Life Tips Daily

As summer approaches, the chances of having far-flung friends and family calling to let you know that they will be in your area sometime in the next few months is high. For most people, this means there will be an expectation that you will at least offer your home, apartment or closet as a place for your friend or family member to rest his/her/their head(s). If only the responsibility as a host(ess) ended there! Whether you are the host(ess) or houseguest this summer or both, here are some tips to make the visit pleasant for all involved: today and tomorrow we will focus on the responsibilities of a good host(ess), and Thursday and Friday we’ll look at some tips to be a good houseguest.

If you will be entertaining some guests this summer (or anytime for that matter) I strongly suggest you consider the following:

Take time off for your guest, and make sure they are aware of when this time is
It is easy for a potential houseguest, especially one that has not visited in some time, to assume that the host(ess) will not only be sitting at home preparing for the visit, but will also have absolutely no plans other than spending time with her when they arrive! As sad as it will be to crush your houseguest’s hopes, when today’s busy schedules (which multiply when children and their many activities are added to the mix) are considered, your houseguest will be lucky if you’re at home when he arrives! Good host(ess) that you are, however, this will not have to be a serious concern of your houseguest. Instead, arrange to be home, certainly when the guest is due to arrive, and also at least some of the time that your guest will be staying with you. You may want to take the first day or two off, or save the one on one time for the end of your houseguest’s stay. Either way you do it, your guest will appreciate it. It is also important, before your guest arrives, to make sure she is aware of what committments will remain a part of your schedule while she is visiting. This way, there are no false expectations.

Provide an area for houseguests to claim as their own (for the duration of their stay)
Whether it’s a fold up cot in the livingroom, or the computer room turned into a guest room, your guests will appreciate having a space in your home where they can call home-temporarily. Ideally this would be a separate room but even if it’s a foldout sofabed, arrange things so that your guests can use this area as if it were their bedroom for their stay, and keep their luggage and other belongings with them in this space. It may not be the most comfortable arrangement for a host or hostess used to having full run of the house, but it would mean a lot to most houseguests to have their own area.

Make your guest feel special with a care package
Sure you’re not a hotel, but you can out-hotel the hotel if you think about it. Most hotels provide towels, soap and other toiletries for guests, but have to keep the provisions fairly general because they do not often know the age, sex or likes and dislikes of the next guest using the room. Here is where you can out-hotel the hotel! You know your guest, you know whether (for example) they hate scented products, or love the scent of vanilla, or never ever wear robes or love trashy magazines or crossword puzzles. If you are able to, you can provide all these things that would make the stay that much more pleasant for your guest-be it an extra blanket for someone who is always cold or some bottles of water in the room of a guest who is always thirsty at night. A lot of things that make people comfortable are very inexpensive and if you can provide some of these, your houseguest will remember your hospitality long after they’ve returned to their own home. The nice weather also allows you to take advantage of fresh seasonable blooms to add some cheeriness to rooms).

Tune in tomorrow for four more guest-pleasing tips!

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houseguests, entertaining, visitors, summer guests, host, hostess, home

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