5 Ways to Make Overnight Guests Feel Welcome

Hosting guests in your home is one of the loveliest simple pleasures we can enjoy in our busy lives. For some inspiration you can incorporate into your own guest room, think of the charming bed and breakfast inns or perfect country house hotels you've encountered. Your personality will shine through in those thoughtful little touches which make such a charming difference to the comfort of your guests. Here are five of the best.

Bath amenities
Bring home those small shampoo, conditioner, body cream amenities from one of your recent hotel stays. Add some cotton balls and swabs, a shower cap, perhaps, a new toothbrush still in its wrapper. Just place the items in a basket or on a plate beside fresh towels on the bathroom counter for guests who may have forgotten their own. Leave a hair dryer out as well. How practical (and at no cost to you)!

Room tray
Prior to your guests' arrival, prepare a hand written welcome note to insert in an envelope left on a tray. Add a bottle of both sparkling and non-sparkling water, a couple of glasses, and a piece of fruit or a snack for each guest. Avoid items that can leave a crumbly mess behind. Leave the tray on a desk or a bedside table. It's a refreshing welcome for thirsty travelers at very little cost to you.

Wi-Fi access
These days, everybody is accessible via handheld devices and laptops, so it's a big plus if your home has Wi-Fi access. Remember, your guests will need to know your network and access code; provide the information in your welcome note or write it on a small card, which you can frame and place on the dresser. Be a thoroughly modern hostess!

Luggage rack
Is there somewhere besides the bed for your guests to place an overnight bag and hang a few articles of clothing? A folding luggage rack or small bench will do the trick nicely. If you're lacking extra closet space, a hook on the back of the bedroom and bathroom doors will work just fine for anyone other than extended stay visitors. Don't forget to provide a few nice hangers and a skirt hanger. Last resort? An accent chair to do double-duty. The result? Your guest has a worry-free, wrinkle-free wardrobe.

A bud vase
There's no need to rush out to buy flowers. Why not simply clip a bud from your garden or select a bit of greenery from a bush. A tiny bud vase on a tray or one prettily perched on the bedside table says welcome in the biggest of ways.

Content by Laurie Jo Miller Farr.