Tips for a good host

Dear Friends,

We have had family and friend’s staying overnight a number of times.
I needed a list for myself, so that I know I have covered all grounds to ensure our guests feel comfortable.
You guessed it, I am a LIST person.

You may already know the following but it sometimes helps to have it out into words so that it is easier to tick off.

Here’s what I came up with :

For the Living room:

(Pic courtesy : http://www.morguefile.com)

1) Uncluttered living room. Simple – Just put things away.
2) Fresh flowers to greet your guests.
3) Newspapers must be kept within sight but, have a place they should return to. That way, the guest also has a responsibility not to leave it strewn about.
4) Most important if there is a single person coming. Show them where you have your TV and AV system remotes. You also need to show them basically how to use it and to shut it off. We have three! They may not be able to fall asleep and may be reluctant to wake you up so this would be very useful.
5) Do let them know the basic switches for the lights and fan. I used to just label these at times.

For the bathroom:

(Pic courtesy : http://www.morguefile.com)

1) Fresh and clean towels for hand and face wash.
2) Fresh and clean towels for their bath. Please inform them where these are kept in surplus. As they may be early risers and may want to have a bath first thing.
3) If you have all possible hand lotions, body lotions, soaps and shampoos out there then just put them all away. You need to leave outside just one set of what would be useful to your guest. A new bar of soap always seems welcome.
4) Label your essential bottles if possible. I had aged relatives once staying over once and they could not make out where was the soap (as we were using a liquid body soap). Also they may have poor eyesight due to age and it becomes difficult reading the small fonts. Realising this, I started labelling in bold on the soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotions such that it would be easy for them to read and use.
5) Check for toilet paper availability. Extra rolls should also be visible but neatly tucked away.
6) Check if they need spare toothbrushes in case they have forgotten to get their own. Quite frequently this happens. Remember to leave the toothpaste out also.
7) Lastly, Fresh and clean toilet and bathroom area. Use good cleaning agents, dry your toilet area and you may even use a light air freshener. Dry toilet area is necessity if you have small kids or elderly guests.
8) Taps nowadays can be rocket science 🙂 So please inform them about how they would be able to avail of hot bath water and which taps turn where.
9) Hopefully you already have a dustbin in your toilet.
10) To avoid embarrassment to your female guests, leave a small filled envelope or paper bag pegged on the wall marked “sanitary essentials”.

For the bedroom:

(Pic courtesy : http://www.morguefile.com)

1) Ready to sleep beds. There is nothing more inviting if a guest is arriving late evening after a hard day of work. Do check if they have any back problems in case you have a floor bed or mattresses.
2) Fresh and clean bedsheets & Pillows with extra ones kept aside.
3) Laundry basket in their room in case they plan to stay for a few days. It will be a quick indicator to add to your washloads.
4) If you are planning to switch on the A/c, kindly note suitable temperatures according to your guests. What suits you, may not suit them. Show them where the remote is and explain how to shut it off, at least.
5) Show them the night lamp or safety lamp switches in case they need to read or get up at night.
6) Leave a set of extra slippers about.

For the kitchen:

(Pic courtesy : http://www.morguefile.com)

1) I have had great family members who have been regular guests and early risers (I am a night owl!) and have made a cup of tea in the morning even for me. So considerate. I love it when they make themselves at home this way. So, show them where the tea, coffee or sugar is. You never know if they like a cup late at night or pre-dawn.
2) You need to fill up those extra water bottles and let everyone know where to find them. Most probably one will be carried off to the bedroom.
3) Leave some dry snacks on display. Young kids may need fuelling up.
4) Make a menu before they arrive. Discuss with them beforehand on their likes and dislikes. Believe me, you do not need suprises in this area. Now, you or your cook knows exactly, what you will need to prepare, for how many people and how many times a day. Keep your life simple. We generally have one meal of the day outside so that cooking is only for one meal and a wholesome breakfast.
5) Get your cutlery, plates and tea or coffee mugs ready. A well laid out table gets the appetite roaring. If the serving vessels are different than usual for the guests, get them cleaned and ready before their arrival.

For your self:

(Pic courtesy : http://www.morguefile.com)

1) If you have pets be sure to inform the guests prior to their arrival. Some people are really terrified of dogs or cats. Explain to them the house rules for the pets and try that they become comfortable with them around. You cannot expect every guest to love your dog the way you do. Do not get offended unless they are really crass in their approach. Fear is understandable. Also take care of pet hygiene.
2) If you have weekend guests, chalk out a plan for how & where you can best spend quality time. This will depend on the personality and age group of your guest and of course yourself!
3) If you have a guest catching an early morning flight, try to wake up early to make a cup of tea or coffee and keep ready some dry breakfast or muffins or cakes. Something which they can even carry away easily if they are late. Similarly if anyone is arriving very late night, keep awake or set an alarm to wake when they arrive and ask if they need any snacks. Mostly, they just want to crash.
4) Genuine concern for the comfort of your guests goes a long way.

Your valuable time and your positive smiles will definitely make them forget anything that might be amiss from this list.

If you use these, do remember me. Whee!

Enjoy your time with your guests.

Cheers,
Poornima