Where the Welcome Really Begins
HomeExchange is a gracious exchange of hospitality. As a host, we open our doors. As a guest, we are greeted graciously, as if we were a friend or family. A home-exchange is a human exchange, a time during which we create bonds. Welcoming, sharing, trust, and respect are essential to HomeExchange.
It is important for us to share the 6 fundamental principles of a warm welcome with you. This is what makes HomeExchange so special.
To be welcomed is promising to welcome in return
HomeExchange allows you to try home-exchanging as a guest before hosting. But, to be welcomed in a home means you must promise to welcome in turn, even if it is at a later time or with another family, for logistical reasons. With or without GuestPoints, a HomeExchange is an exchange of hospitality.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
To want to host and do it with pleasure are the conditions for an exchange to go well. And for that, one must have conversed, created a bond, and talked about why they are going on an exchange. Getting acquainted before exchanging is an essential step, and that’s what our messaging system is for! Once finalized, do not hesitate to call, to create a WhatsApp group, or to chat via Skype, everything is allowed!
It is a pleasure to host
We do everything to make our guests feel at home. We offer to our guests whatever we would offer to our friends and family who come to stay over - water and electricity are a must! We also prepare towels, as well as clean sheets for all. We always welcome them into a clean home. In return, as guests, we do everything to respect and take care of our host's homes and we leave the home as we found it. Beyond the necessary comfort, there are little extra touches that come with no obligation but are enough to make an exchange even more memorable and personal: a small welcome note or gift.
Getting settled in and travelling like a local
Whether you stay for a whole month or just for a weekend, to enjoy life as a local, nothing is better than your hosts’ recommendations and tips. So, you’re encouraged to make a list of your favorite things to do in your area and a home manual to share with your guests the peculiarities of your home, where to find what and to share with them all the essential information you might forget during your conversation! This will help your guests appreciate your home and experience this new destination as locals.
As simple as thank you
Thank yous are important before, during, and after the exchange, because even with GuestPoints, HomeExchangers deserve gratitude. Receiving a little gift from your guest or host changes everything. It is customary to leave a thank you note and gift: a small bottle, a box of chocolates, or a drawing, everything makes a difference!
Our differences bring us together
Some people smoke indoors, others do not like cigarette smoke. Some people spend their lives with their pets, others are allergic. We are all different, and communicating all of these points, as well as some local “rules”, to your guests is important so that they can feel comfortable in your home and neighbourhood and adequately care for it. You can communicate this with a booklet of principles and values that are most important to you, for example.