Good Hosting 101

By Francine Fluetsch on April 24, 2014

This article is brought to you by CORT, a subsidiary of Berkshire-Hathaway and the world’s largest furniture rental and relocation services company. To learn more about how we can help college students like you, click here.

image via lettuceeatkale.wordpress.com

So you just got some new digs and want to have some people over. If you’re stressing out about being a good host, have no fear because this article is here to help you be the best host out there. All of your friends will be dying to get back to your place.

image via www.parteaz.co.uk

1) Who to invite:

If you are having a bigger party and are inviting people from different friend groups, you want to try and invite people that will mix well together. Of course, it won’t be your fault if one or two people don’t get along, just try not to invite those people who seriously seem to pick a fight with everyone (we all know that person). Help introduce people to others that they don’t know, especially if you know they have a lot in common.

2) Mingle with everyone:

You are the host, so you are probably the only person who knows every single person in the room.

image via goodprospects.goodwill.org

You are like the connector piece, so make sure that you mix and mingle with everyone, so no one is left out, especially those people who don’t know anyone else at the get together.

3) Refreshments:

Refreshments can range from some sodas and chips to full blown meals. If you want to do meals but don’t want to buy it all yourself, have a potluck! Make sure to at least have two main dishes, two desserts, drinks and appetizers in case people forget.

image via www.bubblews.com

Tell people to bring dishes according to when they will be arriving (ex: if they can only come later on in the evening, have them bring dessert). Make sure to also have some vegetarian options and remember that a lot of people have nut allergies!

Don’t know what to make? Here are some dishes that will feed a bunch of people.

4) Are you having fun?:

Set up some activities for your guests but don’t micro-manage what they do. You want your guests to have a good time, but you don’t want to force anything on them. You can have some music playing with a space for dancing, have games like pool or twister or foosball, and if you have a swimming pool, tell people that they are welcome to go in. Make sure you have a lot of seating so people can sit around and talk to one another. I know that worrying about your guests having a good time is one of the most stressful parts of being a host, so if you’re really worried about it, you can ask some people ahead of time what they think would be fun and then plan accordingly.

image via www.dreamstime.com

Matt Robinson, a first year psychology student at Palomar College, said it is important to make sure your guests are comfortable and safe.

“I always make sure my guest are comfortable and have a good/safe/relaxing time at my house, even if it is there first time there,” he said. “A simple ‘are you doing okay’ or ‘need anything?’ can make a difference in their visit to your house.”

Remember to have fun as well, and your mood will reflect onto other people. As you walk around and mingle with the others, you should be able to get a good sense of how they are feeling. If all else fails, you can always turn on a movie or something (Mean Girls is now on Netflix!)

5) Keep people safe:

image via blog.esurance.com

As Robinson mentioned, you want to make sure that your guests feel safe in your home. Since they are your friends, hopefully they will all behave, but if someone is causing a disruption, try and take them aside and take control of the situation.

This article from Cosmopolitan says that if you can’t get the person under control, you should definitely kick them out; it’s a disruption to other guests. I know it’s awkward, but hopefully you won’t be in a situation where that becomes necessary. If people are drinking, make sure that they have a sober person driving them home, or take their keys and have them spend the night; you wouldn’t want any accidents to happen.

6) Set boundaries:

If there are certain places that you don’t want guests to go—like your bedroom for example—then make sure to block off those areas ahead of time so you won’t have to awkwardly tell people to get out. If someone does get into something that they aren’t supposed to, try and keep your cool and politely ask them to move; it is your house after all.

image via year5atbearwood.wordpress.com

You also want to keep the noise level from getting too high; it would be a real bummer to get the cops called on you. People are usually pretty considerate about this, but so you don’t always have to be the “bad guy,” have some of your friends help enforce the volume from getting too loud. If there is a person that isn’t complying, you may have to kick them out. Better them than you getting a ticket, right?

7)   Clean up:

To save yourself a lot of hassle later, have a lot of trash bags/recycling bins out and politely ask for people to dispose of their plates and cups when they are finished. You will still have some cleaning up to do, but it will definitely be a lot better than what it would have been.

image via www.ci.bonney-lake.wa.us

Want some more hosting tips? Here’s what WikiHow has to say.

Looking for a more convenient way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Rent stylish furniture from CORT and save time and money. For more information on furniture rental packages, click here.

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