Playing host or hostess to friends and family who are visiting from out of town can be fun, especially if hospitality is your forté. Opening your home to visitors is a wonderful way to help you reconnect with people you may not have seen for a while, and it definitely provides a more intimate and friendly setting than a hotel.
On the flipside however, hosting can require a lot of energy especially if your guests stay for more than a couple of days. At Wallbeds n’ More in Rocklin we’ve put together a list of seven tips to help you keep smiling while keeping your guests happy.
1. Make Space for Your Guests
It’s important to provide your guests with a bit of their own space when staying at your home. Ideally this would be a guest room, but it could also be a mother-in-law unit, a home office, or even a place in the living room with easy access to a bathroom. A designated space for your guests helps both you and them to decompress after a day of excitement.
At Wallbeds n’ More we have all kinds of Murphy bed units to meet these needs, whether it be a chest bed for the living room or a library bookshelf Murphy bed for a home office and guest room combination. Wallbeds with desks are especially handy in children’s rooms or spare guest rooms as they provide a place to focus for visitors who need to get some work done.
2. Provide Closet Space
It’s delightful for guests if they are able to unpack a bit to feel more at home, and providing some closet space is the perfect way to give them room to empty their suitcase. Instead of shuffling around in their bags, getting more frustrated every moment they can’t find that one item, allow your guests to have a place where they can sort out the few belongings they brought with them.
If you don’t have a full closet available in the room in which they’re saying, consider a built-in armoire which comes attached to your Murphy bed. A wall bed that includes a wardrobe is a simple solution to offering a place to hang up clothes or store shoes in a room without a closet. Drawers and cupboards can also be affixed to the hidden wallbed to add storage space for your visitors.
3. Make a Schedule
Whether your guest is a type A personality or prefers to be completely spontaneous, it’s always a good idea to set clear expectations of what each day will look like during the trip. If you are a planner, you can do this well in advance, but another way to keep on the same page is simply to talk about the next day the night before.
Setting expectations is especially important if there is a workday coming up for the host or hostess, or they have other obligations such as taking children to school or a doctor or dentist appointment. It’s helpful for all parties to communicate plans and what needs to be done.
It may also be helpful to add highlights to a calendar that everyone can view. Setting realistic expectations ahead of time can make sure both of you look forward to your time together while respecting each other’s schedules.
4. Provide Quick Tips for Independent Fun
Since you may not be able to be with your guests 24/7 during their visit, it’s helpful to provide a list of fun activities, hiking trails, or great restaurants in the area that they can try when you are not with them. Creating a quick Google doc is a fantastic way to gather all information together in one place, and bonus, you can share it again and again whenever a friend or relative comes to town.
Try including the best breakfast places, theaters, walking and nature trails, grocery stores, parks, coffee houses, restaurants, and shopping districts. You can also ask guests to add to it for the next person visiting your town.
5. Stock the Pantry and Fridge
It’s easy to keep food ready for when guests come to visit by purchasing everything you need for a snacking or grazing board. Fruits, veggies, chips and salsa, olives, crackers and hummus can all be put out on a plate and are ready to eat almost immediately. Don’t forget to stock water bottles, flavored drinks, and your guests’ favorite snacks if you happen to know them.
If you have any family members with allergies or ethical food restrictions such as a peanut allergy or ethical veganism, you can ask guests not to bring certain products into your home before they start their travels. Reminding friends and family ahead of time that your child has a peanut allergy or that you don’t believe in eating animals in your home can be helpful at avoiding awkward conversations after the fact.
6. Provide Easy Access to Essentials and Perks
If you want your guests to be as comfortable and independent as possible without looking about your house trying to find things, it’s great to make sure their room is stocked up on any essentials. Having bottles of water, tissues, extra phone or laptop chargers, the Wi-Fi password, and Tylenol on hand in your Murphy bed drawers or shelves is essential. After all, there’s no easier way to meet your guests’ needs than by anticipating them beforehand.
It’s also a fun idea to have some non-perishable treats or a little gift on hand to make guests feel special when they come to stay. Whether it’s a foil wrapped chocolate, a pack of gummy bears, or a single flower in a vase, leaving a little treat on the nightstand or near the pillow is a small way to make them feel special.
Wallbed Solutions
At Wallbeds n’ More in Rocklin, California we offer Murphy bed office desks, bookshelf Murphy beds, table top Murphy beds, and even Murphy beds with plentiful storage space. No matter how you want to design your guest room to best meet the needs of your visitors, our team at Wallbeds n’ More can help you do just that.
Call Us Today
Our interior designers and expert associates can help you envision exactly how your new furniture will fit in your home. Simply call us at (916) 753-4966 to make an appointment at the showroom as soon as you are ready to view our mutli-use furniture in person or stop by during store hours.
By providing a separate, comfortable place to relax and sleep with amenities located conveniently with built-in shelving, you are offering the gifts of relaxation and comfort to your visitors, and yourself!