Successfully hosting overnight guests is no small feat. These arrangements are not like childhood sleepovers, making do with couches and late-night gossip. Standards are far higher in the adult world, and those staying with you expect more, even if they’d be loath to say so forthrightly.
The desire to improve your hosting of overnight guests can help you too. Your relationships can be much stronger with these folks, and you can nurture the more caring and compassionate part of yourself. A sense of pride can also be felt when you send your overnight guests on their way in better shape than when they came to you.
So, how can you improve your hosting of overnight guests? What are the types of things you should account for here? Read on for some tips.
Ask Your Guest What They Want
Overnight guesting responsibilities aren’t a surprise to be revealed. This friend or family member is also somebody you likely know well. If you can trust each other enough to share a roof, there are only very few things you perhaps cannot discuss.
Consider sending a message to your overnight guest a day or two before arrival. Simply ask them if they require anything during their stay. Try to gain answers to questions like:
- Can you remind me of your allergies? You may have some awareness of their allergies already. Still, by asking for a reminder, your overnight guest can be relieved that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to grocery shopping or other supplies.
- Which snack/drinks would you like stocked? Once again, you may have some knowledge of your loved one’s favorite goodies. However, answers to this question can change depending on moods or recent experiences. It’s always best to be sure, and once again, it highlights your commitment.
- What time do you prefer to get up at? Your overnight guests’ sleep schedules may not be the same as yours. By learning each other’s needs in that department, all parties will know when to be quiet and not disturb one another.
You could even have fun with these questions. Jokingly frame them as a formal survey or let these topics pave the way to a deeper conversation between you. Either way, it helps you be there for them when they need you, so reach out first.
Arrange Group Activities
Overnight guests may not be sticking around for long. While it might not be worth organizing any elaborate adventure for a fleeting stay, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t offer up a few ways to fill the time you’ll spend together.
Casual and lighthearted options are best here. Things like adult dinner party games can soon create the fun ambience you all need. There are many options, too, such as Never Have I Ever, Would You Rather, Charades, and more. Ensure you diversify your approach, play to the strengths of your overnight guests, and keep everyone entertained with a few curveball suggestions.
Dinner party games for adults also help set the tone of the overnight stay. It ensures your property isn’t just a pitstop but a place where people can have fun and get to know each other more. Your overnight guests will feel like they are more than that. Even loved ones who haven’t seen each other in a while may need to break the ice. These games are great for all these things, ensuring everyone’s comfortable sooner.
Clean Promptly
Some hosts of overnight guests do all their cleaning long before their guests show up. While getting ahead of a pressing need isn’t a bad idea, cleaning too prematurely can mean that dust and dirt have already begun to settle in once again by the time the guests arrive.
Therefore, cleaning your property promptly the day before guests arrive is best. So long as you know how to go from room to room quickly, you can make quick work of these tasks. Clean every room, not just the guest areas. If you live with others, ensure all hands are on deck with these duties. If you all pull together, the work could be completed sooner than you all think.
You may also need to assume these responsibilities when your guests are with you, depending on the duration of their stay. Try to time things so that you don’t inconvenience them at any point during their stay, even if they would be polite about things otherwise. The more you can stealthily spruce up the place, the better.
Remember, cleanliness is more than about appearances too. Pleasant surroundings can build guests’ moods and give them a healthier environment. There’s a lot at stake here beyond merely making a good first impression, so double down on the cleaning responsibilities.
Have Extra Supplies
Your normal trips to the stores perhaps won’t cover all that both your household and your guests require. Though you may think your guests would happily flag a shortage of goods, some won’t in certain contexts, not wishing to inconvenience their hosts or embarrass themselves.
Consequently, it’s best to always cover all bases by always having the extra supplies your guests may need. A surplus of towels, toilet rolls, pillows, blankets, linens and toiletries should be available. Keep these things in the guest bedroom so that your overnight visitors understand that only they may use them and won’t need to go hunting around the property for what they require.
Remember, some stores limit the number of products a customer can buy. Though these measures were prevalent during the worst of the coronavirus, some stores may still have policies prohibiting you from buying more than X items. Shop at stores where these policies aren’t in effect, or if they are, build your supply in multiple places.
Having extra supplies in your property also reassures your guests that you will look after them. The presence of these items is encouraging and shows that you’ve gone the extra mile to make their stay fun and comfortable.
Make the Guest Room Neutral
There’s such a thing as trying too hard when keeping your overnight guests happy. These incidents of overkill tend to be concentrated on the décor of the guest bedroom.
While it can be fun putting together a creative, zany space for a pal (especially if it’s a surprise party), playing it safe with a guest bedroom is far better. After all, these aren’t spaces your guests need to feel ’at home’ in. They have those sentimental thoughts about their own properties already.
Instead, they require an area that will temporarily serve its purpose. That means a neutral décor and an inoffensive color scheme is best. You won’t polarize them or create anything that risks them not returning in future, and you may also drastically reduce your budget towards making sure their stay is a great one.
Focus on beiges and whites for the color scheme. If you want to fill the space, do so with things like desks, stationery, and more practical things. If your overnight guest is keen to make the space their own for a time, they will likely bring the personal effects required.
Conclusion
The best way to be a better host of overnight guests is to be considerate. Anticipate the needs of your visitors and work towards removing any inconveniences in their lives. Listen to the caring and nurturing side of yourself. After that, improving your hosting abilities should be very easy, and you and they should have a great time.
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