Welcome bags in hotel rooms

lmcoll86 · August 2012

I am putting a list of local restaurants, bars, etc in each of the welcome bags. Should I put a description next to each one? Like "upscale sports bar" or "casual Italian"? The names of places aren't 100% self explanatory.

whitney37354 · August 2012

If I were a guest, I would appreciate the descriptions.

andra loves andre · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_welcome-bags-in-hotel-rooms?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7fc809fe-b027-437a-9ac5-bc74ab6a8bf6Post:f784da0f-d087-4f48-a18a-a64c6bb1720e">Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms</a>:
[QUOTE]If I were a guest, I would appreciate the descriptions.
Posted by whitney37354[/QUOTE]

<div>I think doing that is a great idea! It would really help narrow it down to what the guest is craving</div>

Meegles4 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_welcome-bags-in-hotel-rooms?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:7fc809fe-b027-437a-9ac5-bc74ab6a8bf6Post:a27b0513-3f3d-4885-b429-66e922f9e968">Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms : I think doing that is a great idea! It would really help narrow it down to <strong>what the guest is craving</strong>
Posted by andra loves andre[/QUOTE]

This makes me laugh.

OP, if you have the time, that's a great idea.

AdeleDazeem · August 2012

Can I ask an honest question?

When do guests have time go to these places?

If I arrive on Friday night, it's because I'm going to the rehearsal dinner so, arrive late on Friday, off to eat, out with friends and then sleep. The next day is the wedding so depending on the time of ceremony, we *might* get food or we might eat at the hotel. Sunday, we usually eat at a wedding brunch or get something when we're headed out of town.

I dunno - maybe I'm weird.

lmcoll86 · August 2012

Thanks! I will include descriptions. It seems better to give more information than less.

Meegles4 · August 2012

Joy - you are probably right. We did it because we had the oh-so-inappropriate gap wedding, so I wanted to give some nearby places. Also, our brunch was more of a "lunch", so people wanted to go out for breakfast on Sunday morning. Funny thing, though, most people went to breakfast at a new place that I verbally recommended and didn't include on the little "Things to Do" card. So there's that.

For me, it was more of a "look what there is in my great town". My wedding was in Detroit, and as you know, Detroit doesn't have the best rap. I wanted to highlight the bright spots and if they had the time to visit one, all the better!

specialk84 · August 2012

Joy, a lot of my guests came in on Thursday (wedding was Saturday night). They needed dinner on Thursday, breakfast and lunch on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and at least breakfast on Sunday.

We were going to do a brunch, but everyone kept saying they were going to be leaving really early on Sunday, so we didn't. It turns out no one left until the afternoon, so my parents just picked up the brunch tabs at the hotel.

AdeleDazeem · August 2012

I can see that if people arrive on Thursday, then yeah, it's good info. But, unless I'm involved in the wedding, we arrive on Saturday about an hour before the ceremony. Even if we get there on Friday and need to eat something on Saturday, the hotel usually has lists like this in their own welcome packets or I'd just ask the concierge.

I guess when I attend a wedding, I'm there for the wedding - not the town that it is in. Unless, of course, it's a really cool town, in which case I've looked into what the town has to offer already.

I'm overthinking this. But, I think sometimes people overthink welcome bags, too.

andra loves andre · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_welcome-bags-in-hotel-rooms?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7fc809fe-b027-437a-9ac5-bc74ab6a8bf6Post:f4c88a3c-bc81-446c-a4f2-0687920ac668">Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms</a>:
[QUOTE] But, I think sometimes people overthink welcome bags, too.
Posted by Joy2611[/QUOTE]

<div>I think you're right about this... I know I'm guilty of overthinking welcome bags! </div><div>
</div><div>OP,</div><div>most of the time whatever you put in a welcome bag (or even giving one at all) is more than welcome! If you have the time for the details, that's more than amazing on your part and I think there will be guests who will appreciate it. If you don't do the little details, I still think that guests will appreciate that you put in the effort to offer them something during their stay. I know I would try to do as much as possible, but just make sure that you have time to enjoy and breathe! I hope all that you have planned turns out lovely :)</div>

lmcoll86 · August 2012

Guess I'm just from the school of thought where you can't overdo hospitality! :-)

andra loves andre · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_welcome-bags-in-hotel-rooms?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7fc809fe-b027-437a-9ac5-bc74ab6a8bf6Post:b86232dc-49a8-4135-a5c2-e1bed785bc8c">Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms</a>:
[QUOTE]Guess I'm just from the school of thought where you can't overdo hospitality! :-)
Posted by lmcoll86[/QUOTE]

<div>I think that's a good school of thought to be from, as long as you're enjoying what you're doing and have time for the details. I love that you're detail-oriented and that you're thinking of your guests this much. It's a much better alternative to those who don't even bother with anything in the first place. Good on you! </div>

stantokm · August 2012

@Joy, I'm going to a Sunday wedding half the country away in November, so I'm definitely getting there on Saturday. I can't imagine anything less fun than flying from DC to Nebraska on a Sunday, partying hard, and then flying back to DC the next day. I like an extra day gap.

cbvcru67 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_welcome-bags-in-hotel-rooms?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:7fc809fe-b027-437a-9ac5-bc74ab6a8bf6Post:8dcf8576-52d9-45b0-9ae8-e1393316b95a">Re: Welcome bags in hotel rooms</a>:
[QUOTE]@Joy, I'm going to a Sunday wedding half the country away in November, so I'm definitely getting there on Saturday. I can't imagine anything less fun than flying from DC to Nebraska on a Sunday, partying hard, and then flying back to DC the next day. I like an extra day gap.
Posted by stantokm[/QUOTE]

I agree with the above. Joy, I don't know where you are/have traveled to for weddings, but we travel fairly often for OOT weddings and if our trip involves a flight, we typically fly early the night before. IE for a Saturday wedding we will try to take Friday off or a half day and fly out that morning/early afternoon so that we can get checked into our hotel and get settled and be rested for the wedding on Saturday.

Most of our guests are doing the same - I think we have 25+ rooms blocked for our Friday night and 35-40 rooms for Saturday at various hotels. Of course, half of our guest list or more is OOT and we are not inviting all OOT guests to the rehearsal, so yes I think its considerate to have local recommendations for dinner/cafes/things to do. And this is really kind of sappy, but I like the idea of knowing what the Bride and Groom like to do in their hometown or know of places special to them. Its just cute.

Starqueg · August 2012

Our wedding is on a Sunday evening, but there is also non-required (mentioned on the website not invitations) services Saturday morning that guests are welcome to attend. If they do choose to come into town for it, that would mean being in the hotel from Friday evening-Monday morning. We'll be including information about local dining options and activities, along with commuter rail schedules for guests that want to go in to NYC. We might mention a few of our favorite NYC restaurants, but if people are playing tourist for the day, they're probably going to be far from the places we frequent.

OP: Assuming your wedding is in Chicago, people might want to come in a day early and play in the city. From what I've heard, it's a nice place to visit. Including little descriptions of places is a nice touch that I would appreciate as a guest. When going out for Italian, it's always nice to know if it's a pizza place that happens to service pasta, or a place with tableclothes and a good wine list.

musicalcanadianbride · August 2012

I think this is a great idea! Many of our guests are flying internationally, and will be here for several days. We do have a welcome BBQ planned for the Thursday, the requisite rehearsal dinner on Friday, and we'll have two group outings planned for those who wish to participate (and need transportation), but there will be plenty of unplanned time for my guests, too. If they arrive a couple of days beforehand, a detailed list of restaurants will be much needed! Great idea!

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