8 Must-Have Essentials to Make Every Guest Feel at Home

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Have out-of-town guests spending the night? There's no need to panic! Just stock these 8 household essentials to make your company feel comfortable and completely at ease. #2 eliminates those awkward bathroom moments!

As much as I wish it did, hospitality does not come naturally to me. My grandmother’s motto is the more the merrier, while I’m a Friday night at home kind of girl who thinks two’s a crowd.

But thankfully, the more I do it, the more I do get better at it. I’ve also had ample time to practice since our big move to Florida, which has helped immensely. I’ve hosted more overnight guests in the past two years than I ever did in our Northern home, and since most of them have come back to stay, I guess can’t be doing too bad of a job!

In fact, just this past week, my grandparents stopped by for a couple of days, and prepping for their visit reminded me of all the must-have items that make your guests feel comfortable and completely at ease. Many of these emerged from awkward moments as a guest myself, and as a hostess, I’m determined not to make those same mistakes.

So in order to help us all avoid the potential for embarrassment, {especially as we head into the holiday season in which many of us are hosting!}, I’ve put together a list of my go-to essentials to make every out-of-town guest feel right at home.

8 Essentials for Hosting Overnight Guests:

1. Wifi Password In a day in age where everyone has a smartphone or tablet with them, wifi is important — even more so when your visitors are probably trying to save on data just as much as you are! Have your wifi password ready and waiting for guests to enter into all their devices. I especially love this pretty printable from Enchanted Prints, making it easy to display your password on the nightstand or dresser.

wifi password

2. Easy Access to Extra Toilet Paper — One of my biggest pet peeves when using bathroom is not having enough toilet paper. It’s not like I use that much, but when there’s only two sheets left on the current roll and no other rolls in sight, I’m left to search every cabinet in hopes that I’ll find the desperately needed stash. Make it simple for guests to find what they need by keeping a couple rolls of TP close by {I prefer Cottonelle since it doesn’t feel like tissue paper!} and it never hurts to add a plunger too. You know….because stuff does happen.

guest-essentials-tp-brighter

3. Snacks and Drinks — When you’re a hungry guest, the last thing you want to do is rummage around your hostess’ pantry in the middle of the night and eat something she was saving for another event. So when you’re hosting, remember this and provide adequate snacks on the counter or in the room for everyone to indulge their cravings. Granola bars, cookies, and fruit make the perfect munchies, and have a couple bottles of water stocked inside the fridge too.

4. Tissues in Multiple Places — Runny noses come at the most inopportune times, and with cold and flu season coming up, you’ll definitely want to have soft tissues stocked in multiple places like the living room, kitchen, and guest room. Tissue box designs have come a long way in the past ten years which means you can easily find a pattern that fits in perfectly with your current decor. Right now I’m loving the elegant simplicity of these cute Kleenex canisters!

Have out-of-town guests spending the night? There's no need to panic! Just stock these 8 household essentials to make your company feel comfortable and completely at ease. #2 eliminates those awkward bathroom moments!

5. Extra Blankets — Some like it cold, some like it hot, but make sure everyone is comfortable by keeping the temperature cool and extra blankets nearby for those who prefer a toastier bed. I always pull out a few blankets and have them stacked on the floor so guests don’t have to go searching inside the guest room closet. Throws and blankets in the living room make for cozy lounging as well.

6. Small Night Lights — Your home is unfamiliar territory for guests to navigate at night, and you don’t want them to fall, bump into things, or worst of all, hurt themselves! Provide adequate lighting in the bathroom so they don’t have to fumble in the dark for a switch, and you may want to consider a small light in the kitchen and/or living room too. You can buy a very inexpensive pack of four {these ones turn on automatically}, or invest in a pretty Scentsy warmer.

Have out-of-town guests spending the night? There's no need to panic! Just stock these 8 household essentials to make your company feel comfortable and completely at ease. #2 eliminates those awkward bathroom moments!

7. Shower Essentials — We all forget at least one thing when we travel, and if you’re anything like me, it’s usually soap, shampoo, or toothpaste — a.k.a toiletries. Keep a guest basket or large jar filled with travel-sized essentials that are free for your guests to use as they need. Since I always have hotel extras on hand, it doesn’t cost me a thing to give out a shampoo or two!

8. Reading Material — Despite feeling like you always have to entertain your out-of-town guests, be rest assured you don’t. They probably would like some alone time too! Keep books and magazines in the living room and/or guest room for everyone to browse at their leisure as they relax or wind down. I always have a couple issues on the nightstand for bedtime reading just in case they forget to bring their own.

Have out-of-town guests spending the night? There's no need to panic! Just stock these 8 household essentials to make your company feel comfortable and completely at ease. #2 eliminates those awkward bathroom moments!

The common thread in each and every essential is to make things easy to find and easy to use. Your guests already feel a little uncomfortable staying in an unfamiliar place {there’s no place like home, right?}, so it’s your job to eliminate that unease and let your hospitality shine!

As a guest, Which of these items do you appreciate most?

 

P.S. You can find some pretty sweet deals on all Kleenex and Cottonelle products at your local Walmart. Just use the Ibotta app to save an extra $1.00 off! (Haven’t heard of this money-saving app? Check out my Ibotta app review!)

guest-essentials-2

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Was this post helpful? Please consider sharing the love!

4 Comments

  1. I always add pads & tampons in lovely box on top of toilet. I knew some of girls, even I will look in the box if we freak out that period unexpectedly starts 🙂

    Toilet paper and magazines are so wonderful too!! 😄

  2. I always run around and replace the toilet paper rolls before a party, but I love the extra holder that you found. We have little kids, so while I have Kleenex boxes in every room, the boxes are often hidden under the couch or behind an end table so our daughter doesn’t decide to decorate our house with a Kleenex trail.

    I love the wifi password and reading material idea. What a great way to “recycle” magazines, too. Thanks for sharing!

    1. You paint such an amazing mental picture with “Kleenex trail.” 🙂 I bought the toilet paper holder at Bed Bath and Beyond. It’s supposed to hold onto the tank – but it didn’t fit quite right. Joseph drilled a hole in the hook and screwed it to the bottom of the counter and it worked perfectly!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *