discount or offer free samples since you’ll be promoting their products to newcomers.
3. Holiday-Specific Gifts
When you have guests coming in on a certain holiday, this can be a source of inspiration for the gift basket. Whether it is Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, you can customize the basket for that occasion. For example, you can add heart-shaped confetti and chocolates for Valentine’s Day, a bottle of champagne for New Year’s, and a red, white, and blue mix of snacks for the 4th of July.
4. Destination-Specific Gifts
Your gifts can be both beautiful and useful if you pick out a few items that your guests will need while staying at your rental. Airbnb guests at beach rentals can get great use out of sunscreen, a visor, or an inflatable beach ball. Hikers who’ve booked your rental to explore the surrounding mountains would be pleasantly surprised with energy drinks and nutritious snacks like protein bars. And, if you have a cabin in the woods, you can add a S’mores kit for guests to enjoy while sitting around the fire pit. (You can buy the kit or build out your own, starting with the marshmallow roasting sticks).
5. Healthy Snacks
You know your guests best, so if you feel that the majority of your guests love healthy food (maybe there’s a great variety of vegan restaurants in your area or organically grown foods), you can put together a healthy gift basket. For this endeavor, you’ll need healthy snacks like dried or fresh fruit, granola bars, nuts, healthy cookies, and similar. Healthy snacks are also a great add-on to gift baskets for families with kids.
6. Toiletries for a Spa Experience
Spoil your guests with a spa-themed gift basket. Toiletries are a great gift, especially for rentals with a jacuzzi or luxurious bathroom. You can include in the basket the essentials like shampoo, conditioner, soap bars, and body wash, or offer something extra such as sleep masks (like this black one, or colorful or humorous ones to suit different vibes), bath bombs, shower steamers, or scented candles.
7. Coffee Mug
Who doesn’t love a good coffee mug? You can buy inexpensive white ones and personalize them with your logo. The mug will be lasting memorabilia for your guests and they can also use it while staying in the rental. If you have a coffee station, then this gift is extremely suitable as it will play along with the whole ‘coffee-lovers dream’ experience.
8. Picture Frame
If you want to give your guests a memory-preserving gift, we suggest a personalized picture frame. You can buy a regular picture frame and decorate it with the name of your property. Your guests can add a photo from their vacation at your short-term rental which will always remind them of the wonderful stay at your property (and motivate them to rebook!).
9. Welcome Drinks
Guests often book vacation properties for special celebrations such as anniversaries, bachelorette parties, and birthdays. A great gift basket idea for these occasions is a welcome drink. You can get a bottle of wine or champagne and wrap it in a custom label for a personal touch. For anniversaries or honeymooners, you can complement the drink with a his and her mug set.
In case you don’t want to provide alcohol or you can’t because of local restrictions, a clever and funny alternative can be these champagne-shaped and flavored jelly beans.
10. Fresh Flowers
A more unusual gift that you can surprise your guests with is fresh flowers. They will make the basket look incredible and also serve as a nice decor piece while your guests are staying at your property. Since bouquets can be expensive, you can buy them at a grocery store or even handpick the flowers from your garden.
Final Thoughts
While a gift basket is not a necessity, it is a wonderful way of treating your guests with something extra. A few thoughtfully selected gifts can create a completely different atmosphere for your guests and motivate them to reward your efforts with 5-star reviews and rebookings.
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Written by Johanes Godoy
Johanes is the Head of Content at Floorspace. She expertly blends her diverse expertise in travel blogging, marketing, and real estate to create high-quality content for vacation rental hosts. Her experience as a travel blogger, involving collaborations with Airbnb, resorts, and hotels, has provided her with substantial knowledge in promoting vacation rentals.
