The Welcoming Home
The Welcoming Home
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Make your home a sign of the enjoyable visit to come for your holiday guests.(photo: BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images)
If more than 25 years in the hospitality industry has taught me anything, it’s the importance of a warm welcome.
— Niki Leondakis, president and chief operating officer, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Holiday-season guests — like the carols that’ll soon be piped into every store in America — can quickly transform from lovely and charming to frustrating and irritating. However, with just a bit of prep, you can make certain your festive-season guests have a stellar time and that they won’t drive you up a (Christmas) tree.
Getting Ready
Check out the guest room yourself before friends arrive to work out any problems. (photo: NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images)
The key to being a top-notch host is to anticipate your visiting friends’ and families’ needs before they have them.
Diane Albright, a certified professional organizer based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offered a super-smart tip: “Sleep in the guest room yourself on a weekday and weekend.” This is a quick and easy way to spot the deficits in the space that guests might feel awkward telling you about. Is the water pressure in the shower lacking? Does bright sunlight stream in at the crack of dawn? Does your next door neighbor blast heavy metal while detailing his car every Saturday morning?
There also are simple things you can do to prep your guest room — beyond making sure the bed linens and towels are fresh — that make visitors feel cozy and at home.
“If more than 25 years in the hospitality industry has taught me anything, it’s the importance of a warm welcome,” said Niki Leondakis, president and chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “I choose a special welcome gift for each guest and make sure it’s waiting in their room. It’s the small things, those unexpected touches, that make people feel special.”
Some excellent gifts include a pair of fuzzy slippers, a book on a subject your guest loves, some bath salts or a local food product — infused olive oil, say, or handmade preserves. Even more sweet? Place a framed photograph of the guest and you together in the guest room. Finally, make your guests their own key to your home so they can come and go as they please.
In the kitchen and in the guest room, a crucial tip is to “label, label, label,” said Albright. For example, print out instructions for the DVD remote to indicate which channel the TV needs to be turned to for the move player to work. If you have a computer or laptop in the room, label it with any passwords or instructions guests will need. If it might be tricky or unclear, place instructions on it.
Villas in Cochin
How to Be a Quick-Change Artist
During the busy holiday season, you may host back-to-back guests. A few shortcuts can make the room turnover as easy as possible.
Have multiple sets of towels, sheets and duvet covers ready for your guest room. That way, you won’t have to do a load of laundry to freshen up the room.
Use quick-acting spray-on cleaning products rather than labor-intensive cleansers to sanitize the toilet, sink and tub.
In the weeks before your guest onslaught is due, prep the baskets of amenities, welcome gifts and notes — clearly labeled and organized by guest name and date — so that you will be ready to personalize the room quickly for each visitor.
During the Visit
Make breakfast easy to do for your guests if you won’t be there. (photo: Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images)
When guests arrive, “do not underestimate the power of your initial greeting,” advised Los Angeles-based etiquette expert Constance Dunn. “Meet your guest at the door with warmth and enthusiasm.”
Though you may be busy with meal prep or chores, take the time to lovingly welcome folks into your home; it sets the tone for the entire visit. Offer guests — especially those who have had a long trip — some refreshing beverages and snacks before showing them to their room.
Making sure guests have the refreshments they need during a visit is crucial. “A kitchen tour is at the top of my to-do list when guests arrive,” Leondakis said. Show your guests where you store snacks and encourage them to help themselves to easy-to-grab treats and beverages.
Before your guests tuck in for the night, make sure the breakfast routine is easy and clear. If you’ll be busy in the morning or your guests are late sleepers, put out some fresh bagels, cereal, fruit and juice and let them help themselves. If you have more time, a homemade breakfast that reflects your region — scratch biscuits in the South, for instance, or waffles with local maple syrup in New England — will be very much appreciated. Don’t forget the importance of a fresh cup of coffee. If you won’t be around in the a.m., have your machine prepped and ready to go with instructions printed out, if necessary, so your guests can help themselves to a great cup of Joe.
For big city dwellers, a few special guest tips apply. Introduce your guests to your doorman — and let them know any security-access codes your building might have — and perhaps a couple of friendly neighbors. Provide public-transit cards for your subway or bus system, along with a map.
What Not to Do
If you live in an interesting place, such as San Francisco, give your guests time to go off on their own and explore your city. (photo: Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images)
Ultimately, just as crucial as what to do for guests is what not to do.
“Don’t schedule every minute of every day,” Leondakis said. Provide your guests time to relax around the house or offer sugestions for touring around town on their own for a bit.
“Don’t feel like every meal has to be formal or extravagant. It’s sometimes during a laid-back lunch or time around the fire with a glass of wine when you laugh and smile the most,” noted Leondakis. And finally, she recommended, “Don’t feel like you have to wait on and serve your house guests. Involve them in meal preparation, table-setting and cleanup; they’ll feel more connected and part of the family, and that’s what we ultimately want.”
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