@Charlie231
Thanks to home stay it’s possible to establish the closest human contact between a host and a guest. The guest enters someone's private space, in a corner of a town he never set foot. It’s important for him to feel welcome and connected to another human being. If the host is in the house, then all these feelings are even stronger.
When you travel in a country that is new and unknown, talking with local people, exchanging views, discussing current events, is a great way of getting to feel at home and of better understanding the people. No hotel with 100 rooms can compete with the comforts of a home, assuring open arms hospitality.
The guest will surely see you in a more forgiving light if you two have an understanding. It takes very little, even just a kind word, the important thing is not to treat the guest like any other client of a hotel.
Try to make your guest feel special. Families traveling with children often prefer the comforts of a house because these guests need some space, they prefer a quiet environment with a homely setting to a hotel room: let them find a travel cot for babies, a baby bath, a baby changing table, some board games and DVDs for children.
If the guests are planning a trip for their wedding anniversary, astonish them: give them a digital picture frame loaded with your personalized greeting video, if before they come to you they first will stop in Fresno, give them a short piece of advice on what to see and do, if they come to your house with a dog, let them find two bowls, a dog carpet, and some dog food, if they talk about themselves, talk about yourself, just let them know that you are a good man who loves to host other good people.
These small details would increase the perceived “value”. They are cheap and will help you to have happy guests and a better review, but be careful you don’t get caught up in the performance anxiety.
If you want to host someone, you have to stop counting the stars, the trophies, the medals. You don't have to move on bigger and better rewards, not in this life or the next if ever it exists.
A family run home stay is the pleasure of old days, it tastes like a warm croissant in the cold of winter, it’s a rustic and romantic luxury. Home stay brings on its arms “La Dolce Vita”. That might be the only way I can hope to neatly summarize this imperfect and unique experience in three words or less.