CREATING A HOME THAT FEELS LIKE A HUG

"Nooo how could you evict us, you heartless cold-faced monster?!!" I'm sorry Dust Bunnies, you've overstayed your welcome, you don't pick up after yourselves, you've had one too many progenous slip-ups, and my dustbuster IS THIRSTY!!

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After a long day of travel, most people want to arrive in a place that feels clean, relaxing, and like you’re happy they are there. Striking the right balance of the host’s interests, yet free of unnecessary items (i.e. clutter) is a key component of this.

Pro-tips for adding that special welcome:

Cut the clutter

A clutter-free home is not only easier to keep clean and dust-free, but also has the feature of making it very apparent when anything is out of place, meaning guests are less likely to leave dirty dishes out, or forget items that you’ll then need to ship to them. I think having a couple fun items around the house that show your personality is great, but not every flat surface should be covered in knick-knacks. I chose to decorate the walls with patent prints (since I’m interested in engineering), some art that shows my favorite areas of Boston, and one of my guitars.

Ensure the check-in process is seamless

Nothing get things off on a good foot like a seamless check-in process. Everything from a small sign or other notable feature on the outside of the home to help guests positively identify it, to a front-door lock they can access in the likely case that you’re not home to welcome them. I recently visited an Airbnb that warned that the rusted mechanical combo lock sometimes got stuck, and so may require some force to open. After an 8-hour flight and 3-hour drive, we finally arrived at this place, and ready to collapse, spent the first 15 minutes trying to get the lock open. It was a needless negative first interaction. I was dumbfounded that the person who owned the (very nice) property thought that letting guests know that the lock was nearly broken was a better solution than spending $20 on a good new lock.

Provide a “welcome book”

I must admit, though I provided an “electronic welcome book” via my listing, it was only after staying at an Airbnb internationally that happened to have a printed “welcome book”, that I realized how nice it was to have. The key elements for a welcome book include:

  • Options for nearby restaurants and grocery store (if not walking distance, provide driving directions and typical cab fare). I found specific menu-item recommendations to be especially helpful.
  • Nearby “can’t miss” sites. Consider outlining fun trips for if guests “just have one day” to explore, or “just have three days” to explore.
  • Transit options to the nearby airport of train station.
  • Other information that may not be obvious to someone unfamiliar with the culture in your area.

Personalize the welcome

Personal touches that say “welcome” go a long way in making certain a guest knows you’re happy they are staying with you. In my home, the door of each guest room had a small chalkboard that the housekeeper wrote their name on. This not only served the purpose of helping them find their room, but also, who doesn’t like to “see their name in lights”?

Provide a welcome basket

Put yourself in your guest’s shoes. After a long day of travel, what little treats would make you excited? I found that for $5-7/guest, a couple bottles of water, some hard candy, a small bag of trail mix, and a nice chocolate bar can be provided. It went a long way in getting things off on the right foot.

Anticipate the “small needs”

From toiletries a guest may have forgotten, to bedside phone chargers, guests take notice of the small things. The items I recommend include:

Toiletries

Toothbrush – nobody is expecting you to provide a Sonicare, but “brushing” with a flimsy piece of plastic with a couple bristles loosely attached is no good either. These Colgate toothbrushes hit the sweet spot.
Toothpaste – Here, you can choose between one of those pathetic little toothpaste sleeves that let’s your guest know, “you really should have known better…I’m disappointed in you”, or a fun little prize! Who doesn’t like a little tube of toothpaste? These are a little more expensive than the generic, but have a nice fresh mint flavor, and enough quantity for at least a few days.
Soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion – I found this family of products to be a great balance between quality and price. They smell great, and are thick enough to feel like decent quality.
Shower cap – Guests either didn’t know what they were, or were thrilled to find them. I know this may seem a little extra, but shower caps are really inexpensive, and were appreciated by guests more often than I would have thought.
Sewing/button kit – Also perhaps a bit extra, but the few guests appreciated it when they needed it. Also, since they were very rarely used, they left “a good impression” with a huge number of guests but didn’t actually end up costing hardly anything.

Iron and ironing board – You don’t need to provide the latest Iron with “vape 8000T technology”. A basic iron will be fine for just about everyone. I purchased three of these for my place, and never had difficulties with any of them. I appreciate how easy they are to use, and they look/feel like higher quality than the price would indicate.

Bedside phone charger for all major phone types – as discussed here, there are a few different ways you can accomplish this.

Make obvious which areas and items the guest is welcome to access.

Nobody likes to feel as if they need to tip-toe around someone else’s home. For example, though in the listing I plainly said that guests were free to use the kitchen, I found that because they often had to sort through kitchen drawers and cabinets to find the pots, pans, dishes and cutlery, some guests seemed hesitant to use the kitchen at all. Setting out a small subset of dishes and other basic kitchen items for guests to use goes a long way in clearing things up.