New research released today from COTTON USA shows that over half of Brits make excuses to get out of spending the night at a friend or family member’s home. The research shows that 56% of quick-thinking Brits would prefer to come up with an excuse as to why they need to go home rather than staying for the night.
House-proud Brits who revel in being the ‘host with the most’ and who love having friends and family over to stay, may be surprised to find that almost a third (32%) of those surveyed have used the excuse of “I have an early start tomorrow” to get out of staying the night and nearly a quarter (23%) of people have said that they don’t have the things they need to stay over (e.g. a toothbrush or make-up).
More than 1 in 10 (12%) claim they can’t sleep in any bed but their own. In true British style, over two thirds (67%) of polite guests would not tell their host if they had a bad or uncomfortable night’s stay, preferring to keep it to themselves and avoid damaging their host’s pride.
When it comes to inviting features of a guest room, over half (55%) of people surveyed stated that fresh, cotton sheets would certainly encourage them to stay over, closely followed by a proper bed, as opposed to a sofa or pull-out bed (55%). In addition, according to over half of those surveyed (52%), sheets and towels made from natural fibres, such as cotton, would create a fresh and clean but also comfortable (44%) perception of a guest room.
When inviting friends or family over to stay, the research showed that the biggest turn off for over half of overnight guests was dirty sheets (55%), closely followed by a bedroom which has an unpleasant odour, such as smoke (47%). For 1 in 5 (22%) it was social awkwardness – for example, not knowing what time to wake for breakfast – which would put them off staying the night, and for 21% it was as simple as the temperature of the room.
Kelly Hoppen, interior designer and television personality said: “To make your guest bedroom an attractive place for visitors, keep the room as clean and as airy as possible and try to avoid clutter. Additional touches such as flowers or even a fluffy cotton dressing gown or towels for your guest can really make your guest bedroom appealing to friends or paying guests.”
According to the findings, 4 in 10 (40%) of those surveyed have had to sleep on the sofa because their friend or family member did not have a proper guest bed. Furthermore, a quarter (24%) of people have had to sleep on the floor and 1 in 10 (10%) have even had to share a bed with the host.
