Preparing for House Guests

A snapshot from our home in Nantucket.  Yes, thats little Buckley hanging out in the right hand corner.

I love everything about hosting guests.  I love the excitement of catching up with friends, I enjoy having an excuse to buy fresh flowers and prepare the guest room.  Now that we live abroad we tend to host guests a lot; we also stay with family and friends when we go back to New York.  As a result, I have a lot of ideas about what works, what doesn't and what to do to make your guests feel at home during their visit.

Here are my top ten tips:

1. Welcome your guests with a snack/meal/drink etc… Recently, on our girl's trip to Ireland, my mom and I stayed with a friend of hers at her beautiful home in County Cork.  Upon walking in the door, we saw that our lovely host had prepared an incredible lunch and urged us to sit and enjoy.  It was certainly a great deal of work for her, but we were tremendously appreciative; especially after an early morning flight and a 2 hour drive.

2. Clean Up! Along those lines, have the guest room made up with clean sheets and towels before your guests arrive.  A shower and a nap are priceless after a long journey.
3. Water.  Whenever guests stay with us, I always make sure to leave fresh bottles and glasses in their room and replenish each day.

4. Toiletries.  My husband loves to take the mini soaps from hotels.  I used to think that this was crazy.  However, I've recently come to appreciate this habit because I now have a collection of mini everything which I leave in the guest bath.

Clean towels and a collection of mini toiletries will make your guest feel comfortable in your home.

5. Local Maps.  At our family home in Nantucket, I keep a basket in each room filled with welcome goodies for our guests.  From time to time I update it, but it always includes a map of the island, a list of our favorite places, an assortment of local magazines and bottled water.  Personally, I think the best guests are the ones that are comfortable taking off on their own and exploring!

6. Fresh flowers.  Because who doesn't love them?

Water for your guest will save them a late night trip to the kitchen.  Fresh flowers, magazines and candles are great touches to create atmosphere in your guest room.

7. Keep personal items to a minimum.  When I know we have guests coming, I switch out the framed family pictures that typically sit atop my side table for a stack of magazines.  I like to do what I can to make my guests feel like the rooms is theirs.

8. Keep the house well stocked.  Unless it's your best friend or family, most guests will not go fishing through your fridge.  But I still like to be prepared before visitors come so that I avoid running out to the store while they are with me.  It's easier to have breakfast foods, coffee, snacks and alcohol on hand.

9. Short on Space? Even if you don't have a spare guest room, there is still plenty that you can do.  The couch can seem so much more welcoming when some fresh flowers, a homemade pack of toiletry essentials and a stack of fluffy clean towels are nearby.

10. And lastly… Feel free to say no! It's a lot of work hosting people and sometimes you might just have too much going to be able to commit to a guest.  That's okay!