Hotel Welcome Baskets for Out-of-town Guests
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Summer is approaching and that usually means a lot more travel for everyone. It's the time of year for family reunions, weddings, graduations and vacationing. If you have out-of-town guests coming and they are either staying in a hotel or staying in your guest room, it would be a nice gesture to provide a welcome basket when they arrive. This will let them know you are excited that they have made the trek to visit you and want their visit to be memorable.
Knowing what items to put into a welcome basket for out-of-town guests can be hard, but just think about what you might want to have if you were a guest visiting a different town. What might you forget to bring? What might be a tasty snack for a night in?
Here are some of my suggestions for items to put in a out-of-town guest welcome kit.
Things to satisfy your hunger
- Drinks such as juice boxes, soda, bottled water
- Snacks like locally made chocolates, fresh fruit, gourmet chips, granola bars, kid snacks, crackers, breath mints, gum
- Menus for local eateries, especially those that deliver
- Gift cards for local fast food or pizza restaurants
Things to keep you from getting bored
- Games like a deck of playing cards, travel board games, crossword puzzle books
- Toys such as coloring books and crayons, water toys (if the hotel has a pool), puzzles, sticker activity books
- Tickets or coupons for entrance to area amusements, museums, or events
Things to help navigate your visit
- Calendar of events while they are in town, including local events they might want to check out when they aren't visiting with you.
- Map of the area with directions to key places they will want or need to go to
- Phone list of local friends and family as well as restaurants, amusement parks, movie theaters, etc.
- Public transportation information, whether it is a bus schedule or a map to the closest subway stop
Things to take care of emergencies
- Mini first aid kit with bandages to help with unexpected boo-boos or blisters
- Sunscreen to prevent sunburn, and aloe vera gel to treat it
- Bug spray if your event is outdoors or it's mosquito season
- Mini sewing kit to fix buttons and hems, and a lint roller if your event is formal
How to package your hotel gift basket
- Make sure you include a hand-written note welcoming your guests by name, to let them know you really thought about them.
- If your event is at the beach, put everything into a beach bucket, for easy carrying and a bonus toy for the kids
- Use a vessel that your guests can easily take home, such as something that folds flat like a tote bag, paper gift bag, or collapsible cooler
2 comments so far:
This is an awesome idea. A really nice way to make visitors feel welcome and enjoy their stay. You might even put everything in one of those reusable grocery bags that the stores are offering now. That would be easy to take back home and give them something to remember you by and use daily.
I got married in the winter (February) and had some out of town guests. I gave hospitality bags that were brown kraft paper gift bags that I stamped a border on. I included:
A bottle of water (with a can koozie on it, our wedding favor)
Peanut butter crackers
Granola bars and Nutrigrain bars (bought in bulk from Costco)
A box of chocolate candies (another wedding favor)
Hot chocolate mix
Starbucks Via instant coffee
Tea bags (black and green tea)
Personal pack of tissues (for tears of joy!)
Brochures from the city on public transportation and local attractions