At Digital Darcy, I am passionate about helping vacation rental owners create unforgettable experiences for their guests. One of the simplest yet most impactful ways to elevate your guest experience is by offering a unique welcome gift that will be waiting in your vacation rental for them when they arrive. This small and thoughtful gesture will delight guests from the moment they step through the door.
The Power of Unique Welcome Gifts
Picture this: Your guests arrive at your vacation rental after a long journey, tired but excited for their stay. As they step inside, they are greeted by a beautifully curated welcome basket of a few treasures that you handpicked just for them. Instantly, they feel valued and appreciated, setting the tone for a memorable getaway.
Welcome gifts aren’t just about making a good first impression; they’re about creating lasting memories and fostering a sense of belonging. Guests who feel welcomed and cared for are more likely to leave glowing reviews, recommend your property to others, and return for future stays.
Custom Goat’s Milk Soap
One of my favorite welcome gift suggestions is handcrafted goat’s milk soap bars. Granted, I’m partial to this because I also own a goat’s milk soap shop, Preserving My Sanity, and I love making soap for my customers! But, whether you purchase soap from me or from a local soapmaker near you, these luxurious bars will offer guests a pampering experience like no other. Lots of you are likely providing some sort of soap to your guests anyway – so consider upgrading it to handcrafted goat’s milk soap with a custom label.
I make my soap with fresh goat’s milk from a local Minnesota farmer, and my other ingredients are all carefully and sustainably sourced. In addition to the soap being nourishing and beautiful, I also love that I can pronounce all of the ingredients that go into my soap, and my packaging is zero-waste.
Another thing I love doing is customizing the soap to each vacation rental owner’s preferences. We can use certain scents reminiscent of your area, whether you are located on the beach, in the mountains, near a lake, in the city, etc. If you have specific branding for your vacation rental, we can also coordinate the soap to use your brand colors, and we can add your logo on the soap labels! We can work together to create the perfect soap bars that reflect the essence of your property. You can learn more about this process here.
My customer Katie has a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom luxury lakefront cabin situated on Garfield Lake in LaPorte, Minnesota. She opted for a Bonfire scent for her custom soap because her vacation rental features a relaxing fire pit area with Adirondack chairs overlooking the lake.
Find Katie’s rental here: Facebook | VRBO
Handcrafted Fishing Lures
In addition to our custom soap, my husband also makes handcrafted fishing lures. He carves them out of maple and paints them in 36+ colors. They are sub-surface glide baits that will catch any type of fish that would eat a baitfish of this size, including freshwater predator species like bass, walleye, pike; or a variety of saltwater species.
If your vacation rental is situated on a lake, river, ocean, or other waterway with fishing opportunities, your guests will love receiving one of these lures in their welcome basket.
My customer Gina has a 3 bedroom, 3 bath fishing cabin located near the boat dock in Port Mansfield, Texas. For her guests, we chose a Coastal Rain scent colored with blues and greens that will remind her guests of the colors of Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico. Because her vacation rental is in a coastal village known for its amazing fishing opportunities, she also opted to gift her fishing guests with a handcrafted fishing lure.
Find Gina’s rental here: Facebook | AirBnB
Incorporating Local Items Into Your Welcome Basket
In addition to custom soap that reflects your vacation rental’s vibe and a handcrafted fishing lure, items in your welcome basket should celebrate your local area or state. A few other ideas for your welcome basket considerations include:
- Handmade pottery
- Tea towel or tote bag with your rental’s name and/or logo
- Dog treats (if you are pet-friendly)
- Chocolates or other sweet treats
- Artisan bread
- Craft beer, wine, or spirits
- Coffee beans
- Cheese
- Honey or jam
Note, your exact items will vary depending on your location, and I’m by no means suggesting you give ALL of these things. Just pick a few nice things and put them in a nice box or basket with a personalized welcome note, and you’ll be all set!
How much is all of this going to cost you, you may be wondering? That’s entirely up to you. It will depend on the size of your rental and how many guests will be staying, as well as your cost per night. Obviously if you have a small rental that rents for $150 a night and you have a guest staying for three nights, you aren’t going to give them a $100 gift basket. But, if your rental is larger and the cost per night is higher, a $100 gift basket might be the perfect touch. So, take a look at your profit margin and decide what you would like to spend per guest – keeping in mind that is essentially a marketing investment because they will be more likely to leave that glowing review, tell their friends, post about it on social media, and the one you really want – come back and stay with you again next time.
Need More Help?
As you likely already know, the key to elevating your guest experience lies in the little details, like the contents of a thoughtfully curated welcome basket. By investing in personalized gifts that reflect the spirit of your property and the surrounding area, you can create unforgettable memories that keep guests coming back time and time again.
Learn more about our custom soap bars for vacation rentals. Together, let’s create an experience that leaves a lasting impression on your guests!
Also, if you are looking for help with your overall marketing strategy for your vacation rental, you can book a strategy call with me and I’ll be happy to help you. I have over 20 years of experience in marketing and project management, most of which was in the vacation rental and hospitality industry.
