THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508170063
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
THE HOUSE GUESTS are coming.
When that cry goes out, many of us gallop through the house faster than Paul Revere on his steed, scrubbing the tub, clearing the closet, snaring the dust bunnies. Some even head to the mall, convinced that brand-new linens for the bed and bath are a necessity when company's on the way.
When we asked three area innkeepers for their advice on ways to delight house guests without depleting the pocketbook, all three said emphatically, ``New linens are not a necessity.''
According to Stephanie DiBelardino, co-owner of The Page House Inn in Norfolk, there is only one necessity, and it costs nothing.
``All we need to offer our guests is genuine warmth,'' said DiBelardino, who has operated the bed-and-breakfast with her husband, Ezio, for four years. ``If your guests feel that you want them there, then no matter what you have for them will be fine . . . even if it's just a pull-out sofa.''
Fresh flowers on the night table, extra blankets in the closets, a refrigerator full of cold drinks - these are nice touches, she added. But they are meaningless unless they symbolize a deep and sincere welcome.
``That's why you shouldn't invite guests if you don't really want them,'' DiBelardino said.
Once an invitation is extended, hosts need to research guests' needs and expectations before they arrive.
``If it's just a two-day visit, it may be the host's job to provide entertainment for the whole stay,'' she said. ``If the visit will last a week, then both hosts and guests will need some space in addition to structured time together.''
For guests who want to take in the sights, DiBelardino suggests collecting appropriate tourist brochures from the visitors' bureau or chamber of commerce.
When the host is looking forward to the visit, getting the house ready becomes enjoyable and creative rather than burdensome. And the process needn't be costly, emphasized DiBelardino. Two other B&B proprietors agree.
Anne McGlynn, who's run The Glen Coe Bed and Breakfast in Portsmouth for four years, dresses up guest rooms with collectibles from her closets. A tortoise-shell comb-and-brush set from the '20s sits atop a guest-room mantle.
The Scottish-born McGlynn also presses her collection of Waterford crystal into service. A decanter filled with sherry sits in every room, along with a crystal dish of chocolate mints, a vase of flowers or potpourri.
``The potpourri needn't be store-bought,'' said McGlynn, who saves petals from fresh bouquets to perfume her guest rooms.
The bedside table always holds a neat stack of books and magazines for guests.
For the 11 years she's operated Nottingham Ridge Bed & Breakfast near Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore, Bonnie Nottingham has used local and personal touches that are both elegant and economical.
Old bottles found on the beach become vases for wildflowers plucked from her garden. Blue Noxema jars, she discovered, make ideal containers for small flowers such as pansies and miniature roses. Conch shells work as holders for washcloths on the bathroom counter, and a shapely piece of driftwood might find new life as a towel rack.
In each guest bathroom, a small basket holds soap, shampoo and toothpaste samples Nottingham collects from hotels.
She also enjoys collecting odd goblets and pieces of china, for use at her guests' breakfast table. And she'd never toss a piece of old lace.
``You can use it to edge an old towel,'' she said.
Your guests will probably be more impressed than if you bought a new one. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
VICKI CRONIS
A decanter of sherry, a dish of mints and a vase of flowers welcome
guests at The Glen Coe Bed and Breakfast.
by CNB