How to host for friends?

• Consider their favourite food and drink.
• Think about music in advance.
• Make sure you have a comfortable guest bed.
• Scent is important.
• Pay attention to small details.
• Offer reading material.
• Ensure your guests have all the toiletries they need.

From 17 May, we'll be able to mix inside again. Overnight stays will be an option once more, giving us more freedom to see friends and family who live too far for a day visit. As hugely pleasing as this development is, chances are you might be feeling a little out of practice in how to host for an evening, let alone for an overnight stay. Many of us are still getting used to socialising again following months of lockdown, and the idea of entertaining guests for 24 hours feels ever so slightly daunting.

To help ensure you master any hosting duties this summer, we've compiled a refresher guide on the art of making any overnight guests feel entertained and at home.

Whether you feel it or not, make sure you at least give the impression of calm and warmth. If you need a glass of wine to help you get there, so be it, but nothing will make guests feel more tense than a host who looks frazzled and neurotic. Once your guests have arrived, abandon your phone. Try to avoid taking calls or sending messages. Making time for your visitors and focusing solely on them is the easiest way of ensuring that they feel welcome.

Of course, check to see if they have any dietary requirements, but these people that you've chosen to invite to your home are (hopefully) your friends - what do they love eating above all else? Are they a pasta fiend or do they have a real thing for Indian food? Is there a favourite wine or spirit that they gravitate towards? If they like red, but you prefer white, either buy both or roll with red for the evening. Whether you're cooking for them or ordering in, give thought to what your guests would really enjoy eating. Don't use their visit as an excuse to show off any lockdown dishes you might have mastered unless you think they'll really like it.

The right music will immediately help everyone feel relaxed and at ease. Think about the type of sound that would suit the occasion best, whether it's a BBQ-ready reggae playlist or a blues symphony perfect for a dinner inside, but do so before your guests arrive. You don't want to be anxiously trying to find the right music rather than talking to your friends. If in doubt, Motown is always a hit.

Don't skimp on this - a good night's sleep is key to ensuring your guests have a great stay. For those with limited space, sofa beds have a bad rep, known for being famously uncomfortable and aesthetically unappealing. Consider one of Swyft's new styles, which are easy to assemble and promise to be as comfortable as any double bed. Good quality bed linen is also important; you want your friends to feel as if they're sinking into crisp, but soft sheets. A throw left at the end of the bed also adds texture and cosiness.

If you do have a spare room, the likelihood is it won't have been used in a while. Open any windows the night before to air out the space, and light a beautiful smelling candle or diffuser. Remember that scent is our most evocative sense, so it's worth paying attention to. Think about the time of year and what type of ambience you want to create - do you want it to smell summery and fresh or autumnal and cosy?

Whether you have a guest room or not, prepare a clean bedside table - makeshift or otherwise. Place flowers in a small vase; these don't have to be expensive, a few single flowers from the garden will suffice. Abigail Ahern does great faux botanicals which you can obviously reuse. Provide a candle, even if just a tea light, and matches, as well as a bottle of water and a glass. There are plenty of chic carafe and glass sets available, both budget-friendly (see Trouva) and high-end (&You has beautiful options), which look particularly easy on the eye. Make sure there's a bedside lamp on standby too; no one likes having to get up to turn off a light before finding their way through a dark room that they're unfamiliar with.

Sure, your guests might want to just switch off the light and go to sleep, but filling a basket with a few books and a magazine is a nice token. Make sure they're within easy reach of the bed. In the same basket, leave a spare iPhone charger.

Leave two towels on the bed, one for body, one for hair, and check that any bathroom is fully prepped with shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Unless your guests are leaving early, you don't have to be up at the crack of dawn if you aren't an early riser. Agree on a time for breakfast the night before, but leave a selection of cereal, tea and coffee for anyone who might be up earlier.

Your guests should feel warm and comfortable in whatever outfit they've chosen to wear to your home. They shouldn't need to put on a jumper or cosy socks to feel warm, nor should they have to start peeling off layers because the heating is too high. This is not the time to skimp on heating.

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Whether you're having guests over for dinner, or are staying the night with friends or family, etiquette is everything according to the new Debrett's Guide to Homesharing Etiquette.

Published with holiday home sharing website AirBnB, the guide offers tips on how to behave if you're both guest and host.

'Etiquette is as relevant now as it's ever been,' says Joanne Milner, chief executive of Debrett's (founded in the 18th century). 'Manners are there to make everyone feel welcome, remove any anxiety, and minimise social difficulties or awkwardness.'

1. Be punctilious about punctuality 'Failing to be punctual is the height of bad manners because it disregards the value of other people’s time. You must inform your hosts of your expected arrival time and, if you’re going to be late for any reason, take the time to let them know. It is preferable to do this on the phone, and with the appropriate excuses and apologies.'

2. Create a welcoming space 'The host should make every effort to create a warm and welcoming environment. Guest rooms should contain freshly made-up beds, guest towels, storage space and some welcoming touches, for example a vase of flowers, some bedside reading or guest soap.'

3. Make a good entrance 'Guests must have their wits about them when they stand on the front doorstep. The muddy shoe question can be addressed with a straightforward and friendly request; alternatively, a shoe rack in the hallway will provide a more subtle hint.'

4. Respect shared spaces 'The bathroom ought to be left just as it was found, with no telltale signs of recent occupation. Guests should conduct a brief, forensic examination before unlocking the bathroom door.'

5. Leave the virtual world behind 'It is imperative that both hosts and guests put their gadgets away, look up and focus on the other people in the room. Talking while glancing at a screen looks adolescent and ill-mannered.'

6. Be a considerate smoker 'It is also best to assume that a non-smoking ban applies to e-cigarettes and to remember that vaping is best done in private.'

7. Be unobtrusive 'In general, it is best policy for guests and hosts to be extra vigilant and to moderate their behaviour. It is always safer to ask first, or wait to be told or invited.'

8. Keep tabs on dependents 'It is all too easy, if you are besotted with your children and pets, to overlook the impact they have on other people. Allowing a small child to play noisily outside a guest’s bedroom at 6am with an airy "count yourself lucky, he got us up at 5am" is not excusable.'

9. Watch the clock 'If you’re hosting and you’re an early bird confronted with sleepy heads, be patient and remember that not everyone will follow your sleep patterns. If you’re serving breakfast, talk to your guests the night before and tell them when you expect them to come down.'

10. Respect privacy If you require privacy then it’s up to you to set boundaries: lock doors and cupboards and indicate to guests the areas of the house that are communal. Guests should remember that staying in someone’s house is not an invitation to invade their privacy.'

Pic: Sainsbury's SS15 homes collection/PRShots.com