Gifts for Apartment Rentals

If you are renting an apartment then it's a business transaction and a gift is not necessary.
A gift would only be appropriate if you were eating at a friend's home (bottle of wine) or staying as a non-paying, invited guest in their house, just as you would do here if invited to stay at a friend's home for the weekend.

"Show your appreciation with a small gift". What cheek! You are not guests and they are not hosts, they are landlords. This is guilt tripping, that's all You have a commercial contract with these people and you show your appreciation by paying on time and leaving the apartment in good order.

Host/hostess gifts are definitely NOT necessary when renting an apartment, even if the apartment is in the 'hosts' home. What type of packing list are you referring to?

EDIT: oops, I see you're referring to RS list. That's only if you are the guest of someone in their home, not a paying customer.

No gifts are needed. As others have said, this is a business transaction, no more, no less. Have no idea why Rick would recommend doing this unless he means when you are staying with someone local that you know.

Write them a good review (if your stay was good) on whichever website or consolidator you used to find them. That is worth far, far more than any trinket you have brought from your hometown.

Local hosts means FRIENDS and RELATIVES , not your landlord.. sorry .. you really think apartment owners conducting business want or expect a gift.
I am a landlord and frankly I think its a bit weird ..

I leave the place I rent in decent shape,, fairly clean.. I don't break things, and I take out the garbage... I think landlords ( please keep in mind.. that is what they are , landlords,, not hosts.. ) want that more then some stuff from a stranger.

Really.. rethink this gift giving thing.. they are taking your money and they won't see you again,, they are not taking you to dinner. or cooking you dinner, or lending you their car, or having you visit their homes..

You will make some of your landlords feel awkward too.. and that's not very nice.

Rick's packing list is specifically addressing the possibility of being a free guest in someone's home.

"Of course, there's nothing more culturally intimate (or inexpensive) as staying with a friend, relative, or someone you have a connection with. They don't need to be next-of-kin. If it's the son of your aunt's friend, that’s probably close enough. Email your potential hosts, tell them when you'll arrive, and ask if they're free to meet for dinner. It should be obvious from their response (or lack of one) if you're invited to stop by and stay awhile."

Laura exactly , yes , in those cases a gift would be appropriate.. not in a business transaction though.. they are not doing you a favor,, you are not their friend,, you are paying them.. and they give you something ( accomadation ) in return..
Your "gift" is money to them! ( and in fact.. in many cases people are giving them money they do not declare.. so tax free money no less!)

It is nice though if you have gotten a free place to stay to give a gift.. although I usually give something like flowers AND take my hosts out to dinner.. most love that.. ( but as I said,, these are friends and relatives who actually want to spend time with me!)

The only case I can think of for a vacation rental and offering the host/owner a gift, is if I were an often repeat guest and have developed a personal relationship. Even then, it would only be a bottle of wine or something unique to my home area, something small...since it is the thought that counts.

If I were not personally aquainted with them, I would not bring a gift.

however, some photo postcards from home and a couple of packs of bubble gum in case the landlords have children are part of my stash.........

I've got a strange feeling that James is "pro gift"!!

I stayed in a B&B in Scotland last year where the owner kept showing us things that she had received as gifts from renters. I'm not sure if she was angling for gifts (we didn't give her anything but the fee for the rooms) or if she was just proud of them. She did mention that most of the things had come from repeat customers who visit anually.

I've rented many apartments and never bring a gift. I do give them a review after my stay. Renting is a business transaction. You're not their guest.

I also interpret that statement to mean: If you are staying with friends and relatives that are not charging you for your stay, it is good social decorum to give them a thank you gift. If you are paying for a rental from a virtual stranger, then it is certainly not at all an expectation (I have never done it, so hoping that it's not). Simply be a good guest and take care of their place. Have fun!

I've taken gifts for people we have stayed with thru couchsurfing (which is free - generally I take locally made maple blueberry chocolates) but have never taken gifts for places we are renting - regardless of whether the person is present or not...you're already paying them...perhaps if they go above and beyond...we did have one airbnb rental where the lady cooked us a lovely meal and took us for a drive to Eze and to a park to walk with her and her dog...I had some extra maple chocolates stashed in my luggage - you know, in case of food emergency...lol - and gave them to her since she did the extra stuff for us and went above and beyond...

No need to gift someone who rented you an apartment.

Gifts only make sense for acquaintances, relatives and other people who are letting you stay for free or in some personal arrangement.

I agree with all the other posters - no gift needed if you're renting rather than staying for free.

However, I want to emphasize what was said above. The best gift you can give any accommodation these days is a positive online review, in as many places as possible. With everyone using the Internet to do their booking, and counting on reviews to find a good place, online reviews are far more valuable than anything else to an apartment owner looking to get tourist business. This is particularly true if a place doesn't already have that many reviews. So, be sure to post a review here and on the site you found the apartment, at a minimum.

James E, aka The Provocateur!

If you are paying to stay, no gift is necessary. That is only if you are staying free as someone's personal guest. However, if you are staying at a bed and breakfast where you pay but are staying in someone's home with them, it is a nice touch to bring along some postcards from where you live. Many of these hosts and hostesses will take a personal interest in guests and treat you like a member of the family. It is nice too to buy some flowers or fruit while staying there to offer in a bed and breakfast if the host/hostess treats you like family or a friend. It might not be necessary but is a classy and friendly thing to do.

@ James E- I agree that it is a lovely thing to do and that you are a lovely person to think so. I bet people really enjoy your considerate and friendly company.

Well, if they don't enjoy his company they can at least enjoy the cognac while wearing the expensive jewels he has brought.

I would like to thank all of you for your input. It has been very helpful.

The rental we are staying in has some really great reviews. I will be sure to leave an accurate and honest, hopefully positive review as well. I noticed in a number of the reviews that the host family helped in numerous ways with their guests. Things like, picking them up at the train station and driving them around the area. On the more personal side, they have invited couples and families into their own living quarters to share a meal and/or drinks. So, I am thinking that if such an invitation comes up, that I will purchase fresh flowers or something like this, depending on the invitation.

Thanks again! Travel on and on and on!

"A plant is always a nice gift ...." A bottle of wine is nicer.

Let me try to play contrarian here a bit.

I know a person who owns and operates 3 rental apartments in Amsterdam. For this couple, it is a business. They live, now retired, in another city but they are all too familiar with Amsterdam. For them, it is a revolving door of costumers they (or the person who replaces them when they are not available) strive to provide a good service and experience: clean apartments, working Wi-Fi etc. They know if they provide a good services they will get more referrals and positive reviews over time on websites.

Knowing them a bit, I think it would be quite strange for them to start finding presents and the like. They are charging for a service, and providing what was agreed upon in return.

Ultimately, this boils down the the pervasiveness of American tipping culture throughout hospitality and leisure service industry, something that has creept on the Caribbean region: *the idea that someone doing their job for an agreed fee is still owed something extra at the mercy of the guest/patron, because the normal/baseline fee/wage is too low and if not treated like that service would go sour.

So, no, people who rent holiday apartments are not expecting "appreciation" in the form of wines, art or the like. You might have had a blast during your time on a new exciting city, but it is still their business. They will be happy if you leave positive reviews and give referrals, though. A well-written realistic review on AirBnB, TripAdvisor or elsewhere is much more valuable and appreciated than some wine they might or might not drink, or handicraft they might or might not like and probably have no space to store anyway.

There is no reason to gift someone with whom you have entered into a business arrangement, and Andre is correct that a nice review on a well-trafficked website, like TripAdvisor or AirBnB, is the best gift to the owners. Want to really show your appreciation? Take some flattering photographs of their property and/or your room and post those along with your review. Leave a nice thank you card for the owners telling them that you plan to give them a good review on those websites and email them with the links to the website when you get back home and verify your reviews are showing up.

Seriously…they don't expect or want flowers, chocolates, jewelry, or bottles of wine and cognac. You aren't dating them. Sometimes, even though the intent of giving a gift to the owners is not to insult them, it still happens. My relatives live in a village on the edge of the Burren in Ireland which, while small, caters to a good number of tourists during peak season. On one of my visits I was drinking in the pub talking with one of the men who runs a B&B. He mentioned how a couple from Tennessee had stayed at his B&B and that they brought a gift of one of those ceramic plates that has various scenes of Tennessee highlights painted on it, along with a bunch of postcards of Memphis and Nashville. This couple proceeded to corner the B&B owner in the living room and talk (very slowly) to him about what Tennessee is well-known for. The owner was laughing as he said "I know they were trying to be nice, but they spoke to me about Elvis, Graceland and Nashville as though I was some sort of indigenous man with a bone through my nose who just wandered out of the wilds of the Amazon and was unfamiliar with electricity!"

On the other hand, I have put friends of mine in touch with my relatives overseas who have put them up in their guest room for free. In those instances, their buying my relatives flowers or taking them out to dinner is entirely appropriate. I have a really good friend who owns a very nice beach house in the US that she lets me use for a week each summer with my family at no charge. It's the kind of beach house that if it was offered as a rental would easily command $3,000-$4,000 for a single week, so in that case, yes, I for sure show my appreciation by gifting her some nice artisan jewelry (being good friends, I know her style) or a few bottles of some very fancy wine that I know she loves.

So what did the B&B owner do with the ceramic plate that was given to him as a gift? He tossed it into a box of items that got donated to a charity shop in a nearby village.

james .. on another forum there is a long thread about why the Americans should not import their tipping culture.. its not that its "disgusting" its because it changes other cultures .. and you know the old saying.. "take nothing but pictures leave nothing but footprints." usually applies more to camping type holidays.. but the point is.. its not ok to change a place but to rejoice in its differences.

Its ok where you live. its not disgusting.. but that's for American and other tipping countries.. why make fun by using sarcasm when people try to explain that its simply not ok to force your way of looking at things or doing things on the places you visit.

Some people get very defensive when told their customs aren't welcome other places. .

I like what you said, Pat. Thank you.

Hey, James… Relax - I'm just pointing out that the business owners really don't expect nor want some of these "small, unique souvenirs from your hometown". They want your cash and they want a good review which translates into…yep, more cash!

But hey, I'll be happy to rent you my place this week (bring your cross-country skis) and since we are in the United States, you can feel free to leave me all the lavish gifts you want. The Cartier Tank Americaine watch in 18K white gold with diamonds which retails for $39,700 and some Jimmy Choo shoes in a Size 7 will really show your appreciation. I may even consider leaving a box of Dunkin' Donuts for your breakfast and a snow shovel so you have a culturally-rich experience and "temporarily live like a local". But if you lock yourself out of my place at 3AM, you're S.O.L. until morning.

This is one of those arguments that is so absurd as to an embarrassment to have become a part of.

I rent apartments in Europe; 95+% of the time to European clients. On the rare occasion when they leave a sign of appreciation behind then I assume it’s because I exceeded their expectations and I cherish the sentiment. Yes, we try and exceed expectations and yes we reciprocate by trying to do a little additional for our guests.

I will continue to express my appreciation when the situation is appropriate. If you believe that my expression of appreciation is offensive to Europeans then you and I have different experiences. If it bothers you to see someone acting from their heart, even if in unusual ways, then you need to reexamine your heart.

I just finished "re- examining my heart" and find I still disagree with you entirely, James. My heart told me "go with your gut" so I will now re-examine my gut. More on this later. You have been warned.

Touche!....

The question of the OP was "should we bring a gift".
Majority of answers was "no" not necessary , you have misinterpreted Rick Steves "if you are a guest of a host" , as in he means "guest" like a free guest of friend or family.. not a paying guest .

I do not find the arguments or discussions the least bit embarrassing.

Most of my experience is in Germany; my advice might not be perfect for elsewhere.

That said, If you are invited to dinner or a visit to someone's home, it's appropriate to bring a gift. Flowers, a bottle of wine or something similar are the best choice - they're fairly generic gifts and will be received as an appropriate gift. Don't bring anything awkwardly expensive or personal unless you are visiting someone close (relative or long-time friend). In those cases, something from your hometown is a nice idea (if your hometown has something that makes a good packable gift you can travel with).

In your example, I wouldn't plan a gift for the owner of the apartment. If, however, the owner invites you to join them for dinner, bring a gift. Since it's France, bringing wine could be iffy - only because the French know so much more than we do about wine. They likely already have wines picked out. If you know what's on the menu, you can stop into a wine store and ask for a recommendation as a gift for the host. I think it's safer to bring flowers or something along that line.

Yikes, I can't believe I am have been breaching business practice all these trips...I usually bring what I will refer to as "hostess gifts" like I would to someone's house I'm visiting for the first time for dinner or a party. Yes, I get the difference between paying for a flat or having dinner at someone's house that I don't pay for, but I still like to share something from my local area with my host and leave it with them on our last day. Only once did I feel like the owner thought I was crazy but I think it might have been a language misunderstanding.