Is An Airbnb Welcome Basket Even Necessary In 2025?

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If you’ve been reading my Airbnb hosting blog for a while, you know that a fairly common theme is comparing things that you think you’re going to do before you become an Airbnb host to the reality of actually being a seasoned Airbnb host. Today, I want to talk about one of those subjects— whether you need an Airbnb welcome basket or not!

Airbnb Welcome Basket Guide For Airbnb Hosts and Airbnb Hosting

Let’s Talk About The Airbnb Welcome Basket

Airbnb welcome baskets are one of those things that, if you’re going to do them at all, you’ve got to do them right. And if you are a remote Airbnb host, often, that means relying on your cleaners or property manager to get things put out the way you want.

So, it’s important to consider the logistics, your Airbnb workflow, and your guest demographic to determine whether or not you want to have welcome baskets in your Airbnb.

SPOILER ALERT: Hi, I’m Sarah, and I don’t do welcome amenity baskets at my Airbnbs! Feel free to check out my 30A Airbnbs and read their reviews.

Are Airbnb Welcome Baskets Necessary?

In addition to being Airbnb superhosts, we are also family travel bloggers. We stay in Airbnb and vacation rentals all around the world, and we have a lot of experience being on the guest side of things as well!

Only a small percentage of Airbnbs have a welcome basket for us upon arrival. When it’s food or drinks (especially good wine), we appreciate it! However, when there isn’t one, we don’t think twice about it. Yes, they are nice, but I am fine without them, especially when it’s a bunch of branded merch that I didn’t want anyway.

If you know me, you know that I like to help Airbnb hosts work smarter, not harder. I rely heavily on the 80/20 principle, and if you haven’t already, make sure to read my blog post about Protecting Your 3 Ps: Property, Profit, and Peace.

So, is the hassle of Airbnb Welcome Basket gifts worth the reward?

4 Factors To Consider Before Making An Airbnb Welcome Basket

Let’s jump in and talk about some things to think about before you make that Airbnb hosting decision for yourself! As an Airbnb host, you need to ensure you can do your Airbnb welcome basket right or don’t do it at all. And I do want to point out that if you clean your own property or live nearby, this is significantly easier to achieve compared to remote hosts self-managing their rental property from afar. For this post, I am assuming you live 1 or more hours from your short-term rental and don’t get there before every check-in.

There are four main issues to unpack:

logistics
desire
cost
concerns

#1 Can Your Cleaners or Property Manager Set Them Out?

Logistics are the biggest factor for me! Our Airbnb rentals are smaller studio and one-bedroom condos without a lot of extra storage space. I don’t even have a place to keep a stockpile of Airbnb welcome basket amenities.

But let’s say you do! Who will be responsible for setting this out? In most cases, it will be your cleaning team. Or, it may be your on-site property manager. Either way, check with them and make sure this is something they can do and that they can do it right!

I would go as far as to say that this is a potential pain point that you may want to avoid altogether. Sure, if they put out the basket correctly every time, that’s great. However, if they left it messy, it could be a turnoff upon guest arrival.

Do you want to include a cute welcome card? Who will personalize it? Or will you fill a bunch out in advance? What about a welcome letter? What if some of the information changes, such as a pool code or community amenity? Will it be easy for you or your property managers to update this?

Or, maybe they forgot to let you know when items are running low, and either didn’t put your Airbnb welcome basket out at all or put it out incomplete. This can become an issue if your reviews mention your “welcome basket.” For many Airbnb guests, it might be a turnoff when they see an Airbnb review left a few weeks earlier that mentions how much a past guest appreciated the bottle of wine and snacks or the local treats, only to not have those same Airbnb amenities waiting for them upon arrival. Airbnb guests do notice those things!

Airbnb Welcome Baskets and Welcome Note For Airbnb Guests

#2 Do People Need These Items?

Next, ask yourself if your guests actually want these items! I can tell you that while I do appreciate water, wine, cookies, and snacks, I honestly couldn’t care less about your branded coaster.

If you often host Airbnb guests who fly to your destination, they won’t usually have room for extras. In many cases, these items end up left behind, cluttering up closets, drawers, and cabinets at your Airbnb rentals. And are these even items that your guests want or need?

For example, it may feel cute to have a sand pail welcome basket at your Airbnb rental near the beach, but if you only host little kids 20% of the time, will most people even want it? You likely will end up with a stash of these sets cluttering up an Airbnb closet.

For these reasons, I think that any Airbnb welcome amenities that you offer should be consumable! Of course, in most rentals, you include toiletries in the Airbnb bathroom and dish soap in your Airbnb kitchen. So, I am not referencing those here. By consumables, I mean food and drinks such as bottled water or popcorn!

Or, maybe even a small sunscreen pouch or a postcard they can send home from their trip. You can also include consumables for your amenities, such as local coffee for your French press or a smores kit for your fire pit!

SHOP: Here is a list of items I would recommend putting in an Airbnb welcome basket!

#3 How Much Is The Welcome Basket Costing You?

Like your Airbnb cleaning fee, your Airbnb welcome basket has a fixed cost per stay. So, it’s important to factor that into each booking.

If you are taking Airbnb bookings for short stays (1-4 nights), that can add up quickly. Therefore, a nice Airbnb welcome basket may be better suited for properties that have a weeklong minimum. Again, you don’t want to offer it for some guests and not others and risk it being mentioned in an Airbnb review.

I often see new hosts who want to buy branded merchandise (coffee cups, koozies, beach towels, etc.) to include in a welcome basket. If it were just the thought that counts, we’d be good. But the cost counts, too, and it adds up fast for products like these! This even includes premium local products such as locally made coffee, soaps, or honey.

I do actually like a custom branded pen as a welcome gift for Airbnb guests and maybe even a notepad in a welcome basket for Airbnb guests.. Why? They will likely throw the pen in their purse and be continuously reminded about your place, which may motivate them to rebook. And repeat bookings are always a treat!

The good news is that the Airbnb welcome amenities I recommend are inexpensive and consumable. Consider bottled water and some snacks. To save time and create a nice impact, you can put them in a cute paper bag that says welcome on it. These can be premade and ready for your cleaners to just set out as opposed to arranging items in a reusable wicker basket or tub. You don’t need elaborate Airbnb gifts for guests!

#4 Are You Being Sensitive To All?

Don’t get me wrong. I am a firm believer that you can’t please 100% of the people 100% of the time. But I do think that you need to be respectful of all situations here because if there is one truth to Airbnb Hosting, it is that no good deed goes unpunished! The same holds true for an Airbnb welcome gift or guest welcome basket.

Central Rooftop Terrace Guest Suite Welcome Amenity

While I would love to have a bottle of wine waiting for me at an Airbnb like it was at our rental in Amsterdam, the case may not be the same for a recovering alcoholic. And that trail mix won’t be of much use for the guest with severe nut allergies. Without trying to sound too woke here, I think a safe bet is bottled water, potato chips, popcorn, and some chocolates. But I am a risk-averse Airbnb host and probably overthink things sometimes!

What Should You Put In An Airbnb Welcome Basket?

So, if you do want to offer an Airbnb welcome basket to your guests, what should you include? I curated an Amazon Airbnb Welcome Basket Ideas List full of ideas.

But, in a nutshell, here are some Airbnb gift basket ideas that I would choose if I wanted to offer one.

bottled water
snacks & treats
popcorn
custom pen
postcards
local coffee
sunscreen
bug spray
smores kits
area maps
togo cups

CLICK HERE to shop my Airbnb Welcome Basket List!

More Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Hosting Resources

If you enjoyed reading this post about Airbnb welcome baskets, you’ll love all my detail-oriented Airbnb hosting blog posts! I like to think of any topic from all sides and work smarter (not harder) to earn those 5-star Airbnb reviews at any vacation rental property. I pride myself in providing a top notch Airbnb guest experience.

If you are new to Airbnb hosting, start with my FREE 5-Star Airbnb Hosting Guide. Or, you can browse all of my Airbnb blog posts. Here are some that you shouldn’t miss!