Whether you’re a guest at a hotel or a guest at a dinner party, it’s nice to be accommodated and provided with warm hospitality. However, it isn’t only up to the host or hostess to provide a good experience; the guest is also responsible for being respectful and appreciative of the effort put into optimizing their stay.
Not Taking off Your Shoes
Many Asian countries emphasize taking off your shoes before entering someone’s house, and for good reason. We spend months wearing our shoes or sneakers, trudging through who knows what on the street. Whether you stepped on some mud, litter, dog feces, or nothing significant at all, your shoes can carry harmful germs and toxins, putting your host at risk of illness.
Not Saying Thank You
Saying thank you is the simplest way to make an exchange a positive one. Not making the slightest effort to show your gratitude can reflect poorly on your character.
Criticizing and Complaining
You may have an allergy to or dislike a certain type of food or aspect of your environment. But, a bad guest would constantly criticize or complain about what they have been provided with. Many guests don’t understand the length of effort that hosts have gone through, and complaining or criticizing their production will only sour the atmosphere.
Looking at Your Phone
There’s no shame in admitting that we are over reliant on our phones. Whether we are expecting a call, getting a notification, or finding ourselves in a trance going on our phones, it’s common these days. The average American spends over 5 hours on their phone each day. Being unable to go a short amount of time without looking at their phone and showing that they’re uninterested in their peers is rude and a poor demonstration of impoliteness, arrogance, and inconsideration.
Chewing With Your Mouth Open
At a dinner party, one of the most annoying and grotesque things that someone can do is chew with their mouths open. This can seriously irritate other guests and the host and even put people off of their food.
Ignoring House Rules
House rules are there for a reason. Whether it’s no smoking, not going in a particular room, or stopping making noise at a certain time of the night, hosts set rules that the guests should obey.
Not Offering to Help
If you go over for dinner at a friend or family’s house, the least you can do is say thank you and offer some help. Whether it’s in the form of cleaning the dishes, preparing the table, or assisting the chef, a little help goes a long way. Not offering help shows that you’re not appreciative of what is being provided.
Raiding the Fridge
Raiding someone else’s fridge is very disrespectful. Just because a guest has been invited into someone’s home, it does not mean that they are entitled to whatever is in the house.
Staying up Too Late and Making Too Much Noise
Not obeying a curfew can affect the other guests significantly. Whether they are light sleepers or need to get up at 4:00 am, badly behaved guests won’t consider other guests. This is particularly true if you are a traveler staying at a hostel. 74% of travelers said that they must sleep in a quiet environment to feel good the next day.
Arriving Late
Arriving significantly late to an event can be inconvenient, worrying, and more; punctuality is the least someone can do as a guest. Being a few minutes late is no harm, but when your late presence affects the event for the host and other guests, it becomes a problem. It can also raise an alarm by making your host worry about your safety and health.
Leaving Early
Leaving early is another bad habit of guests. This is because the host can put great effort into planning a long and engaging event. It’s best to inform your host that you must leave early beforehand.
Overstaying Your Welcome
Another way to be an annoyance is to overstay your welcome. Your host may have a strict sleeping schedule, work early in the morning, or simply want to relax in their own company after a certain point. Overstaying your welcome can be not only time-consuming but energy-draining. It can also be incredibly awkward because your host may not know how to approach the subject of your being overstayed welcome.
Not Bringing a Gift
Certain cultures and events emphasize bringing a gift when you’re a guest, particularly if you’re at a wedding, a baby shower, or even a dinner party. It can be hard to decide whether it’s appropriate or not, so it’s best to play it safe by bringing something small or at least asking ahead of time.
Snooping
Because you’ve been invited to someone’s personal home, you shouldn’t snoop into areas that are out of bounds. This is a huge breach of privacy and trust and will certainly make a host reconsider inviting a guest in the future.
Bringing Uninvited Guests
Some hosts encourage you to bring a plus one, while others do not. Not only can bringing uninvited guests disobey your host’s requests, but it can also negatively affect the dynamic and put a spanner in the works if the host has carefully planned for a specific number of people.
Cracking Inappropriate Jokes at the Table
Depending on your proximity to the host, some subjects and jokes should be off the table. Cracking jokes that are inappropriate or at the expense of your host can come off as classless.
Leaving Doors Unlocked
Some doors are kept locked to prevent pets, children, or family members under care from wandering the streets or entering a room with dangerous items. If a guest unlocks and keeps a door locked, they undermine the rules the host sets.
Ignoring Pets
While it may seem like not a big deal for non-pet owners, ignoring the host’s pet can come across as rude, this is because in a pet owner’s home, the pet is considered to be a huge part of the family. Dogs in particular can be very welcoming of guests, and it hurts pet owners to see their friends and family members not acknowledge their furry friend.
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