With school out of session and plenty of bright, sunny days ahead, summer is all about spending time with the people you love. The warmer months give way to so many fun gatherings where friends and family come together to enjoy one another’s company, whether it’s a backyard cookout, a pool party, or a beach vacation. While you’re probably attending your fair share of summer get-togethers and waterfront getaways, if you’re hosting houseguests this time of year, adding a few thoughtful touches will help everyone feel right at home as soon as they arrive.
Since the smallest details make the biggest impression, you don’t have to achieve a perfectly pristine kitchen or an impeccably styled guest room to make them feel welcome. If you’re having out-of-town guests or nearby relatives spend the night or stay a week, welcoming them with little touches like fresh linens, ice-cold drinks, and lots of summer snacks will make their stay especially comfortable and extra enjoyable. Looking for more ways to impress your houseguests? We’ve rounded up easy tips for making overnight guests feel right at home this summer.
Freshen Up the Guest Room
Before your houseguests arrive, spend a few minutes sprucing up the guest room by changing the sheets, clearing the closets, decluttering the nightstand, and vacuuming the carpets. Tidying up these areas and carving out space for your visitors to unpack will make the room feel more inviting and accommodating. To go the extra mile, you can even add a stack of magazines or fresh flowers to the bedside table.
Stock the Bathroom
After giving the guest room a refresh, it’s time to move onto the guest bathroom. Once you’ve cleaned and disinfected the surfaces, stock the bathroom with fresh linens, including bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, and a bath mat, plus toiletries like hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. That way, your houseguests will be able to shower, brush their teeth, and wash their hands even if they’ve forgotten to pack any of the essentials.
Assemble a Welcome Basket
Greeting your houseguests with a welcome basket is such a thoughtful gesture that’ll surely put a smile on their faces. Not to mention, it’ll equip them with everything they’ll need to enjoy their stay without having to ask. Stuff the basket with practical items like bottled water, packaged snacks, travel-sized sunscreen, and a handwritten note with your Wi-Fi password (plus a few sweet words!).
Prepare Your Yard
If you have guests staying with you over the summer, chances are, they’ll want to spend a good amount of time outside. To make outdoor lounging as comfortable as possible for your friends and family, remove any pollen and debris from outdoor furniture, fluff up the pillows and cushions, and make bug spray and sunscreen readily available. You can even add string lights or lanterns to create a cozy ambiance once the sun sets.
Recommend Your Favorite Spots
Out-of-town guests will likely want to do some sightseeing. If you won’t be playing tour guide, you can always jot down a list of your favorite local restaurants, bakeries, ice cream shops, parks, museums, and other nearby attractions that they can explore on their own. But if you will be accompanying your houseguests on their adventures, a written guide will still make your hosting duties a lot easier.
Keep Snacks and Drinks on Hand
Anticipate your houseguests’ needs by filling your pantry with simple, crowd-pleasing snacks like crackers, pretzels, and granola bars and stocking your fridge with cold drinks like sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, and soda that they can easily grab at their leisure. Guests will appreciate having options whenever their stomachs start to growl or they need something hydrating.
Factor in Downtime
While it’s great to brainstorm summer activities, your guests will want some downtime, too. Whether they need to answer a few emails or they simply want to doze off for a few hours, giving them permission to relax and unwind will make them feel more comfortable using your space.
Send Them Off With Something Sweet
Before your houseguests head back home, conclude their stay with a small treat. It could be anything from a plate of homemade cookies to a few herbs from your garden. Sending them off with a goodie will make their stay especially memorable—and one that they’ll look back on fondly for years to come.
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
