The short answer
Wedding welcome bags for hotel guests reach the right people when the hotel confirms in writing whether it hands them out at check-in or delivers them to rooms, what it charges per bag, when and where you can drop them off, and what it will not accept. Then label each bag with the name on the reservation and the check-in date, matched to the rooming list.
How do welcome bags get to wedding guests at a hotel?
A hotel may offer to hand bags out at the front desk when each guest checks in, to deliver them to rooms, or neither. A front desk handout means the desk finds the right bag while checking a guest in; room delivery means staff take bags to rooms, which may be priced differently. You can also skip the hotel and hand bags out at a welcome event.
Ask which of these the hotel offers, what each costs and who is responsible if a bag goes missing. If guests are staying at more than one hotel, ask each one separately, since the answers may differ. Record each answer on the worksheet below, with the document or email it came from.
How much does hotel delivery of welcome bags cost?
Some hotels charge a handling or delivery fee per bag and some do not, so ask, and ask where the fee is written. It may appear in the room block agreement, in a separate package handling policy, or on an event order if you are also holding an event at the hotel. Ask whether the fee goes on your master account, a card on file or the guest's bill, and whether tax or a service charge is added.
For example, suppose a hypothetical hotel charges $3 per bag handed out at the front desk and $6 per bag delivered to a room, plus 8% tax. For 40 rooms, a front desk handout is 40 x $3 = $120, plus $9.60 tax, so $129.60. Room delivery is 40 x $6 = $240, plus $19.20 tax, so $259.20. The same bags cost $129.60 more by room delivery. Use the hotel's written rates for your own figures.
What should you ask the hotel before dropping off welcome bags?
Confirm the first date bags can be dropped off, the hours, where to bring them (front desk, bell stand, a storage room or the sales office), the name of the person who will receive them and how much storage space the hotel has. Ask whether bags for guests arriving on different days can be kept and released by arrival date.
Ask the hotel to sign or email a note of the number of bags received, and take a photo of them in storage. Ask what happens to bags for guests who cancel or do not check in, and by when you need to collect any that are left.
- Front desk handout or room delivery
- Fee per bag, tax and how it is billed
- Drop-off date, hours and place
- Name of the person receiving the bags
- Storage space and release by arrival date
- Items the hotel will not accept
- Written count of bags received
- Pickup of bags not handed out
How do you match welcome bags to guests at the front desk?
The front desk finds a bag by the name on the reservation, which may not be the name on your guest list. Compare your guest list with the rooming list from the hotel, if your room block agreement provides one, and note whose name each room is booked under. Guests who booked outside the block may not appear on the hotel's list, so ask them directly.
Decide whether you give one bag per room or one per guest, and label to match. If two guests share a room, put both names on the label so the desk can match either one. If a guest is staying elsewhere, plan to hand their bag over at a welcome event instead.
What should you put in wedding hotel welcome bags?
What you put in wedding hotel welcome bags starts with what the hotel will accept, so ask what it will not store or hand out. A hotel may decline alcohol, perishable food or anything that needs refrigeration, or may ask that food be commercially packaged. If you include food, list the contents and allergens on a card in the bag, so guests with dietary restrictions can check before opening anything.
Think about storage as well: a bag that sits in a warm room for several days should not hold anything that melts or spoils. A card with the schedule, addresses, shuttle times and a contact number turns the bag into a guide for the weekend.
How do you label wedding hotel bags for the front desk?
Label each bag with the name on the reservation, the check-in date and, if more than one hotel is involved, the hotel name. Pack bags in boxes sorted by check-in date and then by last name, with a printed list taped to each box, so the desk can pull a day's bags without searching.
Keep your own copy of the list with a column for handed out, and ask the hotel to tell you after the last arrival which bags remain. Collect those before you leave, or tell the hotel in writing what to do with them.
Welcome bag hotel worksheet
Use one row for a decision or deliverable. Keep unanswered items visible. Download the blank worksheet to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
On a small screen, swipe the worksheet sideways to see the remaining columns.
| Question for the hotel | Hotel answer | Where it is written | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front desk handout or room delivery | — | — | — |
| Fee per bag | — | — | — |
| Tax or service charge on the fee | — | — | — |
| How the fee is billed | — | — | — |
| Drop-off date and hours | — | — | — |
| Drop-off place and contact | — | — | — |
| Items not accepted | — | — | — |
| Storage and release by arrival date | — | — | — |
| Pickup of leftover bags | — | — | — |
A message you can make your own
Change the wording to suit you, fill in anything in brackets and keep the questions that apply. You decide what to send and send it yourself.
We would like to have welcome bags handed to guests in our room block. Could you confirm in writing whether you hand them out at check-in or deliver them to rooms, the fee per bag for each option with any tax or service charge, and how it will be billed? Please also let us know the earliest drop-off date, the hours and place for drop-off, who will receive the bags, any items you cannot accept, and what happens to bags that are not picked up.
Common questions
What should the note in a wedding hotel welcome bag say?
The note in a wedding hotel welcome bag works best as a short itinerary: a greeting, the schedule with times and addresses, shuttle pickup points, dress notes if any, and a contact number for questions. If the bag holds food, add the contents and allergens. Print it once the schedule is final, since a changed time on a printed card is hard to correct.
Do hotels charge for wedding welcome bags?
Hotels may or may not charge for wedding welcome bags; some add a handling or delivery fee per bag and some do not. Ask the hotel for the fee in writing, whether tax or a service charge is added, and whether it is billed to your master account, a card on file or the guest room.
Do you tip hotel staff for delivering welcome bags?
Tipping hotel staff for delivering welcome bags is your decision, and the first thing to check is what the hotel fee already includes. Ask whether any part of the per-bag fee or service charge goes to the staff who hand bags out. If you want to tip as well, ask the hotel how to make sure it reaches those staff.
When should you drop off wedding welcome bags at the hotel?
Wedding welcome bags should reach the hotel after its earliest storage date and before your first guest checks in. Ask the hotel for both dates in writing, plus the drop-off hours and place. Storage space is the limit, so confirm how many boxes the hotel can hold before you arrive with them.
Should you give one welcome bag per guest or per room?
One welcome bag per guest or per room is your choice. One per room means fewer bags and a simpler handout; one per guest means labeling each bag by name. Either way, match the labels to the names on the reservations, and put both names on a bag for a shared room.
Can you put alcohol in a wedding welcome bag?
Alcohol in a wedding welcome bag depends first on the hotel, which may decline to store or hand it out. Rules on providing alcohol also vary by state and locality, so ask the hotel what applies there. If the hotel declines, hand those items out at a welcome event instead of in the bags.
What if a guest is not in the hotel room block?
A guest who is not in the hotel room block may still be at the same hotel under a separate booking. Ask the guest where they are staying and the name on the reservation. If it is the same hotel, give the desk that name; if they are elsewhere, hand the bag over at a welcome event.
Are welcome bags for a destination wedding handled differently?
Welcome bags for a destination wedding follow the same steps, with more to confirm. Ask the resort or hotel whether it accepts shipped boxes, any fee for receiving them, and whether items bought locally would avoid shipping limits. Check what the hotel will not accept before you buy, since returning items from a distance is harder.