Can you catch me out?

A little basket with some local delicasies is always welcome. Information on what's on where, some organisations offer vouchers to holiday lets for guests to use. These are really well received.

Pippa22

Reading all these wonderful ideas makes me wonder if people stayed in very expensive to rent properties or if the owner just made very little profit as some suggested items would be expensive.
Also worth considering is that sometimes a guest will take away “ souvenirs “ of their holiday from the property, towels ornaments anything really. Not a nice thought but unfortunately a reality.

I thought this as well Pippa22, particularly the possibility of having to replace some of these items if they go missing!

I obviously have not stayed in upmarket holiday let’s as I don’t expect items like towels, coffee pods, toiletries, toilet rolls ( other than one in each bathroom to start with) or full bottles of condiments. I always take such things myself as I don’t want to use left overs of food from previous renters and I don’t expect the owner to buy new for every let.

I guess I don’t consider holiday cottages to offer the same as up market hotels but times might have changed since I used to have family holidays in cottages - now a days I prefer hotels where I don’t need to cook!

Coat hangers , there are never enough coat hangers . Offer a welcome pack at cost & ask what they would like in it . Give a tick list - tea, coffee, milk , eggs , bacon , cereal , loo rolls . That way you don’t waste the money if you provide it & they have already brought their own with them . Have dispensers of body wash , shampoo, conditioner . That way you can refil them without the plastic waste of mini bottles that people don’t always use but still take home with them . Good luck

Welcome packs are very subjective, I think a gift card is a great idea. Whilst some people will welcome a bottle of wine, others (me!) don't drink the vile stuff!
Loo rolls, dishwasher tablets, laundry powder/softener and kitchen basics - salt, pepper, sugar, coffee, tea - is what I like to see.
And a shelf in the bathroom for toiletries. Nothing more annoying than having nowhere to put your toothbrush and deodorant.
Sharp knives!
If you accept dogs give people somewhere to rest their coffee cups/wine glasses that's above tail wagging height or you'll have a lot of breakages.

Smurf52 Even better!

An emergency first aid kit, plasters, blister protectors, tcp, just the basics and a list of doctors with phone numbers , and local hospital details.

(Can you tell my family are accident prone)?

Hi have you got a booklet on local taxi companies, Hosptial places of interest attractions of the area. Take aways etc. I definitely say cleaning products because they may over drink. Last place I was in had tea coffee and milk for first day after that it’s up to them to get.

Instructions about rubbish!! The cottage we go to a lot has a note asking us to put the bin out on a certain day but doesnt leave a list of which bin on which week(eg recycling/regular).

Also list of what can go in the recycling bin as it varies from area to area, and if no recycling bin a note about where the nearest "banks" are and what they take.

Decent sized mugs, teapot and tea strainer as some of us prefer loose tea.

Spare pillows and pillowslips.

A welcome tray with the makings for a drink, a few biscuits and a pint of milk in the fridge are great. Would prefer not to find half used bottles of this and that left by lreviojs guests as we dont know how old or hygenic they are so would not use and they would just be in the way!!

Loo roll in each loo (and if its not very full a spare), small amount of washing up liquid and a couple of dishwasher tabs, some cleaning supplies (eg cif or cleaning spray) fresh dishcloth, scourer and tea towels.

Please dont pile the bed high with cushions. It looks good for 2 seconds and we never know where to put them (and dont want them because we know they wont have been washed).

We want bedding and towels available - preferably included in the price but we have paid extra (especially for towels). Absolutely dont want to take bedding and anhway we might not have the right size.

A full length mirror, it’s amazing how many places don’t have one. Lots of coat hangers.

Teacher anne raised the question of items going missing and their replacements eating into profits.

I once lived next door to a holiday let. After one weekend let the tv, sound system, coffee maker, microwave and top of the range dishes went awol. The renters just said the missing items were there when they left and had posted the keys through the door as instructed.

The police weren’t interested. The owners sold the next year. Holiday letting is sometimes not fun.
An expensive insurance claim.
I think rental agencies issue a list of must haves based on experience of holiday maker expectations and also theft which it may be wise to stick to rather than overstock.

My own hobby horse is not enough tea towels.

I like decent sized mugs and a washing line and pegs. I love a small welcome pack tea bags, milk maybe some cake or biscuits. Also a microwave and instruction leaflets or simple instructions on how things work.
I don’t like the surprises like dogs only allowed in the hallway and kitchen. And a fenced garden should be dog and child proof.
Stayed in some lovely places but had a few niggles in some. Also lost dogs and children through holes in fences, found them again but then the garden is unsafe.

sorry if someone has already said this. I like instruction books for microwave, dishwasher, washing machine. I'm not good at working it out. Once we rented a large place for a family gathering and even the younger adults couldn't work the combi microwave. we phoned the landlord for verbal instructions and she said it was self explanatory!! we gave up.

Something that I think is often missing from holiday lets is a nice table lamp, or similar soft lighting. So a few nice lamps dotted around (including in the bedroom) make all the difference to me.

Another vote for a welcome pack here, costed into the price not an extra. The idea of a local edible is great and very thoughtful. I hate going to places that just chuck a bottle of wine in as I am teetotal. We once stayed in a newly built cottage in Majorca, everything brand new. It was annoying to have to wash the price labels of everything, each an every piece of crockery. The most annoying thing about this beautiful cottage was that the furniture slid across the tiled floor when sitting down
The landlady was very pleased to have this pointed out ans was going to get some castor cups. Have you tested everything for this. Is
Good luck in your venture, holiday cottages fascinate me!

Speaking from exlerience - spare lightbulbs and battery for the smoke alarm. Torch. A note saying where the fusebox is. It might be obvious to you that its in a particular cuoboard behind goodness knows what. But for guests fumbling round in the dark....

PS a gift voucher would be lost on me!

Kitchen scissors, a book for guests to comment and leave tips about the local area?

I like the idea of a gift voucher, but really after a long drive what I really want is a cup of tea and a biscuit. Fresh flowers, a few local specialities are always welcome. I don't think that most people are actually going to steal items but you will always get the off one, but of course it's built into the cost of the let.

Forgot to mention fire extinguisher in kitchen you never know! Xx

We’ve stayed in quite a few cottages/holiday lets in recent years and here is my plea.
Hairdryer, but please have a mirror within reach.
Please don’t hang mirrors too high. We’re not all 6 foot tall!
Shower head, too often they are bunged up and the water shoots out in all directions.
Sharp knives are essential
A nutmeg grater is no good for grating cheese!!
Instructions for the cooker and microwave are useful.
A toilet roll holder of some description so you don’t have to be a contortionist to reach the roll.
Don’t put the bed head against a sloping ceiling, some people like to read in bed.
Not bothered about toiletries as we prefer to take our own but washing up liquid is surely a must.

Having just returned from a lovely Norfolk holiday, my main beef was the owner who was positively intrusive, on the doorstep with some excuse to see what we were up to every day. His greeting when we arrived included a lecture on leaving the place clean and tidy and stripping the bed. He informed us that he would be there at check out time to inspect the place. We almost felt as though we were intruding!

Good luck with your venture, I’m sure it will be lovely

I realise covid has changed things for owners of rental properties. I know you aren't supposed to have certain things like books etc that might carry infection, but I wondered what about putting games and books into a container with a notice on the lid saying that they are used a your own risk?
Print out English instructions for cooker/washer/ appliances and laminate-wipe clean between guests. You can still leave the leaflet for other languages but it won't get handled and damaged so much.
List of useful numbers, emergency, local take aways, taxi companies, garages also laminated.

That sounds lovely do you mind me asking what location you stayed at

Mine is more of a suggestion of something not to include! As an asthmatic, I always have to send my husband in first to trawl the cottage or apartment for air fresheners and diffusers, and remove them before I go in. I know that is a fairly ‘niche’ requirement, but may be something to consider.

We usually eat in when self catering, so a good selection of cooking utensils, foil, kitchen towel etc is appreciated. A welcome pack of basic foods, cleaning materials, saves on a trip to the shops on arrival. Hairdryer, iron are useful too.

As well as the items already mentioned I would appreciate a bedside radio and a good reading lamp.
I’ve mentioned this before on another thread but it’s surprising how many guest rooms have dismal gloomy bedside lamps. The radio is a bonus but always appreciated.