If you’re an entertainer, you’ll likely love it when your friends and family turn up to spend time with you. Whether you’re relaxing on the sofa with a glass of wine or lounging around the pool, it can be great fun catching up on each other’s lives.
However, not everyone knows how to ensure their home is ready for company at a moment’s notice. If you want your loved ones to be able to drop in on a whim and immediately feel at home, here are some crucial actions to take:
Ensure Your Pool Is Swim-Ready
Backyard summer fun with friends and family isn’t complete without a dip in the pool. To ensure you’re always ready to accommodate guests who want to cool off, remodel your pool with Integrity Pools.
A trusted pool restoration company can restore your pool to its former glory, thoroughly clean it, balance the water, and ensure it’s swim-ready at any time of the year. The next time you welcome last-minute guests to your property, you’ll have no problem directing them to the pool for much-needed fun in the sun.
Make Your House Number Stand Out
The guests you welcome into your home may not always be returning visitors and people who know where you live. If you regularly welcome paying guests through accommodation platforms like Airbnb, you’ll often be meeting people for the first time.
To ensure they know which house to go to, make sure your house number is clearly visible. Install a bold number on your mailbox and one on your home that’s easy to spot from the street. If your mailbox isn’t easily visible from the road, consider remodeling it or the post it’s on for the convenience of your guests.
Stock the Guest Bedroom
Visitors to your home may not always feel at ease when they’re in an unfamiliar environment, far from their familiar comforts. Help your guests feel as comfortable as possible by stocking your beautifully decorated guest room with everything they need for a comfortable stay. Fresh towels, hygiene products, and even a dressing gown and slippers can be a great place to start. If they are staying multiple nights, a basket of snacks is a nice touch.
Create An Information Guide
Whether you regularly have friends and family to stay with or you rent out a bedroom to out-of-town visitors, you’ll be accustomed to providing them with information to enhance their stay. To ensure you don’t miss anything important, consider creating an information guide that you can place beside the guest bed or hand directly to them.
Start by providing any necessary information your guests should know about your home, such as the Wi-Fi password, lock codes, and any specific rules or instructions for their stay, such as how to use the washer and dryer. You can also include recommendations for local eateries, recreational activities, and attractions.
Invest in a Quality Bed and Bedding
Whether your guests are strangers or loved ones, you don’t want them to leave your home feeling unrested due to an uncomfortable bed and bedding. Knowing you love having people to stay, it’s a good idea to venture into your local bedding store and stock up on everything they’ll need for peaceful rest.
A supportive mattress is an excellent starting point, accompanied by a mattress protector and a range of pillows to suit different preferences. If you want your guest bed to have a luxurious hotel-like feel, opt for white sheets made from natural materials, such as linen or cotton. Finally, pair the sheets with a down- or down-like comforter.
Always Be Prepared with Food
Most families shop for groceries weekly and buy enough to sustain their household for that period. However, when you know that you regularly welcome guests into your home, it’s worth having a little extra stored away in your pantry and freezer to ensure you’re never caught short.
Frozen pizzas, soups, curries, and stews are all great options for feeding large groups of people at the last minute, as well as packaged snacks like potato chips, nuts, and pretzels. Fortunately, if you don’t have something you need to take care of your guests, you can take advantage of delivery services in your area, if available.
Create an Outdoor Entertainment Space
When the sun starts shining, we tend to spend less time at home and more time outdoors. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to welcome more guests into your home during spring and summer than in the colder parts of the year.
Don’t underestimate the value of having an outdoor entertainment space for your friends and family to enjoy themselves. A swimming pool or spa pool can be the star of the show, but you can also pair it with hardscape features like paths, as well as outdoor furniture, a grill, and outdoor games. If you haven’t yet spruced up your yard to accommodate guests, now is a great time to start.
Don’t Forget Safety
When you’re an entertainer who loves having friends and family to visit, you’re regularly catering to people of different ages and abilities. Don’t forget to cater to their safety needs. If you have a swimming pool, spa, or other water feature, install a fence and gate around it, and consider incorporating additional safety features, such as a lockable cover and a door or window alarm.
If your loved ones bring their children into your home, you may also want to explore child-safety features, such as baby gates for stairs, cabinet locks, and outlet covers. Don’t forget the more standard safety features for everyone, such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and alarm systems. The more safety measures you put in place, the more peace of mind you can experience as a host.
There are few things as enjoyable as having your nearest and dearest visiting your home to spend time with you. Make it a pleasant and memorable experience for all by ensuring your property is guest-ready. The tips in this guide can be an excellent starting point.
