Here it is again: the season when all manner of family, friends and near-strangers will be parading through your house. They’ll eye up every detail of the décor, run through your entire stock of juice boxes and possibly even smash an object you love. Even scarier? They might bring suitcases.
 200 South Street Inn has its share of fine antiques, but owner Brendan Clancy showed us some inexpensive pieces that round out the look. You can furnish a guest room without eBaying your firstborn child. |
As the holidays loom, we at ABODE thought we’d approach the subject of hosting houseguests from a scientific–rather than a panicked—perspective. Who better to guide us through the finer points of hosting than the locals who do it for a living? Here, three innkeepers—Ryan Hubbard of Dinsmore House, Mare Hunter of Alexander House and Brendan Clancy of 200 South Street Inn—dish the dirt on everything from appointing a guest room to serving a smashing breakfast. Read on. And stock up on toilet paper.
What to have at their fingertips
The finer things that make a good B&B a fun place to stay are also good ways to make your guests happy and, possibly, keep them out of your hair. At Dinsmore House, Hannah the collie mix is likely to greet you, says her friend Hubbard: "Guests connect with dogs, especially dogs that don’t beg them for food or jump up on them." He says, too, that although Dinsmore’s ABC license wouldn’t allow guests free access to wine, in a private home, "If you wanted to put out a bottle of cab franc from Horton," it would be appreciated. It’s not all about friendly doggies and local vintages, though: South Street’s Clancy says oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sweeten the stay for his guests. "We can’t keep them in stock," he says. And then there’s…
-Fresh flowers
-Background music
-Books
-Coffee, tea or soda
-Snacks like fruit, chocolates or cheese plates
-Local maps
-Newspapers
-Games
-Small CD player and CDs
-Movies
-Frisbee
-A TV in the closet, if not set out in the guest room
Getting away
"Too much togetherness isn’t always a good thing." So says Brendan Clancy of 200 South Street Inn, where the commodious front porch allows guests to enjoy a common space without feeling like they’re on top of each other. Wanting to preserve that feeling of privacy-in-public even when the weather keeps people indoors, Clancy tries to provide spots here and there in the inn that are technically common space but still likely more quiet than the main lounge or lobby.
 A nook at the top of the main stairway at 200 South Street Inn shows how the right spot provides a private, but common, space—a relief for everybody in the house. |
One nook, at the top of the stairs in South Street’s main building, is especially appealing—especially because it’s so simple. True, the furnishings are special: Brunschwig & Fils fabric for upholstery and a Chinese trunk used as a side table. But, really, the elements are simple: two comfy chairs, a side table and a lamp—all in front of a window. "If there’s some way you can manage it," says Clancy, this kind of in-house escape might benefit everyone’s sanity.
Make yourself at home
It’s not all clean linens and generous dessert helpings: Hosting has its intangibles, too. The first secret of making someone feel welcome, says Dinsmore’s Ryan Hubbard? Offer drinks, and keep offering. "It’s a beverage-driven society," he explains. Guests want coffee, wine, cool water, strawberry lemonade: anything that comes in a glass or a cup.
 Attitude is everything: "There’s going to be some chaos," says Mare Hunter of Alexander House. |
Keep the drinks flowing, but, says Mare Hunter at Alexander House, don’t be overattentive. It can backfire. "Your guests want you to turn your back on them from time to time," she says. In fact, Hunter’s approach seems to be to offer plenty of amenities (her guests have full access to the Alexander House fridge, for example) while keeping a relaxed attitude. Hunter says—and South Street’s Clancy concurs—that truly irreplaceable valuables do not belong where guests can accidentally damage them. "Put precious things elsewhere. It makes everybody happier," she says. "There’s going to be some chaos."
Speaking of which, a few house rules—tactfully explained—never hurt anyone. "Remind them not to put wet towels on wood," says Hunter. Other areas to cover: shoes (on or off?), lights-out time, use of the land line and whether kids and pets should be allowed out the door.
Another tip? "If people want to help, it makes them feel more at home if you give them some little thing to earn their keep," Hunter says. So if Aunt Tizzy wants to chop some onions for tonight’s soup, let her! And don’t feel, says Hunter, that as soon as dinner’s over you have to trade the conversation for the tupperware. "Have a good time," she says. "People get worked up over small stuff. Let the dishes wait!"
What to have squirreled away
It’s pretty obvious that overnight guests will need food, water and shelter. But there are other things to have on hand. Our trio of innkeepers collectively listed the following essential guest supplies:
-Toothbrushes
-Hair dryers
-Irons
-Ironing board
-Sewing supplies
-Makeup removers ("They cost less than washcloths," says Hubbard)
-Baby tub
-Safety rail for kids’ beds
-Corkscrews
-And finally, from Hunter: "If it’s an extended stay, make provision for people to do laundry."
Gold plated
Let’s not forget the heart of the matter—the grub. Whether you have your holidays catered or cook a feast up from scratch, you’ll win the hearts and minds of your guests by appealing to their stomachs. Our innkeeper experts mentioned a lot of details about the food and drink they provide—from Greenberry’s coffee to Gearhart’s chocolates—but our appetites perked up when Dinsmore’s Ryan Hubbard mentioned the Torta Rustica his staff serves guests for breakfast. "It should be something they wouldn’t make at home," Hubbard says about planning Dinsmore’s menus. This dish certainly seems to qualify.
 An inn like Dinsmore House has its luxe linens and treats for guests in plain sight, but hospitality is also about the stuff you can’t see: extra toothbrushes, ironing boards and so forth. |
Dinsmore House’s Torta Rustica
1 pound puff pastry
12 large eggs
Boursin cheese (1/2 to 3/4 container)
3 Tbs. butter
The filling:
6 large roasted red bell peppers
spinach
1 Tbs. olive oil
10 oz. swiss cheese, thinly sliced
8 oz. smoked ham, thinly sliced
1 large egg
pinch of salt
To prepare crust: Generously butter a 9" springform pan. Cut off 1/4 of puff pastry and set aside. Roll out remaining puff pastry to 1/4" thick and place in bottom of the pan, leaving a 1" overhang. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Roll out the smaller piece of pastry until it is 1/4" thick. Cut out a 9" circle of dough to place on top of the torta and place it aside. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
To prepare filling: Whisk eggs, boursin cheese, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over low heat and pour in egg mixture. Gently but constantly stir eggs until cooked. Eggs should be scrambled slowly and loosely. Place cooked eggs aside and let cool.
Retrieve spring form pan from refrigerator and layer the ingredients in the following order: 1/4 the swiss cheese, half the eggs (discard any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate), half the spinach, 1/4 the cheese, half the ham, all the roasted red peppers (laid out flat). Continue layering in the reverse order with the remaining ham, 1/4 the cheese, spinach, eggs, and 1/4 the cheese. Make sure to spread the ingredients all the way to the edge of the pan.
To prepare the egg wash: Beat 1 large egg with 1 Tbs. water and a pinch of salt.
Fold the excess pastry over the top of the filling and brush the edge of the crust you’ve created with egg wash. Retrieve the smaller pasty circle from the refrigerator and place over the top of the filling. Gently push the top crust down the sides of the pan, pressing and sealing the top crust to the bottom crust. Brush with egg wash. Cut a small hole in the top of the crust to vent.
Bake in a 425° oven for about an hour, or until crust is puffed and golden brown.
Well-appointed rooms
Guest rooms don’t need to be fancy; Alexander House, for example, is a budget-style accommodation that Mare Hunter says she furnished by shopping at Circa and Wal-Mart. Even 200 South Street Inn, which boasts many fine antiques, isn’t all luxury: Clancy showed us an inexpensive red vase in an entryway that looks great, but didn’t break the bank. Still, a guest room should have certain basics.
 Your guests will need certain basics. This simple, welcoming room is part of 200 South Street Inn. |
The bed goes without saying, but consider that twin beds that can be pushed together, or bunks, can accommodate various combinations of people. One bunk bed we saw at Alexander House was especially clever: a double on the bottom, single on the top—good for young families or friends traveling together.
Convertible options: futons, pullout couches, inflatable mattresses. "The newer [sofa beds] aren’t so bad [for comfort]," says Clancy.
Places to hang clothes and towels—if not a closet, an armoire, and if not a towel rack, a hook on the back of a door.
Full-length mirror. Dinsmore’s Ryan Hubbard tells us it’s surprisingly important to guests.
A sense of scale. At Dinsmore, one room—the Sleeping Porch—is especially diminutive, but doesn’t feel cramped because the furniture is carefully chosen: a loveseat rather than a full couch, a small chair and a secretary-style desk. "Create as much floor space as you can, for people’s suitcases," advises Hubbard.