5 Tips for Accommodating Overnight Guests in Your Home

Pinoys are known worldwide for their outstanding hospitality, and there’s no question that most of us would offer to host a visiting friend or family member in our homes without a second thought. The fact remains, however, that accommodating overnight guests is no small endeavor. From preparing their sleeping area to ensuring that your fridge is well-stocked to cleaning up your living area in anticipation of their arrival, there’s a lot you’ll have to set up to make your visitors feel welcome.

Fortunately, a little careful planning and a systematic approach to preparing your home can make the process of hosting overnight guests easy and stress-free. Here are five hosting tips that can help you engineer a smooth and comfortable experience for everyone:

Set Up Your Guest Room

Above all else, your guests will need their own sleeping area, and if you’re lucky enough to live in a house with a guest room, you’ll be all set to go in this regard. The bulk of your preparations will probably involve making sure your guest room is fully prepped for its new occupants.

Start by cleaning the room itself, putting out fresh bed linens, and maybe setting aside extra blankets or pillows in case these would make your guests more comfortable. Next, because your guests will definitely be traveling with their tech, lay out a power strip they can use as a charging station and they’ll surely thank you for it.

Especially solicitous hosts may want to go the extra mile and set out some extra treats to make their guests feel special. Consider putting together a welcome basket containing a few extra things to make their stay more comfortable, such as a welcome note with your Wi-Fi password, some bottled water, snacks, and tissues, to name a few.

Create a Makeshift Guest Room If You Don’t Have One

If you don’t have a separate guest room, you’ll have to get a little more creative about arranging sleeping space for your houseguests. One option is to boot a family member out of their bedroom for a short while to create a temporary guest room, which should serve just as well as a real guest room as long as you keep it clean and tidy. Another alternative is to turn your living area into a guest room unto its own. You can use screens, dividers, or curtains hung on tension rods to block off part of your living room and give your guests some privacy.

Hosts who intend to put up guests in their living rooms can ensure their comfort by investing in multifunctional furniture that can be used for sleeping. For example, a daybed and a folding sofa bed are both comfortable, flexible options that your guests can lounge on during the day and rest comfortably on at night. The best part is that you don’t even need to buy these furniture pieces brand-new from high-end stores. Instead, turn to online marketplaces like LookingFour, where users gather to buy and sell online. You’ll have no issue finding affordable secondhand or refurbished pieces that are still in great condition.

Kit Out the Bathroom

A separate guest bathroom, outfitted with fresh towels and toiletries, is ideal for hosting overnight guests. This guarantees your guests’ privacy and will help them feel more comfortable and at ease in your home. For homes without guest bathrooms, meanwhile, the next best thing a host can do is designate a portion of the bathroom counter for the guest to use. If your bathroom is small or doesn’t have a lot of storage space available, you can also store your guests’ bath products in a little basket that they can carry easily between their sleeping area and the bath.

While you may not have an issue sharing your toiletries with guests, especially close friends or family members, there may be particular instances where that’s not a good idea. For instance, you may use an especially expensive brand of shampoo or a prescription product that’s not safe for just anyone. To avoid potentially awkward conversations, just lay out a separate set of toiletries and hygiene products for guests’ use. Some essentials that it would be good for you to provide include the following:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Soap or body wash
• Toothpaste
• Fresh toothbrushes
• Disposable razors
• Tampons or menstrual pads
• Cotton balls

Clean Up before They Arrive

If you’re the sort of person to let minor home-related to-do’s fall by the wayside, overnight visits are the perfect incentive to get up and knock these tasks off your to-do list. Besides cleaning your house thoroughly from top to bottom, take the time to put away any clutter that may have been left lying around over time.

Plus, if you’re feeling extra motivated by the idea of being a good host and you have enough time to spare before your guests stay over, consider starting on some small house repairs or even minor redecorating projects you’ve been wanting to do. Not only will your home be in tip-top shape by the time your visitors arrive, but you’ll also likely feel nicely accomplished in the process.

Don’t Overstress

Hosting undeniably requires care and attention to detail, but the last thing your guests want is to see you fretting about every little thing before and even during their stay. Once you’ve made your preparations, it’s fine to simply let go and be confident that you’ve done everything you can to make them feel at home. If you’re relaxed and comfortable in your interactions with your guests, they’ll definitely respond in kind.

Preparing your home before the arrival of overnight guests will do more than make them feel special. It will also make you feel better about welcoming them into your living space. Simply follow the steps above, and you’ll definitely be the type of host your guests will write home about.