Hospitality, something I strive to be better at.
My life is truly blessed with incredible woman who have modeled hospitality to me (both my grandmothers and my mom). While their homes might not have been updated with the most modern decor, their homes were a place of welcome, a place of peace and love. As I reflect on their homes, they were welcoming places because of three main areas. First, when people came to visit, their homes were clean. Secondly, when people came to visit, their homes had all the creature comforts needed to make your stay restful. Lastly, when people came to stay, they never left hungry. There was always incredible food to eat.
Recently, we had the opportunity to open our home to my sister and her coworker/friend. Even though my sister has stayed with us before, it had been a while and she was flying in from another state. Her friend coming with her was someone I had never met. I wanted their stay to be wonderful!
As I began to prepare for our guests, I wanted to put the three parts of hospitality into practice: cleanliness, comfort, and delicious food. To help prepare a little more, I wanted to get to know our guests a little better. Hence, a Hospitality Questionnaire was born:
Hospitality Questionnaire
We are so excited you are coming to stay with us. We have just a few questions so we can get to know you more and make your stay with us as comfortable as possible.
- What are your favorite types of food or snacks to eat?
- Do you have a favorite salad dressing?
- Do you have any food allergies or any foods you are trying to avoid?
- Do you have anything you like to drink?
- Do you have any scents you enjoy, or are there any scents you avoid?
- Do you have a pet allergy?
- Do you have anything medical you would like to share so we can be prepared? For example, my sister is diabetic, so as a result I always have juice available if her blood sugar crashes. Another example, my son has sensitive skin and we have to be careful of what laundry detergent we use so he doesn’t get hives.
- Is there anything you are looking forward to seeing while you are here?
- For fun: What is your favorite color? What is your favorite flower?
- Is there anything else we can do for you while you are here?
The questionnaire was a big success with our guests. They enjoyed filling it out and knowing we were taking a little extra time to make sure their stay was as comfortable as possible.
Now armed with this information, we were able to prepare a little more for our guests!
To begin, I reflected back on the three parts of hospitality. The first one was cleanliness. Now once upon a time, when I was not a mom, this was not too hard of a task to accomplish. I would set aside some time before guests arrive and put in a little effort, and voila, a clean house. Now fast forward to today, mom of two wonderful little boys age 1 and 4. Let’s just say it takes a lot of extra work, and humor to clean up after the little humans. Ten minutes later it might be just as messy as when you started. I believe my guests understood this, and I did put in a good effort, but let’s just say it was far from perfect.
Next, onto making our guests comfortable. I began by making sure they had a comfortable place to sleep. I made sure our guests had comfortable bedding, and they each had their own space to be able to relax. I also made sure they each had a nice towel and washcloth. Additionally, we went above and beyond to add some comfort to our home for our guests. One of the things we do is to have a basket in our guest bathroom we stock with toiletry items. We make sure our guests know the basket is just for them. Another thing we like to do for our guests is leave a little gift for them when they arrive. Waiting on their pillow when they arrive, we either leave a little chocolate or coffee sample from a local place. This time we also left some flowers by their bedsides.
Another way we made sure our guests were comfortable was showing them around. Our guests arrived late at night, but I still was able to give them a quick walk through the house. I was able to show them where things were like lights and how to open child safety gates. I also was able to show them around the kitchen. I had water bottles for them in the fridge and a cabinet stocked with snacks.
This brings me to my last unit of hospitality, food. Before our guests arrived I was able to make a menu based on foods we enjoy as a family, and foods they might enjoy from the Hospitality Questionnaire. I was also able to have any snacks or drinks they might want or need. We even planned a couple of meals out, so they could experience our favorite local restaurants. No one left hungry!
My sister and her friend had a great stay! We were able to offer a great place for them to stay which was clean, comfortable, and full of delicious food. This whole process of reflection and communicating with our guests using the Hospitality Questionnaire was very helpful. Please feel free to use this Hospitality Questionnaire. I hope that it comes in handy for you as well!
Do you have any special tips or tricks you do for your guests? I would love to hear!