Adjusting a second home for guests

[Melania36]

Hi, I am a fairly new host, preparing for guests in our a second home.

My question: how much of our presence do we actually need to strip away?

Family photos?

Memorabilia?

Refrigerator magnets?

Empty all the stuff from kitchen drawers?

I have hired a woman who is a super host to handle preparing the house for me, and she is going deep into stripping it down. She hosts only in one room of her house which is strictly for guests.

I am hosting in my entire house, which we ourselves use a great deal.

Please advise. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

@Melania36  There are a few things that should be removed from any area accessible to guests:  personal documents, prescription drugs, firearms, and treasured valuables. Perishable foods at risk of spoiling during the guests' stay are also best removed.

Beyond that, it's entirely up to you how much you want to leave in the property. Guests appreciate having an uncluttered room with dedicated space to put their things, but I've never heard a complaint about family photos or fridge magnets. You just have to consider your comfort level with the possibility that people might look through your personal stuff and learn more about your family than you intended to share. 

[John47]

@Melania36 
You might look at other listings in your area that may be similar and see how much personal stuff is visible in pix.
In my family's rental cottage colony here, most all units are quite empty of any personal stuff, except for some paintings and wall hangings that were done by my aunt's and a sealed/locked curio cabinet in one unit that was our home for a few years before my parents built a newer unit for themselves.
I would leave enough kitchen utensils in drawers to handle the basics and that's what i have in my units.

In most cases, people are on vacation so their cooking will be limited compared to being at home.
Funny story (I think): Some years ago, had my best friends in NC want to rent my late aunts house for some friends of theirs. They wanted to move the pix of my grandparents to living room from bedroom so the friends wouldn't be 'spied on' there! I agreed to that but found it a bit unusual. 

[Mark116]

@Melania36   Is there a room or a closet that can be used to lock up the majority of your personal items?  But, basically, anything that you can't replace, like family photos, personal materials, anything with sentimental value, take out.  Anything you wouldn't want someone to see, take it out.  

[Melania36]

Thank you Mark and John and Andrew. I appreciate your responses. I do have a locking closet and we use that to empty drawers etc.

I'll be able to make adjustments as I learn more and have guest feedback.

Many thanks!