Having Family Over The Holidays – Turn Your Guest Room Into A Five Star Experience
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the door bell chiming and everyone telling you
“We are here to stay”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be guests to be hosted, bread to be toasted
And laughing through the home.
There’ll be scary stories and tales of the glories
Of guests of long, long ago…
Yes…It’s the most wonderful time of the year….holidays
Whether it’s going to be the relatives, or a friend for the weekend…holidays bring many and many who want to visit you.
And let’s face it if you have been in the same situation of ringing someone’s doorbell with your suitcase in your hand – you have felt it also – the dreaded feeling of imposing on someone’s home. You would prefer to stay at that five star hotel but it’s just not in the budget this year. Yes, you could stay at that unclean and noisy hotel but that doesn’t quite feel right either.
So, there you are – at someone’s front door. But, what if we changed this feeling of dread? What if you started giving your guests the ultimate hotel experience? Made them feel at home, made them comfortable, made them not feel like they were not imposing, …and then what if they followed your example and did the same for their guests?
And it’s simple to do.
The following 8 steps work even if you don’t have a guest room (and even if you don’t have guests) – you can still give this to yourself…. why not wake up every morning feeling like you just spent the night in a five-star hotel?
The first step doesn’t even cost a penny. Remove the clutter. Even if your guests are staying in your home or on a pull out in the living room – get it organized. Clutter makes people feel uneasy and makes people feel like they are imposing on your way of life. This is a great exercise to do just because also – it will make you feel good. Grab 3 boxes or bags. Designate one for garbage, one for charity or garage sale and one for “doesn’t belong in this room”. Put the clutter as needed in each box. You’ll be amazed how great you will feel by just decluttering your home.
The second step is to have some nice clean sheets (and preferably ones that match). Have two or three pillows for each person. Even if you have to use your pancake pillows from when you were first married at least they you can stack them up to make a whole pillow. This works even for a blow-up mattress…make it look presentable. By just making it look nice, people will feel like they are on a feather bed not on a blow-up mattress.
The third tip is to pick out the nicest towels you have. You will need one bath towel, one hand towel and a face cloth. Give each person his or her own set. Don’t give them a towel that has bleach stains, holes in it and is fifteen years old. You wouldn’t want your guests to wonder, where has this towel been? And do I really want to wash my face with this?
Fresh flowers are the fourth essential. You don’t need to spend a lot of money either. If it is spring or summer, just go out to your garden. Or you can go out to your grocery store and get a nice bouquet for under $10.00.
Fifth is to leave a hand written note thanking them for staying with you, simply write “please make yourself at home, my home is your home”. Even get a guest book and let people write down their experience at your home.
The sixth tip is to get a basket or fancy box (whatever you have in your home) and fill it up with a couple bottles of water, a few granola bars, a package of gum and a few pieces of fruit.
The seventh “nice” thing to do – is let them know you have some certain essentials that they don’t need to pack.
Tell them that you have shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste etc.; and that they don’t need to worry about putting all that in their suitcase to spill everywhere. You could even have a few extras – such as some hairspray, a curling iron, a hair dryer, razors etc.
We saved of course the best for last. Pamper your guests! Consider supplying or giving your guests:
An envelope of spa salts or milk bath
Soap (you should actually always supply each guest a new bar of soap)
Sunscreen and insect repeller (this is perfect for the summer months while doing outdoor activities)
A Slipperette Set
A Shower Puff
A Feng Shui Candle
Items you can have in your bathroom to use could include:
Shower Gels
Room and Linen Spray
Hand & Body Lotion
Body Butter
Foot Toner
Body Spray
Use your creativity when setting up the room! Have the flowers on the nightstand or table and the thank you card beside the flowers. Put the towels on the bed with your small gifts. Open a window and let the fresh air in.
Consider spraying Room & Linen Fragrance 30 minutes before your guest arrive for a wonderful scent or light up the Feng Shui Candle.
In this busy world – we sometimes forget to take the time to enjoy the people who really matter. And by doing these simple 8 steps you can create a special moment and experience for that guest that they are sure to never forget. And if it happens to be that guest you really don’t want to mingle with too much – no worries – they will love their room so much – you won’t see them anyhow….
Colleen Willoughby and Fran Agar own Ballymoon. Ballymoon produces luxury spa and personal care products for women, men, children and babies. For information, visit http://www.ballymoon.biz or phone 403.995.1598.
