How do you greet guests?

Suzanne302
Level 10
Wilmington, NC

How do you greet guests?

For those of you offering a private room in your home, how do you greet your guests initially?

 

I just had my first guests (who were amazing!) and I greeted them by opening the door just as they walked on the porch. However, this felt a little "stalkerish" as I had to peek from the window after they drove up and wait for them to approach the door. 

 

Now I'm wondering if I should just have them ring the doorbell? Or maybe I'm overthinking this?!

 

How do you handle the initial greeting?

16 Replies 16
Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Let them ring the bell, a little formality till further notice, never hurts.

Yes, opening the door as they reach for the door handle could come across a little 'pouncy'. 😉

 

P.S. Is that Pecos or August in the picture?

Thanks, yeah, it felt a little awkward!

 

That is August in my picture. 

@Fred13   "a little 'pouncy"  🙂

@Suzanne302   I agree with Fred,  wait until they ring the doorbell.

 

“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
  The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
   And I've a many curious things to show when you are there.”

@Ange2 Haha! That is one of my favorite poems!

 

Thanks for confirming I should let them ring the bell. 

Elizabeth429
Level 10
Madrid, Spain

@Suzanne302,

 

I would not wait for them to ring the door bell. It looks as if you dont care enough. "Oh, you are already here, oh well. Come on in then" This isnt a game, you are obviously waiting for them and a nice welcoming smile as you open the door would go a long way.

 

I wait for my guest looking out the window and as I see them aproaching the building I run downstairs to open the front building door and offer to help them to carry their luggage up the stairs.

 

Most of the time, they get lost, they are tired, they dont know what to expect, they might even be as nervous as I am. Why not show them you are looking forward to meeting them!?!

Willow3
Level 10
Coupeville, WA

I agree with Elizabeth - I watch for my guests and try to greet them as they exit their car. No matter how clear I’ve made my listing (photos and words) many of my guests attempt to enter my carriage house. It looks adorable from the outside but it’s an ordinary 100 year old out building on the inside, lol. 

 

And again, I’ve spelled out the keypad lock, including the words “manually turn the deadbolt to the left” I estimate 90% don’t and just keep trying the code. I try to head off these issues at the pass now. 

@Suzanne302

I'm kind of like @Elizabeth429 and @Willow3 ..... as long as the weather is decent Henry and/or I usually tell guests that we will be waiting for them outside, at the main gate entrance of our apartment complex which is why an accurate ETA is important. We greet them enthusiatically, help them with their luggage, quickly demonstrate how to use the keypad as we enter the building, bring them inside and get them settled. We get mostly international guests so they are usually exhausted by the time they arrive. 

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

Had to giggle a little while reading your post, @Suzanne302, as I was thinking of all the stuff most new hosts have asked, this one drills down to an interesting detail 😄  Like you, I have a dog and one purpose of my meeting the guest is to introduce the dog to strangers so she knows it is okay.  Never want her to think it is okay for strangers to come into my house without my permission.  So, if the doorbell sets the dogs off to barking, you might want to open the door without a doorbell ring.

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

@Suzanne302 If guests have Verizon I tell them to text me (only cell service we get). If they don't have Verizon, I ask them to honk their horn twice so I can come down to greet them. If I know the precise time they plan to arrive, I may go down to water the yard so that I am doing something and not just 'waiting' (which might make them feel self conscious if they are a few minutes late). If they are coming past a time I am able to greet them (my check-in window where I offer a personal tour of the property and show them the various paths to beach is between 4 and 5 pm) then they use the lock-box to check themselves in. At times the tour is then done the next morning, if the guest requests it (my Welcome Binder covers the same info' for the most part as my personal tour). It appears to be going well for both me and the guests, as I have a 100% satisfaction score in the 'check-in' category. I also no longer feel resentful if a guest comes past 5 pm (they may arrive anytime up to 10 pm unless otherwise arranged) - They know that I am available only between 4 and 5 if they want a personal check-in (unless they request something different beforehand) and I can go on with my evening without watching and waiting and do what I need to do in my everyday life. 

Yu31
Level 6
Milford, MA

I always wait until they call/text message me "we're here". Then I open the garage door, go out & say "welcome/nice to meet you", and give them a hug one by one. 

 

 

A hug? You are kidding right @Yu31?  As a guest that would make me extremely uncomfortable!

I shaked hands with my first group of guests in front of my garage door; and I actually hugged my second group of guests one by one (they are Chinese, I'm Chinese; and during our correspondence, I knew they happen to come from my hometown), and I guess it depends on how you feel and who your guests are. 

@Lisa723  If @Yu31 felt it was appropriate to hug some guests, I don't think that's something to be judgemental about. Some hosts are quite formal with their guests and some not. What works best for hosts, in my opinion, is to just be themselves, rather than being nervous about trying to be some way or another that they think is appropriate behavior for a host- it puts the host and the guest more at ease. If being greeted with a hug would make you uncomfortable as a guest, that would probably be evident, as you would present yourself in a reserved way, and the host would likely pick up on that and greet you more formally as well.

I have given a couple of my solo female guests a hug (which they were obviously fine with, it was mutual) because we had exchanged a bunch of very friendly messages full of humor before they arrived and we already felt like we knew each other. I certainly don't with the majority of my guests, though.

Sorry, @Sarah977, @Yu31, I did not mean to be judgmental. I personally just would be extremely surprised and uncomfortable if someone I don't know well tried to hug me, and I think this is not unusual in the US at least.