Last Updated on September 15, 2019 by Lucienne
I couldn’t believe it when Facebook popped up with one of my memories from three years ago… We have been in our house for three years already!! What this also meant is that our Cosy Garden Cottage has been listed on Airbnb for two and a half years. Gosh, I have learnt a lot in that time about the do’s and don’ts about running an Airbnb.
In this week’s post I want to share 10 special touches that I have used to help us get some fabulous five-star reviews.
Tea and Coffee Station
In my mind a tea and coffee station is the first special touch that one can offer. Most people I know start their day with a cup of tea or coffee.
In our station we have added normal tea and Rooibos tea. In South Africa when you someone offers you tea the question is always followed by ‘normal or Rooibos?’. Normal tea generally refers to Ceylon tea and Rooibos or ‘red bush’ tea is a native South African tea.
The coffee options include instant coffee, filter coffee and cappuccino sticks. If you offer filter coffee remember to make sure you have a coffee plunger of sorts so that the guest can make the coffee. The filter coffee was my husband’s idea. His worst nightmare is staying somewhere that doesn’t have filter coffee, one of his quirks I guess. The truth is however, not everyone likes filter coffee so make sure your offer instant as well.
In winter I add hot chocolate to the selection. Who doesn’t love a nice hot chocolate on a cold winters night?
To finish the station off don’t forget the milk and sugars ( white sugar, brown sugar and sweeteners).
Rusks
To compliment the tea and coffee station we added a selection of rusks. Rusks are a traditional South African breakfast meal or snack had with tea or coffee. The best way to have them is by dunking them in your tea or coffee to soften them a little before taking a bite. Delicious.
Instead of rusks, a jar of cookies or a couple of muffins would also be a good idea to go with the tea and coffee station.
Mineral Water
It can get quite hot in Johannesburg during the summer. Putting a couple of bottles of mineral water in the fridge will be a welcome refreshment, especially for those guests that have had a long car journey.
Chocolates
A lot of people comment on the chocolates that I put out on the beds. Lindt balls are the best tiny little treats wrapped in shiny paper. The coconut flavored ball comes in a blue wrapper and ties in with the color of the bedroom decor the best, but If I don’t have any of the coconut I use any flavor. I have not had one guest that has not enjoyed these decadent little treats and quite a few guests have mentioned them in their review.
Fresh Fruit Bowl
I generally always have fruit in my kitchen. Arranging a few pieces of fruit in a bowl on the coffee table in the cottage helps to make the place more welcoming. I try to mix up the colors too, red apples with green pears and oranges. Not everyone eats the fruit but those that do always appreciate it.
Fresh Flowers
My garden has flowers most of the year round. Picking a few and putting them in vases for the cottage is an easy welcoming touch to add. It is only in the winter months when I need to buy some flowers for the cottage. When I do buy flowers I go for Proteas. King Proteas are my favorite, one King Protea can fill a room with its beauty.Proteas are also the national flower of South Africa, an interesting touch for our international visitors.
Basic Cooking Supplies
My cottage is a self catering cottage. However there are a few basic cooking essentials that I supply. These include cooking oil, salt and pepper, mixed herbs and cinnamon. Almost everyone will use these items in their cooking and they are generally grudge purchase items when you are travelling.
Fresh Herb Garden
The cottage has a small garden at the back. I have planted fresh herbs in two of the pots that the guests can help themselves too. Not all our guests have a love for cooking, but those that do are always so pleased when they see a selection of fresh herbs available. At the moment the pots have Sage, Thyme, Parsley, Basil and Chives.
Snacks
Some of our guests arrive on late night flights, exhausted and too late to buy anything for their breakfast the following morning. For these guests I provide a little something to eat. A midnight snack of cheese and biscuits and for the morning some croissants with butter and jam. Arriving late and hungry in a strange place must be dreadful. A little something to eat and a good nights rest is usually well received. They can then go stock up on what ever they need in the morning.
Personal Welcome Note
Finally, a personal welcome note. This really makes a guest feel welcome, especially if they arrive when you are not around to personally greet them. I do have a guest book that welcomes everyone to our cottage, but a personal welcome note adds a little extra special touch that the guest book doesn’t.
Something like: “Dear Joe, Welcome to our country and welcome to our cottage. I hope you will be comfortable. Please let us know if your need anything.”
You could also add a line about the WiFi and how to connect or lead them to your guest book for the details. I have always felt just that little extra special whenever I have stayed in a place and they have given us a personal welcome note. I’d like my guests to feel the same.
Reviews
To finish off I want to share some excerpts from some of the reviews that I have received with these 10 special touches:
Liz said:A lovely, peaceful setting where comfort and attention to detail have been thoughtfully worked out.
Christy said:The flat was well kitted out, clean and comfortable with lovely thoughtful touches.
Makhosazana said:The kitchen was amazing and so were the chocolates that we found on the bed 🙂
Take a look at my listing of our Cosy Garden Cottage to see more reviews (thank you for clicking through to my listing). I hope these special touches will help you get those 5-star reviews too. What special touches help you get your 5-star reviews? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Thank you for reading my post. If you would like to get more ideas for your Airbnb please take a look at some of my other posts below:
Airbnb Provides a Free Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Airbnb: Styling Your Space for Professional Photography
Airbnb: Writing That Very Important Guest Welcome Book
Airbnb: How do I price my listing?
How to Reach Superhost on Airbnb
