Hostess with the Most-ess

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I just returned from a lovely vacation at the Enchanted Home blog, here.  My fantasy began with a flight on a private jet and a wonderful meal.  Then, a chauffeur driven car took me to visit the friend of my choice, who lives in this beautiful house in the place of my choosing.  How terrific is that?

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Be sure to pop over and read Tina's post if you haven't already.

Ralph Lauren

It isn't easy to be the host that makes guests feel adored and pampered; it takes creativity, empathy, planning and practice.  I can't take credit for the ideas which follow because I've picked them up over the years from many wonderful hosts.  Here is what I've learned...

Mona Haj

The arrival:  Your guest's arrival should be as stress-free as possible.  Will you meet her at the airport, or can you arrange transportation?  If that is not possible, be sure to mail clear directions and a map.  This is a good time to include a general itinerary for the visit (including when the visit ends) and a weather forecast for your area, so your guest knows what to pack.  One brilliant hostess has small packets, mostly pre-prepped and printed on her house stationery, which can be personalized and quickly dropped into the post.

Next, imagine how you sometimes feel after a journey--perhaps a little tired, hungry, maybe still a bit woozy from a rough flight.  As you planned your own fantasy trip at The Enchanted Home, how did you imagine that you were welcomed?

Hostesses and guests are excited to see each other, but it can be kind to keep that first hello brief, and to show your guest her room right away.  I appreciate the sweet luxury of having a few minutes to compose myself, take a deep breath, and put on some lipstick before jumping into a whirlwind visit.

A bottle of cold water, or a glass of ice water with lemon on a tray waiting in your guest room will help guests revive.

 Let your guests letting know where to find you when they are ready.

The guest room:  Luxury hotels are (hopefully) scrupulously clean and are usually decorated in simply tailored textiles in soothing tones.  Guest rooms at the Hay-Adams in Washington have a comfortable bed, a chair, good reading light, a desk, a closet, a clock and a cd player.  Luxury hotels have the amenities we crave as visitors, including uncluttered space.

via Veranda, Photo:  Carolyn Roehm

To borrow a tip from a grand hotel, consider keeping your guest rooms at home classic and neutral.  Avoid filling the room with knick-knacks or covering every horizontal surface.  Our personal photos and tchochkes don't hold the same meaning for our guests, and may even give them the uncomfortable feeling that they are interloping in a private space.

What is appreciated?  What do you appreciate when you are a guest?  A vase of fresh flowers or a potted orchid is nice, and perhaps a small tray with a note pad and pen, some chocolate mints, a box of tissues, and a few current magazines and books.

Photo via Veranda by Carolyn Roehm

A cleared guest room closet (with no dust bunnies in the corners) is always appreciated.  Consider wallpapering it with a pretty paper or giving it a fresh coat of paint.

Designer Nancy Boszhardt

Little luxuries might include a fresh spa robe and slippers, plenty of hangers, a small sewing kit, a flashlight, a fold down iron and ironing board inside the closet door, a lint brush, and a folding luggage rack.

These are the best hangers ever.  They come in colors to match your guest room, take up little space and the flocking keeps clothing from falling off.  Find them here.

In your Enchanted Home fantasy, what did the bathroom of your guest suite look like?  I always hope the bathroom looks surgically clean and has plenty of towels.

Have you ever been a guest and found yourself looking around for a place to hang your robe, clothing, towel and toiletry bag?  The Lugarno Train Rack from Restoration Hardware is great for small spaces because it holds both stacked towels and hanging items in a compact footprint.

A few of these would be great too.  I have found that it's almost impossible to have too many hooks, well, anywhere!

This is important:  Many people are allergic to dyes and perfumes.

You do not want your guest to develop an uncomfortable, itchy rash, so be on the safe side and wash your guest sheets and towels in a scent and dye-free laundry detergent.  Avoid fabric softener, it isn't necessary, and is often the source of allergic irritation.  If use bleach on sheets and towels, be sure to rinse them well in clear, cold water at least twice.  I remember reading that when Queen Elizabeth visited Colonial Williamsburg in 2007, the wonderful Williamsburg Inn rinsed her linens 4 times.

Guest bath amenities:  Small scissors, a tweezer, new toothpaste, a water glass, aspirin, cotton balls and Q-tips, a blow dryer and curling iron, lotion, band-aids, a new emery board, new bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a new bar of soap, a new toothbrush in an unopened package, a trash can, extra toilet paper, and a dark or pink washcloth for removing makeup.  It is also thoughtful to have a plunger tucked away so guests don't have to suffer the embarrassment of asking for one.

Buy a half-dozen clear shower liners when they are on sale, to change at the first sign of grunge.

The bed:  Resist the temptation to pile the guest bed with upholstered pillows, they just get dusty and dust is not relaxing.

Plus, guests are inconvenienced by having to do something with them at night when what they want most is just to climb into a crisp blissful bed, read a little and fall asleep.

A few bed pillows for sleeping and propping (consider 2 Euros, 2 standards and a baby pillow or neckroll) in a selection of down and hypo-allergenic fill, are what guests need most.  Ever wonder where the Four Seasons gets their pillows?  Find them here.  All fabrics used to make up the guest room bed should be washed between each visit so they look and smell fresh.

If you were a guest would you feel more relaxed here...

or here?  Most guests probably don't care if the room is creative or the colors match the living room, they just want a peaceful place to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, the most important aspect of a guest room is a comfortable mattress and plump, fresh pillows.  The room need not be luxurious, but we all need a good night's sleep.  Spend a night in your guest room.  If your guest mattress is as hard as a board or dipped as a soup bowl, or the pillows are flat, hard or musty, it's high time to upgrade.  Linen stores sell 2"- 4" memory foam toppers and reasonably priced down pillows that can make the difference between a happy, pampered guest and a crabby guest.  Happy=good.  Crabby=bad.

Watch the divine Bunny Williams and Martha Stewart discuss the perfect guest room here.

via Blackberry Farm

Refreshment:  When your guest rejoins you after freshening up, provide a light snack and a beverage in a comfortable, low-key environment.  Keep in mind that travelers usually have that buzzed, still-moving feeling for a little while, so keep stimulation low for a bit and allow them to get their bearings.

A glass of iced tea or lemonade in the summer, or a cup of hot tea or chocolate by the fire in winter can refresh the most weary traveler and help them prepare for a lively evening.

Activities:  The visit will be more fun for you as well, if you offer guests a choice of 2 or 3 possible activities and let them choose from those, rather than offering an open, "What do you want to do?"  It is a good idea to plan some meals but remain flexible, and leave plenty of unstructured time for spontaneous activities and relaxing.  Consider creating a place in the kitchen where guests can easily find fruit, cookies, a thermal carafe of hot coffee and the fixings for tea.

via Martha Stewart

And finally, it's fun to send guests home with an unexpected treat.  A small memento of their trip, such as a miniature photo book or a charm for a bracelet or necklace, or perhaps a box lunch, or package of homemade cookies for the road.


Good books from our library:

           



Other Images:  8.Bed, Bath and Beyond 9.  Williams-Sonoma Home 12. Williams-Sonoma Home 15. Restoration Hardware 19. Martha Stewart, photograph by Chuck Baker