Preparing for Houseguests

How to Make Them Feel Welcomed and Comfortable

It’s fun to share our homes with friends and family who come to visit. They could be in town on business, for a special family event, or just because you would like to spend a little extra time together. Hosting houseguests can bring back the fun of childhood sleepover parties with late night chats and snacking. However, the preparations required to keep adult guests comfortable are a bit more than when you were younger and all that anyone needed was a bag of chips and a pair of pajamas. Take a little extra time to plan and your guests will feel right at home and ready for those late night chats.

Planning their Stay

Before your guests even arrive, you’ll want to agree on the length of their visit. This way you can plan meals, make arrangements for special outings, and plan your schedule around the visit without any awkward moments.

Avoid confusion by extending your invitation with specific dates. You might say “Paula, we’d love to have you and your family stay with us next weekend. Can you arrive Thursday night so that we can enjoy a long weekend together through Sunday afternoon?” If your guest doesn’t have a specific answer to your question, ask her to let you know when her dates are firm.

Preparing Your Home

The first thing you should do as you plan for houseguests is to clear any uncomfortable clutter from your living areas. You’ll want to have as much space as possible for relaxing and conversation. If necessary, dust and vacuum your living areas.

After that, you should prepare the area where your guests will be sleeping. If it’s a pullout couch in your family room, be sure there’s nothing in the way of opening it up. Pull out fresh sheets and a blanket that fit that couch, so that you’re not scrambling to find a set when your guests are ready for bed. If you have a private guest room, once again check that the bed is made with fresh linens.

Place clean towels in the room for your guests to use during the visit. Adding small extra touches around the room will make your guests feel welcome. These might be:

• A small vase of fresh flowers
• A tray with bottled water and clean glasses
• Light snacks for them to enjoy in the privacy of their room
• Special soaps and lotions for their bath
• Extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, cotton balls, and other bathroom necessities they may have forgotten
• A supply of current magazines
• A radio or television

Remember to clean the powder room, as you would for any visitor, but also go over the bathroom the guests will use during their stay.

Plan Meals and Snacks

You may want to cook one or two meals for your guests during their visit, but that doesn’t mean they expect you to cook all of the meals. Make reservations, if necessary, for the times you plan to go out to a special restaurant for dinner.

Stock up on breakfast supplies to make it easy to enjoy a relaxing morning. You might want to fill your pantry and refrigerator with self-serve selections so that you and your guests can eat on your own schedule. Be sure to let them know before bed if they can help themselves in the morning.

Don’t forget a few sweet and savory selections for late afternoon or late evening snacks! Cookies, cheese, crackers, olives, and nuts are all good choices.

Arranging Activities

You should know your guests well enough to anticipate their interests during the visit. First, find out if there will be times when they plan to make excursions on their own. Then arrange a few outings that you can enjoy together. Some possibilities include:

• Hikes in a local park
• A visit to a historic home
• Tickets to see a show or musical performance
• A walking tour of your city
• A trip to the beach
• A shopping trip to antique shops in your area

Above all else, by discussing your mutual expectations for the visit in advance, you can be sure to create memories as wonderful as those from your childhood sleepovers.