Finding a hotel for our family reunion

Posted on: 14 July 2016

Whether it's Aunty Doris and Uncle Fred coming to visit from Adelaide, your mum and dad planning a 3-week vacation because they miss you, or simply your best friend from uni wanting to crash for a few days, sometimes people will invite themselves to stay at your house at a time when you really can't handle guest.

If you don't feel like hosting for whatever reason but have put off bringing up the subject because of just how awkward it is, consider the following tips on how to tell your guests that they'd be better off staying in a hotel.

They'll be more comfortable

The way you tell your visitors that you'd rather not have them stay with you is key to retaining the relationship and not have it fall flat at your feet. So, if you are told that someone wants to come and visit and you haven't had them stay with you before (because, unfortunately, this tip won't work if guests have already slept in your comfy beds and lounged on your homey sofa!) simply tell them something along the lines of, "Wonderful! My home isn't all that comfortable for guests, but I'd love to get together with you while you're here!" And, with hotel bedding getting more and more comfortable, you can stress how much more in the mood they'll be for a day's sightseeing after a good night's sleep!

They can wake when they like

If the comfort line doesn't work on your wannabe visitors, it's time to move on to the noise excuse. Perhaps you can exaggerate how noisy your home gets early in the morning (this works best if you have kids or dogs!) and how they would be better off in a hotel with 'do not disturb' signs, scheduled wake-up calls and darkened cozy rooms. Plus, many hotels do everything they can to make their rooms as soundproof as possible, something that you should definitely stress to enquiring Aunty Vera!

They don't have to tidy up

If all else fails, it's time to stress just how obsessively tidy you have become lately, and how much you've been demanding that everyone in the house should pitch in! Perhaps your hinting family and friends will find the idea of a hotel with its regular housekeeping and free tidy-ups appealing once they hear about your new fastidious lifestyle and your demanding vacuuming and dishwashing schedules. 

Whatever you tell your family and friends, it can be done in a way that won't cause any long-term angst. Just remember, a little self-effacing humour can go a long way, and you can offer to help your guests find a hotel that will suit their needs and be close by.