Certain things which it is pleasant to have in a guest room are in the following list:
An empty closet and empty drawers.
Drinking water, at night, because a guest cannot wander round at night seeking what he needs.
A candle and matches close to the bed, because something may happen to the lighting arrangements, or the guest may forget where they are.
A wash cloth, a piece of soap, a brush and comb, pins and a whisk broom, because these things are easily and frequently forgotten by a traveller.
A wrapper, a pair of bedroom slippers, and a Bible. These three are especially for transient guests as they are apt to be heavy and large to carry in a travelling bag.
If the guest-room bed is very daintily covered, it is well to have a place, other than the bed, where a guest may lie down.
The bed should be opened at night because a stranger often feels a helpless ignorance of the intricacies of shams and counterpanes and unaccustomed methods of bed making.
The degree of preparation made for meals offered to guests should be governed by the occasion. When people are formally invited into your home for a meal, it is natural that special preparations should be made for them, and quite right, provided the repast does do not exceed what you can afford or serve without evident anxiety. Unexpected guests and guests who stay a few days or more ought to be taken into the regular life of the family, with only such departures from the usual order as the use of finer linen, or flowers on the table, or the preparation of some dish which the guest is known to care for.