Be our Guest – 20 Tips for Hosting Guests

Be our guest! Do you find yourself saying that a lot during the summer months? I’ve invited some of my most hospitable blogging friends to give us a peek into their guest rooms and share their best tips for preparing their homes for guests to arrive. Together, we’ve compiled a list of 20 tips for hosting guests!These tips will help you welcome guests into your home, and give you some inspiring ideas for your own guest rooms.

First off, welcome to my guest room!

Here are 3 tips I use when inviting guests to stay in our home…

1. Place fresh flowers in the room to welcome guests. Not only do they warm up a room, they have a way of brightening anyones day. A happy guest = a happy hostess.

2. Have nice, comfy pillows on hand. There is nothing worse than trying to sleep on a pillow that is too flat, too fluffy or too overused. My husband and I discovered THE BEST pillows while staying at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. We purchased a pair for ourselves and our guest room. Pillows aren’t something you have to replace that frequently, so invest in some that will bring the most satisfaction.

3. I love stepping out of the shower into a bright, white, fluffy soft bath towel. They make me feel clean and pampered. I like to offer that to my guests as well. Keeping bright, white towels that are used only for guests, will keep those towels fresh and fluffy for a long time to come. These Resort Towels from Front Gate are my favorite towels ever! You can even have them monogrammed for added charm.

Shop our Guest Room

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Tips from Kelley, author of Kelley Nan

The key for me in creating a guest retreat is considering what amenities/necessities I would personally love when staying away from home. Here are a few features I try to incorporate in my guest spaces.

1.  A full-length mirror – When you are a house guest and are getting ready in a room in which you aren’t familiar, few things are worse than not having easy access to a mirror. Depending on your level of comfort with your host, you may or may not feel comfortable asking to use the master bedroom. Equipping your guest with a large mirror in their room will be appreciated as this detail is often overlooked.
2. Being a guest and living out of a suitcase can be difficult to manage, especially when you start trying to find creative ways to sort your laundry into piles/separate suitcase sections. Keeping a hamper in the guest bedroom will make your guests feel more organized and more at home. You can even keep a few bags in the bottom of the hamper which they can use as a hamper liner, seal it at the end of their stay, and have their dirty laundry bagged for the trip home.
3. Whenever I stay at hotels, I never take shampoo, conditioner, or soap; I always expect to save room in my suitcase and use what the hotel provides. I have embarrassingly made the mistake of assuming the same in the past when I have been a house guest, only to find that the shower I was using didn’t have any toiletries. Because I have “been there”, I keep a huge stock of travel toiletries stashed in jars and baskets in all of our bathrooms. There isn’t a single necessity that isn’t available and it costs me nothing to maintain.

Kathleen from Lindsay Hill Interiors –

 Shares her tips for making her guest room cozy for guests

1) Comfy bedding. I like to have a supply of extra blankets and pillows in easy reach of the bed. That way, your guests can choose the pillow that is most comfortable for them, and add a blanket or two if they take a chill.

2) Lamp on the bedside table and some books or magazines for some nighttime reading. I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling, I sometimes have trouble falling asleep in a strange bed. A good reading light and ready access to books or magazines helps guests have something to do should they have trouble falling asleep.
3) Water and a little “welcome” treat on the nightstand. I like to add some bottled water, or a glass and carafe on the nightstand near the bed. There’s nothing worse than stumbling around in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings trying to find your water to a drink! The treat is just for fun – I like putting a little truffle or two on the nightstand to help my guests feel special.

Tips from

Shauna founder of The House of Silver Lining

1. Freshly washed bed linens with yummy scented fabric softener (I use Downy ;))
2. Roll sheets and comforter back for an inviting look
3. Always add a seasonal item of decor. For summer I set out my tulips.
4. Light a seasonal candle in the bedroom for a nice welcome for guest arrival

Simple tips from

Bree, author of Z Design at Home

1. I rewash all bed linens and towels (even though they might already be clean) so they have that clean, freshly laundered smell for my guests

2. I turn on the lamps in the room just before guests arrive to give the room that warm, welcoming glow.

3. I make sure there is ample soap, toilet paper, shampoo, etc in the guest bath

These tips are wonderful if you have a guest room in your home, but what the heck do you do when company comes and you don’t have a guest room???

Tamara – founder of Citrine Living

 doesn’t have one. Here is what she does when guests come into town…

Since we don’t have a guest bedroom, we welcome guests to stay in our master retreat. The newly updated color palette is soothing and refreshing and we feel like we’re away when we’re here. We want our guests to feel the same! We have a private ensuite bathroom and our guests can unwind and relax at their leisure. It’s so important to us that they feel they have their own privacy, away from everyone else when they come to stay, especially when travelling a long distance. We love to leave little indulgences to welcome our guests, we want them to feel like this is their own space and not ours. So adding a few special touches that lets them know they’re special to us, allows for that.

1) Fresh blooms – a bunch of peonies are my top pick, the ultimate summer bouquet! Waking up to the scent is invigorating!
2) Bottled water and glasses (which are always replenished) – everyone is thirsty after a long journey and having your own water at your disposal is a treat!
3) Gourmet chocolates and magazines for light reading; the ultimate indulgence : eating while reading in bed!
4) Amenities for the bath and fresh towels of course that are also replenished daily.

Next time you find yourself saying, “be our guest,” I hope you will try some of these quick and easy tips for playing hostess!

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Be our Guests and

follow us on Instagram, Pinterest and our Blogs…

Bree

@zdesignathome | Pinterest | Z Design at Home

Kelley

@kelleynan | Pinterest | Kelley Nan

Kathleen

@lindsay_hill_interiors | Pinterest | Lindsey Hill Interiors

Shauna

@thehouseofsilverlining | Pinterest | The House of Silver Lining

Tamara

@citrineliving | Pinterest | Citrine Living

Randi

@randigarrettdesign | Pinterest | Randi Garrett Design