Whether it’s the best friend from your childhood or your mother-in-law, you want to please houseguests. Here are some things you can do to make their stay enjoyable and keep your own stress level at a minimum.
In the Bathroom
- Provide essentials -- don’t make your guests have to ask to borrow some of yours. A great way to do this with pizazz is to make a cute basket with the samples of shampoo, bath gel and conditioners you brought home from your last business trip – or sample size toiletries from the store. Add a small tube of toothpaste and a new packaged toothbrush – if they need it, they’ll open the package and if not, it’s ready to put out for the next houseguest.
- Towels – Let your guest decided how many towels they need and how often they’ll use them. Hang one set and show them that there’s another set available and ready to use in one of the bathroom cabinets. No cabinet that’s bath-towel sized? Another basket does the trick.
- Necessities. Make sure you have extra toilet paper and tissues on hand and that your guests know where they can find them.
In the Bedroom
- Food and drink. We’re not talking breakfast in bed. Your guest is probably not going to want to wander to the kitchen to get a glass of water or hope they can find a cookie. A carafe filled with ice water and with a lid that makes a cup is a nice touch, but a bottle of water will do. A granola bar, a small bag of nuts or an individual serving of cookies – you know, all those wonderful 100 calorie packaged items – is thoughtful and appreciated.
- Something to read. Your guest may be an early riser and want to kill time while they wait for you and your family to get up and moving – or they may be a late night person who just can’t go to sleep as early as you do. Give them something to entertain themselves – current magazines or a book with a collection of short stories will do the trick.
- Welcome them. Put a fresh flower in a bud vase or write a little note saying how excited you are to have them visit and leave it on the nightstand. Make sure you let them know you’re glad they’ve come!
- The mattress. If your guest bed has the mattress your grandma finally got rid of or the one from your college dorm room, replace it. Brooklyn Bedding recommends the #bestmattressever at a medium comfort level, which as Goldilocks said “is not too soft, not too hard and feels just right.” It is the top rated mattress that is sure to please even the most sensitive guest.
