66-year-old woman gets called a ‘doormat’ after she complains about entitled family and friends who use her guest room but never say thank you, she refuses to keep hosting: ‘I got the message’

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  • "I feel like I'm running a hotel"
  • "So sick of being made to feel like I’m running a hotel."

    I live in the center of a major city and am lucky enough to own a house with a "guest room". Normally, I'm pretty happy to have houseguests, but the past 10 days have
  • been over-the-top. Four different guests, all of whom asked if I could put them up (i.e. I hadn't invited them myself).
  • Change of bedding each time, three meals a day for some of them, use of washing machine, beer, wine, etc, etc.
  • Not a single one of them arrived with even so much as a jar of jam. When I mentioned to one that I thought we'd order in some food one night, she said,
  • "Great! My treat!" And sat beside me while | I looked thru DoorDash. I asked her to choose what she wanted first, so I could be sure not to order something more
  • expensive. But it didn't matter, because she didn't pay. Never even mentioned it again. Nobody leaves a bottle of wine, or flowers, or anything.
  • At first I thought this was maybe some generational thing, but one of my guests (the DoorDash one) is 65! What the h I. I'm really ready to just say "no."
  • ETA: a bit of clarification. These guests were all either friends or family. I don't welcome strangers, so don't get any funny ideas!
  • And if you're about to comment that 1) I am a doormat and/or 2) no is a complete sentence, please don't bother. After hearing
  • both several dozen times, I got the message. Really I did. Otherwise, thanks for commenting!
  • Guest
  • thetinyorc "Sorry, those days don't work for me. Enjoy the city!"
  • Bottom_of_the_bottle Stop just letting people walk all over you. If you still want to offer the room to them, then offer the room and leave the rest up to them, don't cook for them, don't order food.
  • Alto_GotEm Seriously, people gotta learn the art of being a guest, bring some snacks, pitch in, or at the very least, say thank you!
  • MistressClyde This sounds like OP enjoys having houseguests, and looks forward to hosting people from out of town. OP just would enjoy the experience more if guests were more respectful of the 'favor.'
  • I think the next time someone asks, you can casually chat for a while and mention that you also sometimes stay with friends when you're out of town, and you don't want them to feel like you're
  • treating them they're running a hotel. "What do you think a good hostess gift would be?" That might be a strong enough hint that avoids confrontation.
  • checktheindex OP Yes, I usually do like having houseguests and you've hit the nail on the head. These are all people I otherwise like, and some I even love! Just fed up with never getting even the teeniest favour or acknowledgment. I mean, they do say "thanks". I guess that's something?
  • Punctual Dromedary I have a spare room in a major city. This doesn't happen when my friends come visit, and if it did, they wouldn't be allowed back again. They always take me out to dinner as thanks.
  • checktheindex OP Right? This is what I do, myself. The thing that's "mildly infuriating" is that it seems other people don't.
  • berserk539 Just turned it into an office. You no longer have a guest room for people to crash in.
  • Haugsnkisses I'm confused. It's your house. You choose what you allow and you don't allow. You aren't "being made to feel" anything. You aren't obligated to do anything.
  • If someone asks me to haul a 500 pound boulder up a hill, and I say yes, I don't get to complain about how much of a bother it was. I could've simply said no from the beginning.
  • No_Situation4785 these do not sound like friends
  • Randompersonomreddit Send a venmo payment request for the food. And start saying no.

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