Making Your House Guests Feel Welcome

Do you ever have house guests?

We have had family and friends stay with us in our apartments over the years and it's nice to now have a house for them to come and visit us in.  We just had my in laws in town for a weekend in October and it went really well.  They were comfortable, had their own space and seemed to enjoy their visit.

Here are my tips for welcoming guests into your home:

1. Buy some great air mattresses to have on hand.  

We slept on these Intex ones and they were great!  We gave our bed to my inlaws and Olive stayed in her room.  These beds inflate and deflate really quickly and are very comfortable.  Everyone was fighting over them :)  Be sure to have fresh linens, extra pillows and blankets for them wherever they are sleeping.

2. Give them a place to keep their things.  

We had a spot downstairs and then we gave them our room to keep their suitcases and personal things.  It worked out great to have a spot for their stuff that was out of children's reach.

3. Stock up on their favorite snacks.

It's always nice to have things to eat when you're at someone's house.

4. Take your guests to your favorite, local restaurants and atractions.
Ask your friends for recommendations if you are new to the area.

5. Stock their bathroom with everything they'll need - towels, soap, shampoos, kleenexes, extra toilet paper and I always include a sticky brush since we have cats.

6. Type out an itinerary so that everyone knows what the plan is for the visit.  I always fill in must do things and then type out a column of can do things to give us options.  I think guests like to know you've put some thought into their visit ahead of time :)  Also ask them what they are hoping to do while they are in town.  It's nice to be clear in advance with expectations and ideas for the trip.

We are looking forward to having more guests in the future.

Anything else I should do the next time I have house guests??