The holidays are upon us, and with it comes visiting friends and family. Are you ready to be the host with the most for overnight guests? We turned to our friends at RentSeeker to get some tips on how to prepare your apartment for overnight guests.
Decide Where They'll Sleep
If you have a two bedroom apartment, this can be much easier to figure out. If you have a one bedroom apartment, this may mean giving up your own room and bed so your guests can sleep there. However, this does not have to be a sacrifice on your part. Stow away some comfortable blankets and pillows for yourself so you can make the couch a relaxing haven for yourself. But, and this is important, don't have the couch already made up as your bed before your guests even arrive. Keep the items tucked away until it is time for bed. Not only will this ensure that you and your guests have a place to sit, but it will also prevent your guests from feeling guilty that they've displaced you from your own bed. Of course, if you have only one guest they may prefer to sleep on the couch themselves. This decision really depends on who the person is – if they are an old college friend, they may wish to have the couch. If it's your parents, giving up your bed for them is a no-brainer.
Linens and Things
Now that you've decided where your overnight guests will sleep in your apartment, it's time to prepare their bed. Clean sheets, pillowcases and blanket are musts. If you have a designated guest room, you still may need to wash the sheets if they've been sitting unused for a while (musty odours are never nice for anyone to deal with). Don't forget to ensure that their home-away-from-home has a working bedside lamp, an alarm clock and an easily accessible outlet for them to charge their phone or other electronics.
Bathroom Basics
Along with fresh and clean towels, you may wish to leave out some travel-sized toiletries just in case they've forgotten to bring shampoo. Of course, don't forget to give your bathroom a good cleaning beforehand, particularly the tub in case your guests would like to take a bath. Change the floor mats and take out the garbage and leave out any extras they might need (such as a hair dryer) on the bathroom counter.
Food and Drink
Before your guests arrive, it's time to stock your fridge and cupboards with snacks and beverages. Water, soda, granola bars, crackers and other simple snacks are crowd-pleasers and allow your guests to eat whenever they feel like it. The goal is to make them feel as at-home as possible, so let them know when they arrive where they can locate plates, cutlery and glasses. Encourage them to use the kitchen as they please and show them how to use the coffee maker or kettle (because who doesn't love a nice cup of coffee or tea in the morning?)
Finally, a few simple touches around your apartment, like setting out magazines, providing a map to the city (if they plan on doing some touring around without you) and writing down your Wi-Fi password on the fridge will help your guests to settle in faster. How long they stay is up to you!