A good host thinks of the little things
December 16, 2010
Stacy Downs
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
To be an excellent host, try becoming a picky guest. In your own home.
Give your guest quarters—even if that means the sofa—a test run for an evening or two each year.
Don’t hit the pre-holidays panic button yet. You still have a little time to make sure your home provides enough comfort and joy for family and friends who will spend a few nights or (gulp) weeks with you.
“Being a guest in your home is a great idea because as nice and tricked out as your guest bedroom may be, there are things you don’t notice unless you spend a little time there,” says Sarah Gray Miller, editor in chief of Country Living magazine. “Like perhaps there’s no place for guests to set a dopp kit. Or it would be good to put an extra chair in there so guests can sit down and put on their shoes. Add any of the things you’d want if you were staying somewhere.”
Miller takes a few cues (and travel-sized toiletries) from hotels: unused shampoo and soap, water glasses and plenty of towels and toilet paper. And her guest room has a hair dryer and an iron—travellers don’t want to pack those in weight-restricted suitcases. But you’ll never spot slippers and robes in her guest rooms.
“I’d feel nervous by all that overdoing, like the host isn’t relaxed,” Miller says. “It’s a hard balance to strike between anticipating guests’ needs and not paying so much attention to the details that you make people feel uncomfortable.”
The key is making sure the sleeping quarters are comfortable, says Nancy Miller Reichle, who with her husband, Mark, runs Southmoreland on the Plaza Urban Inn, a bed-and-breakfast in Kansas City, Mo.
“Some people are hot sleepers, and some people are cold sleepers,” Reichle says. “So it’s good to have a variety of covers such as a light blanket and a heavier duvet.”
Reichle also likes having extra pillows because some people use them under their backs or knees. There are four down pillows on the beds and two fibre-filled pillows in the closets in her guest rooms.
So what about air mattresses if you don’t have enough beds? You know, the inflatable ones that look like oversized swim toys.
“I’m not a fan when two people have to sleep on them,” Miller says. “One person always ends up bouncing off and sleeping on the floor. But they’re OK when you’re sleeping alone.”
Kids’ bedrooms can work for guests (younger children think it’s fun to camp out on Mom and Dad’s floor a few nights). Just as long as the room is clean and straightened for guests.
“No popcorn or crayons in the bed or on the floor,” Reichle says. “No one wants that.”
Regardless of the location in the home or type of mattress, all accommodations should be made up before guests arrive. So should a meal plan.
“Besides asking how long they’re staying, we always ask our guests—including personal house guests—if there are any dietary restrictions like allergies or if they’re vegetarians,” Reichle says. “We ask them things they like to drink or eat. Maybe they prefer decaf coffees and sodas. Or skim milk instead of 2 per cent. That way they can help themselves.”
Reichle also puts bottles of water and snacks such as chocolates and granola bars in the room because guests might be afraid they’re going to make noise if they get a midnight case of the munchies.
Miller fills glass canisters with mixed party nuts, crackers, pretzels and cookies so guests can help themselves during the day while she’s at work. She also sets out wine on a sideboard and a cooler of sodas and water for guests.
“Guests feel comfortable taking things that are out in the open,” Miller says. “They don’t want to have to ask hosts for anything. Not even for a Diet Coke. They’ll feel like they’re intruding.”
If you’re not going out for dinner, Miller recommends one-pot meals such as chili or lasagna. Or if it’s warm enough, throw burgers, steaks and veggies on the grill. She keeps it simple at breakfast time, too—no seven-course brunches.
“I don’t over-twirl it up,” Miller says. “I keep it very help-yourself. That way, guests feel like they can sleep in and get ready at their own pace.”
Miller and Reichle advocate taking guests on a quick tour of the house, showing them where the coffee and drinks are and how to adjust the heat, doing a quick show-and-tell about working the remote and digital video recorder and pointing out quirks such as the noisy train that passes by (the foam ear plugs are on the nightstand).
“One of the most important things is telling your guests they can use your computer,” Reichle says. “They want to check their flights, email messages, tourist attractions and restaurant information.”
Lots of people travel with laptops and most of us have cellphones, so provide a power strip or enough outlets in the bedroom for them to charge their electronic devices.
“It may sound silly, but it’s also good to give guests a rundown of the daily agenda, like what time you’re leaving for work, what time you’ll be back and what dinner plans are,” Reichle says. “Otherwise, it’s discombobulating for people. It gives the guests some control so they can go off and do their own exploring.”
ROOM-BY-ROOM
Know the essentials, the nice extras and the too-muches before your guests arrive
BEDROOM
The essentials:
Extra pillows and blankets
Illuminated alarm clock (more of us are using phones as alarm clocks, but this helps guests orient to the time zone and doubles as a night light)
Reading lamp
Someplace to put a suitcase that’s not the bed (luggage rack or ottoman. This works in the host’s favour, too, because bed bugs travel by suitcase.)
Space for clothes (maybe one drawer clear and a few hangers in the closet—bonus if it’s a portable clothes rack)
Carafe or bottles of water
Iron
Nice extras: Notepad and pen; snacks such as granola bars and chocolates; foam ear plugs (to block out snoring and house noises); satin sleeping masks (for rooms that are flooded with light in the morning); mini sewing kit with safety pins; chair; newspapers, magazines, photo albums and paperback books (good beach reads that are OK for guests to take with them); cheap flip-flops
Too much: A decanter of sherry
BATHROOM
The essentials:
Towels (check on supply each day)
Extra rolls of toilet paper
Travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, soaps and lotions
Toothbrushes still in package and toothpaste
Plunger
Feminine-hygiene products
Aspirin and nasal decongestant
Hair dryer
Air freshener
Nice extras: Cotton swabs, packages of facial-scrub towels, lip balm
Too much: Fluffy robes and slippers
SIDEBOARD (IN KITCHEN OR DINING ROOM)
The essentials:
Water
Soda including diet
Juice
Ice
Nice extras: Guests’ favourite wine or beer; a pitcher of already mixed cocktails such as spiked eggnog or Bloody Marys
Too much: The whole liquor cabinet with several bowls of garnishes
KITCHEN
The essentials:
A basket of bread, bagels and/or English muffins with butter and jam
Boxes of cereal
Fruit
Milk
Granola bars
Coffee maker filled and ready to go with a note that says “Just turn on for hot, dark coffee.”
Packs of tea
Sweeteners and honey
Glass bowls or jars with daytime snacks
Nice extras: Scones and other pastries, breakfast burritos with microwave instructions
Too much: A seven-course brunch
TECHNOLOGY
The essentials:
Power strip for charging electric devices
Instructions on how to work remote control(s), cable/satellite, digital video recorder
Computer or Wi-Fi ID and password
How-to on using the washer and dryer
Steps for the security system
Nice extras: Movies and music they might enjoy
Too much: Free iPod (unless you’ve won the lottery)
INFORMATION PACKETS
Be the host with the most and print a packet guests can carry with them that includes how to reach you, important numbers and your favourite tourist information (family and friends appreciate your recommendations but won’t remember if you just tell them).
You can make your own always-ready-to-go packet on your computer with these categories (or try this PDF template)
Contact information: Address and phone numbers of home, work, mobile
Internet access: Wi-Fi SSID and password
Emergency and health: Names and numbers for police, fire department, poison control, emergency room of nearest hospital, outpatient clinic, nearest pharmacy
Entertainment: How to use the TV, cable/satellite; how to use the media centre
Local ordinances and schedules: Parking, noise, trash/recycling
Household quirks: General and room by room
Tourist attractions and areas of note: Museums, art galleries, nature trails, theatres
Coffee shops and book stores
Places to shop
Places to eat