by Eve Tierney

Created on: February 18, 2010   Last Updated: April 09, 2011

Entertaining guests, whether for an evening or an extended stay, can be a wonderful and exciting prospect,  but it can also be the most worrying to hosts of all ages everywhere. There can be pressure to perform, coupled with pressure to make sure everyone is comfortable, happy, and having a good time. When a host is faced with a guest, it is often expected a tour will occur. A host is faced with a decision: display every room in the house, or only a select few?

Manners matter!

Is it rude to keep certain rooms private?  Are there certain times when it is, in fact, good manners to keep certain rooms or items off limits?  Depending on the relationship between the host and guests, certain things are, in fact, better not being shared and the host should exercise discretion in the following situations.

The master bedroom

These rooms are not congregating places for guests, however, it is a good idea to tidy up the master bedroom in case you decide to include it in the tour, and especially if the restroom is to be used by guests. There are some people who view the master bedroom as a sacred space, and it is perfectly fine to keep it private, should the desire to do so arise. However, if there will be people going into your room, it is imperative that it is clean and free of anything you might not want seen or touched.

Home offices

Home offices, likewise, are often rooms to be left undisturbed when guests arrive. These rooms often have papers or work related books strewn about, and a simple tidying up might not be all that is needed for guests to be comfortable, or to maintain order (chaotic or otherwise).    If you wouldn't want people seeing, touching, or leaving glasses in a room, it's a good idea to keep them out of there!

The rooms of teens and children

The bedrooms of children and teens are other rooms you may want to keep off limits. As children get older, oftentimes their bedrooms become treasured places-almost shells where these young people are growing into themselves.  While a room should not be off limits to a parent, unless guests are invited by the child or teen, most of the time guests don't need to (indeed, often don't want to!) see the rooms of children and teenagers.

It is important to help guests feel welcome, but you have every right to your privacy, and maintaining your personal comfort and order.  Designate the common guest friendly area or rooms, and keep them clean, tidy, and comfortable.  Your guest will be most at ease being in rooms with you where they are wanted and appreciated, and will thank you for helping them avoid areas of chaos!

Learn more about this author, Eve Tierney.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.