If you’re wondering if you should provide your Airbnb guests with snacks and drinks, the right answer is subjective and will depend on your circumstances. For instance, you’re under no obligation to provide anything that a regular hotel wouldn’t offer, and most hotels don’t include complimentary food and drinks. However, it can be a perk that will get you more bookings.
Since there are pros and cons to everything, here are some reasons for and against providing free drinks and snacks to your Airbnb guests.
Con: It could create a liability
While everyone should be responsible for ensuring they don’t eat something they shouldn’t, accidents happen. If you provide guests with snacks that contain allergens, like peanuts, walnuts, or soy, and it’s not properly labeled or it creates cross-contamination, they might try to take legal action against you.
It can be something as simple as putting chips in a plastic container you had peanuts inside of previously. To avoid legal liability, keep everything in the original packaging and don’t offer food containing common, serious allergens. If anything contains allergens, make sure it’s labeled visibly.
Pro: People love free food
The allure of free food is hard to pass up. For those trying to make a decision between two different rentals, offering free snacks can help sway their choice to book your rental. It will definitely be seen as a perk even by those who choose not to eat the snacks you provide. It shows guests that you’re willing to put in effort to make their stay cozy.
Con: There will likely be waste
Offering free food and drinks to guests sounds great, but there’s a good chance you’ll have to throw away some leftovers or spoiled items. This can be avoided by only offering pre-packaged items that come in small packs, like small packs of crackers, cookies, and single-serve items. You should probably avoid including anything that requires refrigeration, like dairy.
It’s a bad idea to include snacks that can become contaminated, like large jars of nuts. It’s a nice idea, but you can’t guarantee everyone washed their hands before reaching into the jar.
Pro: Your rental will be remembered
If you choose the right snacks, your guests will remember your rental and they may book another stay next time around. People tend to prefer what’s familiar when they have a choice, and if you can give them a good experience, they’ll come back.
Con: There might be an emergency
Since your Airbnb guests are considered tenants for the duration of their stay, you will need to have someone available to handle emergencies. This is why it’s a good idea to have a property manager. However, you’ll need to hire someone with experience and not just someone willing to answer calls. If you don’t handle emergencies according to the law, you could be in hot water.
A professional property manager is the only way to protect yourself legally. For example, League City property management company, Green Residential, handles tenant emergencies for their clients in a fast and efficient manner. It’s fine to hire anyone to clean your Airbnb between guests, but you need a professional managing issues where you have legal liability.
Pro: Your guests will have an easy first night
Whether they’re staying for one night or several, having snacks and drinks available can really make a difference for people who are tired from driving to get to their rental. After driving or even flying in, most people aren’t going to want to go to the store to get water, soda, or even breakfast. When snacks and drinks are available, they’ll relax into their first night.
Con: There’s a chance guests might break something
A lot of Airbnb hosts offer additional amenities with snacks, like a popcorn maker, blender, or fire pit in the yard for enjoying s’mores. This sounds great in theory, but there is a chance your guests may break something. For example, if you provide a good blender, you can almost guarantee the drive socket will be destroyed fairly fast. People tend to pull blenders off the base before they’re done blending, and that strips the drive socket. You can’t replace the drive socket on most non-commercial blenders, so if this happens, you’ll need to buy a whole new blender.
If you offer free snacks, keep it simple
If you choose to provide snacks for your guests, make your offerings simple and basic. Stock the fridge with some bottles of water and a light and dark soda option. For snacks, placing some packaged cookies or crackers in a basket on the counter will be sufficient.