Since moving here we've found that of all the places we've lived, this is the place that has garnered us the most out of town visitors. It would seem everyone's left their heart in San Francisco, and frankly, we couldn't be happier about it. We've begun getting a little routine down and wanted to share a bit of what we've learned about hosting overnight guests...
AT on... Hosting Guests
First, we really like having some snackies and a bottle of wine (or whatever your preferred drink) waiting when guests arrive. Sure, you could immediately go out to any of the City's endless options, but after traveling (no matter the distance) we find people prefer to take a moment or two to relax at home. This also gives you a chance to catch up, tour the house, unpack, etc.
And speaking of unpacking, we recommend setting aside an area for your guest to put their belongings. If you're lucky enough to have a guest room, then anywhere in there works. But for most of us, this could mean either a corner of your bedroom, living room, or even a shelf or two in a closet. Giving your guest their own space helps them to feel more at home and not as if their stuff is constantly in the way. Laying out fresh sheets and towels is a no brainer, but we like to add a spare set of keys and a map of the City for guests to use. If they are visiting during the work week, these are essential, but they're also good if you are early to bed or late to rise - you don't want your guest to feel like a prisoner of your sleep schedule, after all.
We'd like to know what you do to make guests feel welcome. Mint on the pillow, or sleeping bag on the floor?
Top image: John Pour Home
Comments (10)
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1. Streetwise (www.streetwisemaps.com; also available through Amazon) makes great pocketsize laminated maps of major US and international cities.
2. Also entertainment guides (e.g., in NYC: TimeOut New York, The New Yorker, etc.)
3. How to access internet - okay to use your computer? do you have a wireless router? where are local internet cafes/wireless sites?
view KarenH's profile
I like putting out some chocolates on the pillow, just for fun. And, I do what a friend of mine did when I was visiting her parents' home when we were in college. She opened up their closet of toiletries, shampoo, lotion, spare towels, etc. and showed me where everything was in case I needed anything beyond what she'd already set out for me. This really made me feel at home.
view clancy's profile
1. I bring home the sample soaps and lotions and hair products from hotels, and toss them in a pretty basket in my guest bathroom. Toothbrushes and mini-toothpaste from the dentist go in there as well. I also keep an oversized terry bathrobe on a hanger -- oh dang it! I wish I'd thought to get it monogrammed "Guest" or "HRH" :-)
2. Down duvet and down pillows. The bed isn't the bestest in the west, so I make up for it by outfitting it with really nice linens.
3. Spare hangers in the closet.
4. Post-it notes on the cabinets that indicate the whereabouts of key items: coffee, corkscrew, cat-treats.
view kimg924's profile
My methods may be a bit much for some people, but my guests appreciate it:
1. I provide a little note about how to access the internet, reminding them to help themselves to anything in the kitchen, and which keys are for which locks.
2. If the guests are in town for more than one night, I leave a subway map, as well as a marked map about my neighborhood.
3. From my own business travels, I have a healthy supply of travel shampoos and travel toothbrushes. I keep a ready supply in a little box to break out for guests' use.
4. I have cats--and no matter how diligent I am, little bits of litter are left on the bathroom floor (and it can hurt). Therefore, everyone gets a pair of cheap IKEA slippers that they can take with them. If they leave them, I wash them so they can be reused.
5. I leave out fresh towels.
view deneph's profile
PLEASE tell us where we can get that "Make yourself at home" rug!
view TexanNewYorker's profile
I leave out slippers, too -- you can get hotel-type slippers for about $1.50 or $2 a pair so I buy a whole bunch at a time and lay out a fresh pair per guest. And I acquaint them with the contents of my fridge and show them where all the glassware etc. is so they can help themselves while I'm out at work. (I always use guests as an excuse to stock up on ice-cream!)
view Caroline K's profile
I must have missed this somewhere, but is that "make yourself at home" piece a rug? Where can I buy one?
Thanks!
view pau2x's profile
I stock up on local papers and magazines on the area that list all of the entertainment options available during their visit. I also keep a couple of robes around just for guests.
Traveling tends to make me feel a bit sick. Our guest bath doesn't have a medicine cabinet, but under the sink I have a box full of various over-the-counter meds: ibuprohen, antacids, various treatments for digestive ailments, etc. I make sure to point it out to my guests just in case they fall ill during the night. Nobody ever wants to wake a host just to ask where the anti-diahrrea meds are hiding!
view Nougat's profile
The rugs are available here: http://www.johnpourhome.com/
view tagriss's profile
Aw, I love having visitors. Growing up in North Beach, SF it almost felt like we had guests more often than not, but it's such a great excuse to break out of the mold and be a tourist in your own city. Now that I have my own place it's no different, and I have a great time trying to come up with little things to be a good hostess.
What I do is I hang up one of those over-the-door shoe organizers (the kind made out of canvas and clear plastic), and then I fill each one of the pockets with some sort of useful item. These include things like shampoo and conditioner, sunscreen, various OTC pills, an Avante Guide book to the city, a Muni map, a copy of 96 Hours, some snacks, a pair of keys, and slippers. On the bed I lay out fresh towels and next to the bed I have a carafe of water and glasses.
I also put out fresh flowers in my house, and sometimes in the room if they're not too pollen-y/strongly fragranced.
I think they appreciate it all, but it's almost for my own benefit; I just get so excited to see my out-of-town friends and show them around, hehe.
view ChloeSF's profile