HouseTrip Blog – Holiday apartment news, travel and rental tips

Holiday apartment stays almost always live long in the memory – but not always for the right reasons. None of these items are compulsory, but you may find that guests expect to find them, and will become irked if they are nowhere to be found. Include these items and you’re covering yourself – you’ll also stand out as an exceptionally well prepared and accommodating host.

Towels, Shower Gel, Shampoo

Ok, you don’t have to provide these bathroom extras, but as a guest, would you really expect to have to bring them? If guests forget and you haven’t provided them, you save a few cents but risk bad feeling.

Hair Dryer, Iron/Ironing Board, Full Length Mirror

None of these bedroom items are mandatory by any means, but you’ll stand out as a great host if you provide them. The odd guest who wants to iron a shirt will be delighted to find that they can, while many guests will forget a hair dryer and they’ll appreciate finding one. And no-one likes to contort themselves in front of a small mirror to see whether their outfit looks good. A full length mirror will often fit unobtrusively on the back of a door.

Salt/Pepper, Cooking Oil, Tea/Coffee, Sugar, Milk

A few basic supplies in the kitchen will make a world of difference. The milk can even be UHT, if you don’t have time to provide fresh milk each time. Just imagine being a guest and having to buy these for a short stay. It will cost pennies for you to provide them and they will last months.

Washing Up Liquid, Dishwasher Tablets, Kitchen Paper, Dishcloths, Washing Powder

Having some cleaning supplies is just common sense. A dishwasher and washing machine are features that can be used to promote your apartment, but if you don’t provide powder, they will likely sit unused.

Fans, First Aid Kit, Torch, Candles/Matches, Pens/Paper

It’s worth thinking about worst case scenarios. If your property gets very hot during the day or night, providing a fan or two will mark you out as an extremely thoughtful host. A basic first aid kit for daily scrapes (plasters, painkillers, antiseptic wipes and cream, sting relief, tweezers, gauze, scissors etc) could also prove useful for guests. And a torch and candles will be a godsend if there happens to be a power cut.

Playing Cards, Board Games, Books

If the weather turns bad, your guests will be delighted to find some form of entertainment. You can pick up old board games and books cheaply on eBay and in second hand stores.

Useful Information

A nice touch, whether you’re going to meet your guests or not, is to provide them with some useful information. Local maps, phone numbers and addresses of the local police station, recommended restaurants, shops and supermarkets, takeaways, attractions and so on. It will make their stay easier and they’ll remember the touch.

Guestbook

Last but not least, DON’T FORGET A GUESTBOOK! After you’ve made all this effort, make sure that you get the reward for it, in the form of a glowing review. The best thing is simply to ask your guests to write a review online, but if you’re not going to see them, remembering a guestbook means you don’t lose the review. You can then submit your guests’ review to HouseTrip and we’ll include it on the site.

N.B. All of these things need to be clearly visible to guests. Don’t hide them away in cupboards, or your guests will never know about them.