Hospitality is an art, a gift and a skill.  It may be something you are born with, but it can be taught and it can be learned!  There is a song we sing at Mass called “People, Look East” about Advent and preparing for the birth of our Lord.  We are advised, in the song, that … “The time is near, Of the crowning of the year.  Make your house fair, as you are able.  Trim the hearth and Set the table.”  So appropriate this time of year!
           To sum up the 6 paragraphs on Wikipedia, Hospitality can be considered somewhere between a “sacred religious duty and social service” and “throwing really great dinner parties”.  I consider it both, at different times!  For my purposes, we’ll settle for:

• provide a warm, friendly and caring environment;
• actively invite friends, family and even strangers into our home; and
• consider the needs, comfort and enjoyment of our guest first and foremost. 

     Think about the best place you have ever stayed while traveling, either hotel or a friend’s home.  What did you like best, and what can we learn from great friends and hotels?  We can learn how to be the ultimate organized hostess…

Space:
     Make things obvious.  Label stuff for your guests.  We have a chest of drawers in our guest space, with labels on the handles like “blankets, sheets, extra toiletries”, etc., or you can stick a label on the kitchen cabinet with the coffee mugs for the early morning java!

     Make room for your guests.  Give them counter space in the bathroom, clear some closet space for their items in your guest space.  Make sure there is a chair or bench for them to rest their suitcases on, to make packing and unpacking so much easier.  

     Anticipate your guests’ needs, for example, regarding sleep (small children?  Early risers?) or diet (any special restrictions or requests?).  And stick to your own home itineraries if you need to, but be flexible if you can, for  example, stick with bedtime, but move meal times to accommodate travel plans.

     There is always room at the inn.  It is not too difficult to stay always relatively ready for guests.  We love having guests, and we have carved out space and created routines that enable us to say “Yes, of course you can stay with us” at a moments’ notice.

     We are positively influenced by beautiful surroundings and uncluttered space.  Remember:

• Treat your guests, and everyone, how you would like to be treated.
• Little things mean a lot.  The mint on the pillow, the bed turned down, the quality in-room coffee.  The milk and cookie buffet on one cross country trip!  
• Be a tourist in your own town!  Have lots of different things available (museum passes, theatre schedule, other happenings in the metropolitan area), and then let your guest choose.
• Leave guide books, tickets, and information about your town for your guests.
• New and exciting is great, but at the end of the day, we all enjoy a taste of home.  Fuzzy slippers, squishy towels, whatever.
• Alert your guests ahead of their stay to weather updates, schedule changes, special events, etc.

 Be an organized guest!

• Don’t guess.  Ask lots of questions, and ask the experts.  If you are not staying at a personal home, ask the Concierge!  I arranged a college roommate reunion weekend a few years ago for the women I roomed with in college.  My new best friend became the Concierge at the hotel where we stayed.  He made dinner reservations, spa appointments, caught us a cab, and generally made our weekend run so smoothly!
• Know the fire escape routes.  The first thing we do with the kids in a hotel is to find the fire escape routes.  Why wouldn’t you do the same anywhere you plan to sleep?

     And a final thought, If you are flying this holiday season, and taking gifts with you, I offer two suggestions:  Head to Fed-Ex, UPS or the Post Office before your trip, and ship ahead what you will need while you are on vacation; or if you must carry your gifts with you, do not wrap them – you may be asked to unwrap them at the airport.  Line your suitcases with re-usable gift bags, ribbon, tags and tissue paper, remove what packaging you can from your gifts, and be prepared to wrap them in the bags when you reach your destination.

     Happy travels!