Fish and company stink after three days
An old adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin — “guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days” — has never been taken more seriously than in modern hospitality sensibility.
Hosts
Always make your invitation absolutely clear: “Why don’t you come at five on Saturday and we can have a really lovely evening and leisurely breakfast, then we might have to part company as I’ve got to go out to lunch.”
Give your guests an extra special welcome: after all, they have travelled, risked leaving teenagers home alone, and are not there for long.
Don’t let your guests lift a finger during a D&S; again, they’re not there for a whole weekend, so make it a real treat.
Guests
Make it crystal clear when you will be arriving and leaving, so no one is in any doubt. There’s nothing worse than guests whose departure time goes unstated; hosts can worry it will never come.
So, those planning either being or receiving guests may be keen to hear that the traditional Friday-to-Sunday stay of even a few years ago is falling out of fashion.
