How to Be the Hostess with the Mostess 

Is your dream to be the hostess with the mostess? I have your back! Here's everything you need to look out for in order to acquire that title!

WiFi

These little wifi signs made a splash when I shared them in my stories a while back. Rather than having to say or write your code these signs are a cute and easy way to give your guest access without them even having to ask.

Feather or Not

We often inquire about guests' allergies to foods…but we’ve had guests who are allergic to down feathers.

So I like to keep alternative pillows and comforters in my guest room closet. Two pillows per person and extras in the closet.

Clock

Nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night somewhere that’s not home and having to fumble for a phone or watch to see the time.

Here's one old-fashioned clock and one digital, depending on your interior aesthetic:

Full Length Mirror

Easy enough to hang on the back of a closet door, always nice to be able to check your look head to toe before heading out. Can be a standing mirror that’s a piece of decor…or a simple mirror that can go on the back of a door.

Hangers

Enough that they don’t have to ask for more. :)

If there’s no closet or armoire in the room, a rolling rack is a nice touch or for tight spaces, a simple hook that hangs over the door with a few rungs for hanging.

Foldable Luggage Rack

Not a must-do, but it definitely adds to your guests feeling like they're in a hotel. Simple and black or this lucite one by CB2 which is like a piece of decor.

Water Bottles

I love room temperature water so I’m thrilled when someone leaves water bottles next to the bed and I don’t need to ask.

If your guests prefer cold water, then you can just provide it before bed… or a carafe with glasses that always looks chic on a nightstand.

Mark & Graham has a great carafe with glasses. This makes a nice hostess gift too.

Fresh Flowers Always Look Great

Can be as simple as cutting some from your garden if you have hydrangeas or peonies growing.

Local supermarket flowers are great too. Trader Joe's has pretty orchids for less than $20 and they can last a month.

Preserved roses also make a great fightable addition too. The Rose Pops have one of my favorites! They will last up to a year, so there is no need to change water or remember to put flowers. Order once and leave on the nightstand.

Shabbat Lamp

Reading in the dark or sleeping in light doesn’t make for a restful Shabbat. Plug it in and turn it on and then all that needs to be done is twisting or sliding to enjoy the light or turn it away for sleeping on Shabbat.

Here are a few great ones:

Another option is just buying light bulbs that are Shabbat “proofed” and can work in any lamp. They have a sliding lever on it to close or open the light.

More Ways To for Your Guests To Call You the Hostess With the Mostess

A clean scent, not overpowering floral or herbal, but something fresh when you walk into the room. Here are some options that you definitely want to consider:

Hotel Lobby Candle—which really does smell like the lobby at the One Hotel in Miami

Naturally by Grace—it might be my favorite scent “Rose”

Nest Fragrances - grapefruit—this one is also a clean fresh smell that is often complimented in my guest room

Toiletries

If you want to be the hostess with the mostess, it's not a bad idea to have a basket on a counter or a container under the sink where your guests can find everything—from an extra toothbrush to a lint brush, safety pins, feminine products, sample size creams, shampoos, etc. It also makes for a great place to put the samples you get from Sephora purchases.

Here is some Poo Pourri spray you might be interested in.

Some other great toiletries to have on the counter or under the sink are:

Allergy medicine

Headache medicine

Eye drops

Contact lens solution

Childrens medicine, if they have kids

Downy Wrinkle Spray

Buy it once, check and replenish as needed each season

Inviting Bed & Bath Linen

There is nothing worse than a skimpy towel. Bath sheets are so much more welcoming.

Try Bed Bath & Beyond Wamsutta brand or these Madison Park ones.

No need to invest in crazy thread counts. Instead, check out these amazing ones from Cozy Earth.

Another set of some of the softest sheets I've found are these Bed Bath and Beyond Pure Beech.

I also love the Hotel Collection by Hudson Park at Bloomingdales and have found great bedding on sale at Home Goods too.

If you’re hosting a big group, air mattresses come in handy. We have half a dozen of these that my kids can easily inflate and deflate on their own. Just make sure you test them out first—there can't be any holes! It's no fun to wake up in the middle of the night on a deflated air mattress. One of my son's friends loves to sleep on his Yogibo—a giant bean bag type oversized chair/pillow that is quite comfortable. We’ve also slept on blow up beds, the king of air mattresses that stands on legs above the floor.

Wondering what to do with all those hotel slippers you've collected? Keep a basket in the guest bedroom to enhance the hotel like experience as your guest.

For Kids

If you’re hosting young kids, you might need a basket with a few age appropriate toys or books. There's no need to go out and buy, but some board games or books for toddlers, or building blocks of some sort are an excellent idea—Magna-Tiles are always a beloved toy. On the other hand, a deck of cards or a card game like perpetual commotion is amazing for older kids.

Blackout Shades

Not a MUST but a greatly appreciated nice touch, worth keeping in mind if you’re decorating or renovation projects include a guest room.

Food

Must-haves regarding food are:

Snacks & Breakfast

Individual size snack packages

Mini boxes of cereal—variety packs come in handy when hosting lots of kids, so everyone can find something

You also might want to:

Set up a self serve station with coffee / tea / hot cups and sweeteners / stirrers

Show guests where the coffee / coffee maker / hot water can be found so they can make their own coffee in their own time—the same goes for disposable dishes

Extra Tip—A Sweet Treat

If you’re feeling “extra” you can leave a mini chocolate bar on the guests' pillows.

Jump Right In

If you have a pool, or live near the beach, having extra swimsuits in different sizes is an excellent way to be a hostess with the mostess. Not fully comprehensive but the kind that do often come in handy are the ones I’ve bought for my kids that they decided they didn't like after the return window or have outgrown ones that were hardly worn. I buy a few at Target to fill in for sizes I might be missing from my own personal family stash and swim diapers.

Here are some cute bathing suits for boys and girls:

Floaties are also appreciated if you have them or floats for the “bigger kids”.

If you have a pool, you also must think of towels—you know you can never have enough. Even if guests bring their own, we manage to go through dozens.

Final Tip—Code to a Keyless Entry or a Key to a Door

Once I got this wrong, I ended up falling down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night to open the door for weekend guests!

What are your top tips for hosting overnight guests?

Drop me a line! I’d love to hear your ideas!

Happy Hosting!

Xoxo,

Lisa