Etiquette Questions, Answered: Entertaining and Guests

Real Simple's Modern Manners columnist helps you avoid committing an entertaining faux pas.

Is It Rude To Have Overnight Guests Sleep on My Couch?

Q. I don’t have a guest room. When a friend or a relative visits me, must I offer my own bedroom, or is it acceptable to have her sleep on my pullout sofa?

Tanya Bair

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

A. Is this person your mother? Your elderly aunt? Any close, older family member automatically gets the bed. Otherwise it depends on the circumstances. If you’ve invited a friend to visit and assured her of a comfortable stay, you’re obliged to make her trip as pleasant as possible. That means offering her the bedroom—though she may well decline. But if you’re doing someone a favor (maybe a long-lost college roommate asks to crash at your place), it’s perfectly reasonable to offer the sofa. Just be up-front about the accommodations before your guest arrives so she isn’t surprised or disappointed.

―Michelle Slatalla