With the year ending, we’re all ready to welcome the holiday season. One of the best things about it is spending time with your loved ones. If some of them live far away, they might need a place to sleep. When you have friends or family staying with you for the holidays, you want to ensure they are comfortable. This can sometimes make the pressure of being a good host a bit overwhelming. To help you navigate through the holiday season, we’ve put together this list of ideas on how to make your guests feel at home.
Make sure your guests get enough rest
With all the fun activities, family traditions, and constant socializing, holidays can get a bit tiresome. Getting high-quality sleep is necessary to keep up with everything and feel fine. You should pay special attention to the guest’s sleeping space. A good starting point would be getting high-quality duvets and pillows. Nice linens are also a great addition, as they can immediately make the space feel luxurious. Furthermore, investing in blinding curtains will allow your guests to control how much light they want coming in. Getting well-rested is bound to make them feel at home, which is something every host desires.
Provide some snacks and drinks
Holidays usually go hand in hand with big, elaborate meals. This makes the possibility of your guests going hungry very low. Still, we can’t think of anyone that wouldn’t appreciate the option to have a midnight snack without leaving their room. Get a little basket or a crate and fill it with snack packets. Nuts and granola bars are great options. Then, just put it in the guest room for your loved ones to enjoy. If your guests have an emergency snack kit in their own bedroom, so this small gesture will help them feel at home.
Provide enough storage
Guest rooms often double as storage spaces, as they’re not used daily. When your guests come, they’ll be bringing their stuff. If they don’t have the space to put them away, they might have to live out of their suitcase during their stay. While this is not the end of the world, it can make their stay very hotel-like. One way to solve this is to rent a storage unit. You can use it to put away everything you would store in your guest room. Doing this will help you save both time and space and also allow your guests to unpack properly.
Tidy up and do the maintenance
Cleaning up before your guests come can do wonders for the overall atmosphere in your home. A put-together home is much more inviting and will make your guests feel more comfortable. Make sure to eliminate all the clutter, vacuum, and clean surfaces that need love and care. Also, this would be a good time to do your winter maintenance. Besides helping with the visuals, cleaning and maintenance are also important for overall safety. If you have many people coming over, they’ll probably be moving around a lot, which is why you should try to remove any tripping hazards.
Give your guests a tour of your home
A house tour is always a good start when you’re wondering how to make your guests feel at home. Being familiar with the space is crucial to being comfortable in it. This applies to your guests over the holidays, especially if they haven’t been to your home before. Once they’ve had the chance to unpack and wind down, show them around. Learning to get around and knowing the layout of the space will add to the feeling of comfort during their stay.
Put together a welcome kit
Another thing that makes a great host is leaving everything your guests might need in plain sight. Before they arrive, make sure to put out the towels, bathrobes, and linens they’ll be using. Your guests probably don’t know where you keep these things and feel uncomfortable going through your things. You should also try and provide them with basic toiletries since every guest bathroom should be equipped with shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. A few extra toothbrushes and toothpaste can also be a nice touch. If you want to go the extra mile, you can take some basic medicine, such as pain relievers. Little things like this will show your guests you care about them and their comfort.
Communication is the key
Discussing everything with them is the best way to ensure your guests feel at home. Many people don’t feel comfortable bringing up their wants and needs as they don’t want to be rude. As a good host, you should be the one to start that conversation. Ask if they have any specific dietary requirements and needs, as well as if there are any allergies you should be aware of. Showing your willingness to accommodate your guests will add to the homely atmosphere, making it more comfortable for everyone.
Make a travel guide for them
Guests that don’t live in your area will probably want to get to know it better. As a local, you can help by curating a travel guide for them. This will feel much more personal than just looking up information online, and you can pick out the winter activities you think they’ll enjoy. Make sure to include some suggestions for food and drinks in case they want to go out. Your insight will make them feel more like a local and ensure they have the best time.
Conclusion
Opening your home to loved ones during the holidays is a great opportunity to spend some quality time together. As a good host, you want your guests to have the best possible experience. To ensure that, you should do some research on how to make your guests feel at home. Don’t skip it; it will make the holidays even more magical for everyone.
This article was written by a Ghost Writer. On occasion, we ask others to write articles for the Cedar Valley Sentinel. In some cases, they do not wish to be identified. If you would like to write for the Cedar Valley Sentinel, as either a ghost writer or as a regular writer, please use the contact-us form and let us know.