Ps&Qs: Pitch In

If you expect hotel service, stay in one.

A friend of mine had a long-term guest crashing with her. It should be obvious when relying on the kindness of others that said guest (no matter the length of stay)  should offer to pitch in around the house. Pick up groceries. Grab a bottle of wine. Do some dishes. Or, at the very least, make the overture to contribute.

Not this three-weeks-and-counting roomie. Instead, one morning as he hunted and pecked for dates online his host tidied up around him (as he sat at her computer). “Oh, this guy loves dogs too. Perfect, right?” he called out. “Um, excuse me, but can you move your leg so I vacuum under that table,” she replied. This went on and on until her house was clean and her patience cleaned out.

Ps&Qs takeaway: if you demand room service, pay for a hotel. The cost of a friendship is worth more than what you’ll ever spend on a room. And hosts, you’re not running a hotel (if it starts to feel that way, put a limit on a stay) it’s ok to make some requests of your guests too.

Ok, the holidays are over. Anyone need to vent about guest-visits-gone-wrong? GHG is listening, spill it.

 

 

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2 thoughts on “Ps&Qs: Pitch In

  1. Oh I have too many to list in detail (such as the guest who drank too much, staggered headlong into our fireplace mantel and all but ripped his ear off) but the one that immediately popped into my head is when my aunt-in-law came to stay for a few days a few years ago. The visit seemed pleasant enough but as she was about to leave she handed me a carefully composed checklist with all the things she thought I could do in the future to make other guests more comfortable than she apparently was.

    • A checklist! That is astounding. I know that the right thing to do would be just to ignore the self-appointed comment card, and never extend an invitation again. Not even for coffee.However, I would have been tempted to either respond line by line, or have the list framed and hung in the guest room. Or guest bathroom, right above the toilet.

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