5 Things to Have Ready for Overnight Guests

Assuming that you enjoy having house guests, you always want to make sure you’re playing the role of a gracious host. That means, of course, that sheets and towels are clean and that the fridge is stocked with snacks. But once those things are handled, here are five extra-credit ways to help your guests feel right at home when they stay at yours.

If you’re comfortable with it, having a spare key ready for your guest can make them feel much more at home, and give them some freedom to come and go as they please (especially helpful if you have close family that visit for long stays). A key can also help smooth a guest’s departure if, for example, they’re leaving to catch a midday flight on Monday once you’ve returned to work. Let them lock up and mail you back the key.

如果你和你的客人千禧生ation, this one might get handled in the first five minutes of your visit. But in the event that you don’t have your wifi password committed to memory, or if your guest wouldn’t think to need it until everyone is tucked into bed, have the password ready before they arrive and write it down on a piece of paper near wherever the guest is sleeping.

Step one to welcoming a guest is letting them know where they can help themselves to water and other essentials. You can go the extra mile and make sure that, at least on their first night, they don’t have to wander out to grab a glass of water if they wake up thirsty. Fill a bedside carafe (extra points if it has a cup built-in to the design) with water and leave it by the bed, futon, or wherever they’re staying.

→Maxwell’s Daily Find: Best Bedside Water Carafes 2015

If your guests are driving in, take some time before they arrive to figure out the parking situation so you don’t spend the first hour of your visit hunting down a spot. If guests need a special visitor pass, arrange to have it ready before they even show up. If you have one (and only one) assigned spot, consider moving your own car on the day they arrive to a free spot on another street.

Are your guests staying a while? Give them some room to hang and store their clothes. It’s great if you have an empty drawer in your guest room or living room that they can take over, but it’s not necessary. Just an over-the-door hook, coat rack or a clean, flat surface can go a long way.

→ 15 Over-the-Door Solutions for Your Storage Woes

More on Welcoming Guests from Apartment Therapy:

• 6 Surefire Ways to Make Overnight Guests Feel at Home
• Tips for Welcoming Guests When You Don’t Have a Guest Room
• 3 Things Your Guests Don’t Care About (And 3 That They Do!)