The Guest Experience
On the tiny details that make a stay unforgettable.
About a day before we host, my brain kicks into overdrive, and I prep our home like we’re hosting AD’s Open Door.
What I’ve found to be the most crucial hosting tip sounds simple, but deeply impacts your life: host yourself first. It sounds a little odd, but really, what I mean is to start by hosting yourself like you would a guest with impossibly high standards.
Use the good china, light the candles, drink the expensive wine, turn every lamp on in the house, arrange the fresh flowers in the kitchen, and don’t forget to leave a few buds for the bathrooms! To host your friends and family well, it’s key to know how to host yourself first. This is a great way to round out your hosting game, but also make your daily life that much better!
I remember as a kid I stayed at my brother and sister-in-law’s home, and she had the most perfectly stocked guest bathroom I had ever seen. I’m not sure why this was so important to a middle schooler (maybe some foreshadowing of my fully formed personality), but I knew I wanted to do this when I grew up and had my own home. It’s funny, the random things we find so cool as kids, and set these odd little goals we forget about until we hit them as adults, and it jogs the memory.
I find stocking the bathroom cabinets to be a labor of love. The necessities that sometimes your guests will forget, and it’s easier to find beneath the sink than to ask the host. Think toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, tampons, extra body wash, hair care, blow-dryer, toilet paper (of course), makeup remover wipes, etc. I also believe that stocking every bathroom in the home with easy-to-reach tampons is a must. I like to prep as if my guests are staying totally unplanned, and have nothing packed.
Another tidbit I learned as a house guest at a friend’s: I noticed a small crystal ring holder in the bathroom, which just so happened to be exactly what I needed in that moment to slip off my jewelry and get into my skincare. Safe to say our guest bath has one waiting for you! I also love to roll up a small finger towel next to it to make for a more hotel-like overnight.
I’ve found that having hand lotion live on the edge of the sink, ready for the post-wash, can give your guests a more luxurious experience. I keep this in our half bath, which is the most used by house guests. In the same room, I hang a hand towel I embroidered with our wedding/family crest to add a personal touch.
I firmly believe in using the guest room and bathroom every once in a while, and ask myself: what’s missing? How can I make this more comfortable, more convenient? One little thing I forgot about until flipping the guest room last week was the “hangover kits” I have stocked in the nightstand drawer. They’re leftovers from our wedding gift bags–stocked with pain relievers, electrolytes, makeup remover wipes, antacids, alka-seltzer, ginger chews, and probably more. Oh, and always always a phone charger! I believe I have both the new and old cords stocked, just in case. Every drawer, every counter, every corner of the room — it all adds up to the same thing: someone feeling thought of.
It goes beyond your stay-the-night guests, even those you have over for an afternoon. Fill the pitcher and have the water glasses ready, steep the tea, offer the coffee, put out the snacks, and refer back to the long list of “do it for yourself” to-dos– the candles, the lamps, everything to make the home feel as warm and welcoming as possible.
The details are tiny, but the feelings they leave behind are not.
Find your Bachét.