How to host overnight guests
Host overnight guests by getting the basics ready before they arrive: clean sheets and towels, a clear surface and a few hangers for their things, a phone charger by the bed, and the network password written down. Agree arrival and departure times, ask about allergies, and show them where the essentials are on the first evening, then give them some time to themselves each day.
About 15 minutes to learnEveryday skill
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How to do it
- Confirm arrival and departure days and times in a message a week ahead.
- Ask about allergies, food needs and anything they will need to charge or plug in.
- Make the bed with clean sheets and set out towels, a spare blanket and a charger.
- Clear a surface, a drawer or a few hangers for their things.
- Write the network password and any door codes on a card.
- Stock breakfast basics and coffee or tea, and show them where everything is.
- Give a quick tour on the first evening: bathroom, lights, the thermostat and how the locks work.
- Plan one or two things together and leave the rest of the time open.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the guest room as a storage room with a bed in it.
- Filling every hour of the visit with plans.
- Never saying when your own work day starts.
Quick self-check
Three questions. Your last score is kept in this browser.
Teach this to someone
A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to host overnight guests
What to say
Host overnight guests by getting the basics ready before they arrive: clean sheets and towels, a clear surface and a few hangers for their things, a phone charger by the bed, and the network password written down. Agree arrival and departure times, ask about allergies, and show them where the essentials are on the first evening, then give them some time to themselves each day.
What to show, in order
- Confirm arrival and departure days and times in a message a week ahead.
- Ask about allergies, food needs and anything they will need to charge or plug in.
- Make the bed with clean sheets and set out towels, a spare blanket and a charger.
- Clear a surface, a drawer or a few hangers for their things.
- Write the network password and any door codes on a card.
- Stock breakfast basics and coffee or tea, and show them where everything is.
- Give a quick tour on the first evening: bathroom, lights, the thermostat and how the locks work.
- Plan one or two things together and leave the rest of the time open.
The check question
Ask: What should you agree before a guest arrives?
Related skills
- How to be a good houseguest
- How to host a simple dinner
- How to RSVP and send invitations
- Every skill in People and Etiquette
Last reviewed . First published .