Inviting people to stay overnight at your home can be either exciting, nerve-wracking, or a bit of both, depending on how regularly these occasions take place. There are so many reasons why you might be sharing your home with another household – maybe you’ve invited your family or friends to spend the weekend with you, or your relative is hard on their luck and needs somewhere temporary to stay. Whatever the case may be, the challenge of proving yourself to be a good host can be a rewarding one if tackled from the right approach. Take a look at these tips to help you show off your hosting skills.
Create a Lasting First Impression
When your guests arrive, they won’t be able to help but start making judgments. It’s human nature to instantly assess a situation and come to conclusions about it. Make sure your guests are met with a warm welcome and a pleasant presence. Offer them a drink or something to eat when they arrive, as they might have been traveling from afar to reach you. Don’t rush them to unpack or take a house tour unless that’s what they want to do first. Sometimes, a guest might want to freshen up upon arrival, so have plenty of clean towels available just in case.
Cater to the Senses
An efficient way of making your home more welcoming is to create a space that indulges more than one sense at a time. For example, turn on some mood lighting, put on some music, and light a scented candle. These small touches show your guests that you were thinking of them in advance and wanted to make their stay as pleasant as possible.
Provide a Comfortable Space
This is particularly important for overnight guests as opposed to dinner or daytime guests. Take the time before your guests arrive to set up their sleeping areas with comfortable bedding and a few essential toiletries. If you frequently have guests at your home, consider converting a space dedicated to visitors by transforming a room, attic, or garage. Thoughtful considerations such as an en suite bathroom can help a guest feel more at home. Search for plumbers near me to find more options. A converted guest space means you won’t have to rearrange your own living space whenever you have guests coming to stay.
Anticipate Their Needs
Do any of your guests have allergies? Are they bringing young children or babies? Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what you might need from your host if you were arriving under their circumstances. Keep a set of spare, unused toothbrushes in the bathroom or sanitary products in case your guests forget to pack theirs. This shows that you want them to feel as comfortable as they would in their own home. Of course, it is possible to be overly attentive and come across as overbearing or irritating. Just remind yourself of what you like best in a host and share that with your guests.
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