With more Muslims travelling around the world, it is easy for hotels to get the Welcome gifts for Muslim travellers wrong. It happens, and I have had many cases where I was offered alcohol and pork products.
I understand some Muslims can easily be offended by such things, but being honest and kind goes a long way. I often receive emails from small boutique hotels asking how they can make their customer’s stay in their properties better and what they should offer instead.
Now, as a Muslim traveller, especially if you are going to honeymoon destinations or big luxury holidays, which usually come with a welcome basket or welcome drink, you can easily pre-empt those. Here is what I do when I travel, and I want as smooth of an experience as possible.
Creating a smooth welcome experience:
- On your hotel membership & reservation booking, you have space for comments. You can put in there your requirements that, for religious reasons, you do not accept alcoholic and pork products as welcome gifts or anything else that you don’t feel comfortable with.
- With airlines, you can request a special meal for your flights. The last time I flew, I forgot to update it, and I ended up with a choice of bacon or Sikh meal—Alhumdullilah for executive lounges, where I had a good breakfast prior to taking off. Also, what I have found is that, actually, Kosher meals are much better than Muslim meals; I wonder why.
- If you are booking a luxury hotel stay, you can email the hotel prior with any special requests you might have, for example, honeymoon set-up or welcome amenities. I sometimes email resorts where I have booked a villa/room to request the one with the maximum privacy possible. In resorts, I always ask for secluded rooms because I wear a hijab and want to feel comfortable. So far, it has worked, and they have been more than happy to make the arrangements.
- You can also book more memorable holidays through luxury agents like Virtuoso, who can give you more benefits and free upgrades without paying anything extra. I am one of these agents if you would like to receive a quote.
Ideas for creating welcome baskets for Muslim travellers
If you are a hotel and you are looking for ideas for gift baskets as a welcome to your guests, here are some:
- Fresh fruits are always a good choice when it comes to a welcome basket.
- Cakes and nuts are also very acceptable, of course, unless they have allergies, so they should be packed properly.
- Alcohol-free drinks. The market is getting more popular with alcohol-free choices when it comes to drinks, although many of these still have 0.5, and some might be uncomfortable with this. A better choice will be freshly squeezed juices or a mocktail pitcher upon arrival.
- Local assortments of delicacies. Every region has a local delicacy that is usually totally pork or alcohol-free. It can be offered to Muslim guests as a welcome amenity to enjoy and get their first taste of the local culture.
- Halal meat or frozen choices for an apartment or self-catering might also be great.
Overall, I find that there are so many options nowadays when it comes to welcome gift options, and if you are a Muslim traveller and want to make your stay more memorable or hassle-free, reaching out to the hotel directly is the best option.
This has truly gotten me many upgrades and experiences. After all, properties want happy customers and reviews.
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