A small token of appreciation can make guests feel special and appreciated. One such add-on is providing guests with snacks. Many Airbnb hosts go snack-free, but that’s exactly why this can gain you the edge over competitors and boost your reviews.
If you want to win over guests with delicious food, you’ll need to pick out the best snacks for Airbnb guests. We’ve done the research and we picked out the best and tastiest options for your guests to indulge in.
How We Make Our Recommendations
Here’s how we decide which products make our top picks list:
- Feedback from 200+ Hosts: our Vacation Rental Inventory Spreadsheet has been downloaded and used by hundreds of hosts like you. We update it regularly based on the feedback we get.
- Online Reviews: we scour the internet for product reviews from real Airbnb hosts.
- Forums and Communities: we spend a lot of time in online forums and communities for vacation rentals, to see which products get recommended the most.
- Suitability: products you buy for your Airbnb need to be durable, affordable, and easy to clean. We keep all these factors in mind when making our recommendations.
The Best Snacks for Airbnb and Vacation Rental
Whether you want salty, sweet, healthy, or something unique and local, we have picked out the best of the best snacks in every category that your guests will enjoy.
The Best Salty Snacks for Airbnb
Salty and crunchy go so well with streaming a movie or a show during vacation, gathering around a fire pit in the backyard, or just catching up with friends and family. For some delicious salty nibbles, we suggest these snacks:
Chips – Chips are endlessly munchable snacks that most guests won’t be able to pass up. A variety pack such as this Frito-Lay Fun Times Mix Variety Pack (40 bags) is an affordable option that will give your guests some choices. You can also go with the classic mini-packs of Pringles and buy them in bulk on Amazon to save up.
Snyder’s of Hanover Mini Pretzels
Pretzels – Pretzels are an evergreen salty snack, so you can’t make a mistake if you decide to add them to your welcome snack pack. Single-serve bags are best for Airbnb, and these Snyder’s of Hanover Mini Pretzels are delicious and inexpensive.
Nuts – As a healthier salty snack option, choose nuts. Most people love them, and you can get them in small packages which can look very elegant on a snack tray. You can go with the nut favorites such as almonds, peanuts, and cashews. We suggest the Blue Diamond Roasted Almonds and Planters Nuts Cashews and Peanuts.
Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Microwave Popcorn
Microwave Popcorn – There’s no better choice for guests’ movie nights than microwave popcorn. If you have a smart TV and guests who are staying longer, there’s no doubt that they’ll eat it up. The classic butter flavor is the most popular, and this Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Microwave Popcorn is provenly tasty and comes in a pack of 24 bags.
The Best Sweet Snacks for Airbnb
Guests with a soft spot for sweets will absolutely love it if you leave them one of these tasty sweet snacks:
Cookies – A traditional sweet snack that no one can resist are cookies. Since guests’ tastes in cookies will differ, the safest choice is to buy a variety pack like this one from the OREO store. It comes with 56 individual snack packs that feature OREO Original, OREO Golden, Chips Ahoy, & Nutter Butter cookie snacks.
Chocolates – The king of sweets is hands-down the almighty chocolate. The bite-sized options are most suited and most affordable for Airbnbs. They can serve as pillow chocolates, or you can sprinkle them on your welcome snack tray or basket. To match everyone’s taste, you can go with popular options such as Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles or the HERSHEY’S NUGGETS Assorted Chocolate Candy Mix. For upscale listings, you can surprise guests with a Chuao Chocolatier Mini Gourmet Chocolate Gift Box that comes in fancy packaging.
Werther’s Original Hard Caramel Candy
Hard Candy – Both kids and adults will enjoy some mouth-watering hard candy. You can get them at a low price which is great for the budget. When it comes to hard candy brands and flavors, the choices are endless, so we suggest a classic such as Werther’s Original Hard Caramel Candy.
Lammes Texas Chewie Pecan Praline Candy
Local Specialty – Local sweet specialties show thoughtfulness and can give first-time visitors a chance to try something new. You can get local sweets on Amazon like this Lammes Texas Chewie Pecan Praline Candy. Just make sure that the packs are single-serve and wrapped up.
Frito-Lay Sweet & Salty Snacks Variety Box
Variety Pack – If you want to make it easy on yourself, a variety pack filled with both sweet and salty snacks is the best choice. This Frito-Lay Sweet & Salty Snacks Variety Box has 50 packs of everything your guests might have a craving for—from cookies and crackers to chips and nuts.
The Best Healthy Snacks for Airbnb
Most people love fruits, so you can’t go wrong with this option. You can pick up a few extras while you’re shopping for your home and leave them for your guests.
Keep it simple with all-time favorites like apples, mandarin oranges, bananas, and similar. If your rental is in a tropical location, choose something unique to your area.
Fruits are perishable, so you should keep them in a fridge or cover them so that fruit flies don’t take over the rental.
Another healthy snack that is great for families and travelers is granola bars. You can get them in bulk at an affordable price such as this Veratify Store’s Mixed Snack Box & Snacks Variety Pack or this KIND Nut Bars Favorites. You’ll get many different flavors so guests can pick what they want. They are the perfect take-along snacks for long days out of the house.
If you want healthy snacks that guests can munch on during movie nights, you can go with these Welch’s Fruit Snacks with mixed fruit. They are gluten-free, made from real fruit, and they are packed in 40 individual single-serve bags which is ideal for short-term rentals.
Blue Ribbon Store Healthy Snacks Variety Pack
If you want more variety, you can get a healthy snacks variety pack. This one from Blue Ribbon Store has an assortment of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors. The pack includes 30 packages of different candy, chips, and cookies.
Local Specialties
Local treats can really impress your guests and add a feeling of warmth and care to your hosting. It can be the most delicious cookies, croissants, or donuts from your favorite bakery, your favorite coffee shop’s ground coffee, or local cheese for guests to try.
If there’s a local treat unique to your area, being welcomed by the local specialty would be a memorable experience for your guests.
The Best Refreshments for Airbnb
The most basic refreshment you can offer is bottled water. You can put them on nightstands or in the fridge so guests can have a cold one when they arrive.
If your local regulations allow providing alcohol for your guests, you can consider that option as well. What you’ll offer depends on the guests. Champagne is the best for honeymooners, wine creates the most romantic atmosphere for couples, and if there’s a football weekend or you have a group of bachelors coming in, stocked beer in a mini fridge will win them over in an instant.
You can also tailor the choice of refreshments to your area or your rental’s theme. If a certain type or brand of tea is popular among locals, stock up on it. Or, if you have a winter cabin, hot cocoa like these Land O Lakes Classics will contribute to an idyllic atmosphere.
Why Should I Provide Snacks for Guests?
Guests appreciate every form of extra effort, especially if it’s something that isn’t required and rarely seen at other short-term rentals. Leaving snacks for guests can set your vacation rental apart from the pack.
You don’t need to spend much on snacks, so the cost can be minimal, but the impact on guests who come hungry and tired after a long day of travel will be immense.Having snacks around can also make your guests’ stay much more memorable overall.
If you know your way around the kitchen and like to bake, you can even prepare homemade muffins or cookies. Guests would be impressed with such a thoughtful gesture. That alone can be enough for them to come back to your rental.
Factors to Consider When Buying Snacks for Your Vacation Rental
We can help you solve some of the most common dilemmas when buying snacks by addressing these key factors:
Budget – Set your budget according to your listing price. For budget listings, you can go with bottled water and a couple of individually packaged snacks. The choice of snacks should be more extravagant (more variety, fruit, wine, etc.) for upscale listings.
Length of the Stay – If guests are staying just a couple of days, you don’t need to go all out and fill out an entire basket with sweets and refreshments that they probably won’t even have the time to eat.
Longer bookings are a different story, so you can roll out the red carpet and get a bottle of wine (it doesn’t need to be an expensive one) or more welcome snacks. You don’t need to state this in the listing as it will be a nice surprise!
Local Restrictions – You should check local restrictions regarding offering food to Airbnb guests. Certain city regulations can restrict you from providing food to guests as that might require compliance with food safety and handling regulations and demand special licensing. You should also review the policy about serving alcohol as that might be prohibited in your city as well.
Final Thoughts
A simple act of care such as leaving snacks for guests can get them to enjoy your rental even more and have no other choice but to rave about their amazing experience in reviews. The simplest actions can sometimes have the largest impact, especially when you consider that the welcome snacks are one of the first things your guests will see and will ensure that you make a great first impression.
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Written by The Floorspace Team
This article was written as a collaborative effort by multiple members of the Floorspace team. We're a group of internet marketers and designers, with a wide range of experience marketing and managing short-term rentals.
