Becoming an entertainment maven

Company is coming!

Hotels across the globe diligently prepare for a guest’s stay to promote a promising getaway. How about you? Is your home hosting anytime soon? How do you prepare for company coming, if you prepare at all? This concierge knows preparation’s high value when looking to ensure a wonderful guest visit. In the hospitality business, the careful study of hosting starts well before the point of check-in to secure a successful stay recipe. Let’s explore some of these best practices in an at-home hosting scenario. By implementing superior preparation techniques hosting will automatically become less stressful and your guests are sure to feel cossetted from arrival through to departure. Hosting happiness!

Pre-Arrival Timeline & Checklist:

While having your home’s guest areas at-the-ready for impromptu visitors is highly encouraged, the reality is that most houseguest journeys are planned well in advance. This is great news! Pre-arrival time allows the host to make game plan for a more carefree hosting and highly personalized visit scenario that leads to everyone’s enjoyment. Pre-arrival strategies should start well before your visitor walks through the door and can be organized across both host and guest experiences.

You just confirmed that friends or family will be coming to your home for a visit. Very exciting! Grab as many details as you can regarding arrival and departure logistics, but most importantly, think about the highlights of the trip so you can plan accordingly. Put any reservations for activities at the forefront to ensure they are safely confirmed. Buy those concert tickets, make the coveted dinner reservation, purchase that sporting event suite, book a spa day, or schedule an in-home chef or caterer. Many trips center on a special event or excursion so securing availability is key to warding off trip disappointment.

Check for leaks and squeaks! Stay in your guest area for an overnight and see how you enjoy the experience. How did you sleep? Can it be perfected? Confirm everything is in working order, and if it isn’t, remedy anything that needs fixing. Take a sensory tour of the space (day and night) and check for unsightly stains, broken light fixtures, loud ceiling fans, thermostats/room temperatures, or shower head and faucet drips. Verifying that all the guest area attributes are in good shape will give you a sense of peace that nothing unexpected will arise during the stay. You will already be prepared with a noise cancelling device if needed, the room’s lighting will promote sleeping in, and the bath area has been checked and is fully functioning. No surprises will be lurking that might disrupt an otherwise beautiful stay.

Next-level hospitality includes adding HOST family favorites to the guest room experience. In Hotels to Home lifestyling we look to one’s hotel favorites like a plush robe, scented candle, or soft blanket to further enhance the space. This might sound counterintuitive since our focus is on the guest, but complementing the space with YOUR personal travel favorites can lead to further bonding with your visitors. These extra host touches tell a bit of your story to the guest and often lead to convivial conversations about travel. Ultimately, everyone gets to know each other in new, and perhaps unexpected, ways.

“Leveraging the host’s unique travels to stylize and provision the guest room accents the guest experience in a deeply personal way. Hotels to Home guest rooms are special because the host’s personal memories are intertwined with a guest’s new travel experience.” Hotels to Home, page 176

Collaborate with your guest too! Reconfirm when they will be arriving and departing. Always a good idea to doublecheck. Based on these times you can start planning how you will punctuate the trip with a warm welcome and fond farewell scheme. This isn’t to say travel plans are to-the-minute or don’t change, but at least if you need to be flexible you have a plan in place to lean on during these transition moments. Also, inquire about any allergies or food aversions. A clever host has a choice of pillows along with hypoallergic bath amenities available for those with allergies and knowing a guest’s food preferences allows one to plan menus that are sure to delight!

Housekeeping takes center stage. Start with your guest spaces and make sure everything is clean and tidy. Launder linens. Even if they have been laundered previously, they may need a refresh wash if you haven’t hosted recently. Inventory the bath area to ensure nothing is in short supply (soap, toilet paper, slippers, etc.). Review the home’s communal spaces like the powder room, front porch, or cinema – if your guests will be enjoying these spaces it needs a discerning housekeeping and supply-stocking eye.

Staging the retreat! Think about those special people coming to visit. What do we know about them and how can we use this information to make them feel nothing less than spoiled while in our home? Create welcome amenities just like luxury hotels do when they mark a guest’s celebratory occasion or special interests. Take advantage of how well you know your houseguests. Perhaps they appreciate a certain type of flower. You can place those blooms in the guest space or around your home. Are relatives coming? Maybe frame a favorite family photo as a welcome gift or have the children get crafty and make welcome signs for adoring family members. Do they have a hobby? Leave magazines in the guest space that speak to their leisure interests. Publications abound from wine to surfing and everything in between. The key here is highly personalized care and attention -that transcends the time planned together – from you thinking good thoughts for them during prep-time to them appreciating your thoughtfulness throughout the stay.

Almost time to say hello! Let’s check on the weather. Anything unexpected? Do supplies like sunhats and sunblock need to be provided? Chiller than expected? Perhaps blankets or space heaters need to be placed outside if you are planning on dining alfresco. Are event cancellations looming due to storms? Have a back-up activity idea prepared.

Review your warm welcome and fond farewell ideas. What will mood and energy levels be like on travel days? Are you all set for any travel disruptions like delayed flights? Tweak as needed. Glance over the activity itinerary and take this time to reconfirm all reservations/vendors so there are no sad surprises.

Hours before the traveler’s arrival denotes the time to put icing on the proverbial guest suite cake! Now is the time to add fresh snacks, light that scented candle or write a thoughtfully penned welcome note. Once these finishing touches are completed, put your feet up and have a glass of something cheering because you are guest-ready and relaxed and in the moment. A wonderful stay has been artfully designed and is ready to be enjoyed by everyone.

Hosting bliss awaits!

The Concierge