Introductory piece in welcome pack

[Mark]

Just about to write a few paragraphs to put in the front of the welcome pack we've put together to go in our guest room. 

Do I make it:

a/ flowery-lovely-gushy-mushy-mountains-air-peace-quiet

b/ cold hard facts

c/ combination

Given that the guests will already be in the room by the time they get to read it, it doesn't need to be a gushy-mushy selling job, but the rest of the pack will be cold hard facts, so gushy-mushy may offer a little contrast, and provide a bit of warmth to the welcome.

Thoughts welcome on this most tricky of conundrums.

Thanks, as ever [:)]

 

[cooperlola]

I vote for c!

[Tourangelle]

I vote for B, with a bit of A at the end.

So actually, C.

[Mozman]

Facts don't have to be cold and hard!:lol

They can...and should...be interesting and informative :)

Thats enough....leave the mushy stuff alone...it won't butter any parsnips. (As my mum used to say.)

[Loiseau]

Just make it sound welcoming, and as if you wanted your guests to have a good time (rather than as if you viewed them as potential criminals!)

I stayed in an otherwise delightful small hotel in Normandy recently and the welcome pack in my room was full of notices about how they would count the towels after your departure and charge any that were missing to your credit card.  I panicked slightly, and did a quick count to make sure I had been issued with the full complement in case I was accused of theft later.  Oh, and they also seemed to assume you would want to steal their slightly naff ornaments, so issued dire warnings about those too.  [blink]

On the other hand they did offer free wi-fi connection.  [:)]

 

Angela

[Cerise]

To make life easier for you - we don't have welcome packs for our rooms - or any notices of any sort!  Our B & B is our home and even in hotels notices get my back up so certainly don't want them in our bedrooms.  We have a presenter thingy in the hall with local info and a largish selection of guide books/maps/local interest things on a small book case.  Any peculiarities or rules of the house we simply tell people.

I suppose some people feel the need to provide lists of instructions, but a B & B is only small and we're mostly around so people can ask if they need to know stuff.  Probably because I'm lazyy too and don't believe in making work for myself.[:)]

[Will]

Keep it short, people are more likely to read it.

Make it clear and informative.

Write it to inform, not as a set of rules.

Gushy stuff is a real turn off.

Even a small homely place can benefit from a page of basic necessities type information, even only as reminder that the stairs could be slippery, the shower water can be very hot and the loo is connected to a septic tank.

[suein56]

[quote user="Loiseau"]

I stayed in an otherwise delightful small hotel in Normandy recently and the welcome pack in my room was full of notices about how they would count the towels after your departure and charge any that were missing to your credit card.  On the other hand they did offer free wi-fi connection.  [:)] [/quote]

Angela, was this for a new guide? So, how on earth would you describe this otherwise pleasant hotel if they are so testy about the towels?

Sue

[Mark]

[quote user="Will"]

 and the loo is connected to a septic tank.

[/quote]

Will, good idea re the fosse.  Will add something.  The real challenge would be to make that bit sound gushy (flushy?) [+o(].

Otherwise, as others have suggested, I've ended up with something informative but not proscriptive, which hopefully strikes a welcoming chord.

Thanks all [:)]

[Cerise]

Will - showers thermostatic and hooray we are connected to main drains.  First time for ages I've felt really smug.  Usually feeel as though I don't really belong in France 'cos I don't have a fosse septique[:D][6]

[Loiseau]

[quote user="spg"]

Angela, was this for a new guide? So, how on earth would you describe this otherwise pleasant hotel if they are so testy about the towels?

Sue  [/quote]

Sorry Sue - I thought I had posted a reply to this...

As luck would have it, this hotel is actually *between* the areas in which I am currently interested - so no need to mention it at all!
Actually the decor was pretty, and the setting peaceful; the restaurant was not bad (though not as good as it thought it was!).  I might stay there again if I were driving down from Calais, in spite of being viewed as a potential thief!

Angela

[Cassis]

Good to have a proper rack in a common area with loads of information leaflets.

In each room all we have is:

• copies of walking/Vtt routes
• a map of the local town with our recommended restaurants
• a blurb on the village commerces/market days/other local info like where to play golf/hire horses/etc.

All are laminated and so far none have been nicked, which is nice.

I don't think there's much point in singing your own praises once you've trapped them in the honeypot.