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Frequently Asked Questions by Potential
Homestay Toronto Guests
- What may I expect my host to supply?
- How will I find my way from the
airport to Homestay Toronto home?
- I love to talk and socialize and look
forward to conversing with my hosts. Will they be around for me?
- What happens if I'm out late at
night? Will I be able to get into the house if everyone else is asleep?
- In addition to my guestroom, what other
rooms may I use in the house?
- Is my host allowed in my room?
- May I invite my own personal guests to
visit me in my Homestay home?
- May I use the Homestay residence
phone?
- Is tobacco smoking permitted?
- Am I expected to make my bed
every morning?
- May I do Laundry?
- May I do my own cooking?
- Will breakfast be served to me? What
foods will be offered?
- Are there certain hours for breakfast? What
happens if I miss the family breakfast hour?
- What will be served for dinner
and at what time?
- Am I expected to help with
preparing for dinner and cleaning up after dinner?
What may I expect my
host to supply?
At the very
minimum, anticipate:
A clean, comfortable room with adequate,
private sleeping facilities. Curtains and/or shades or blinds on all
windows. A closeable door to your room.
The house has Central Air-Conditioning.
Clean sheets, pillow, pillowcase, bath
towel, hand towel, face cloth, bath mat (all changed every 3 or 4 days,
depending on the length of your stay). Adequate blankets for the season.
An adequate supply of soap and toilet
paper (ask if you need more) and a drinking glass (possibly disposable) at
the sink. Mirror for grooming.
A welcome package of subway and bus maps, brochures,
current newspaper or magazine listing current events in our city, discount
tickets and other helpful materials.
Access to designated "family areas"
(living room, den, porch, garden), where you may relax in solitude or enjoy
the company of host family members.
Breakfast. At minimum, a continental
buffet breakfast is offered.
Dinner.
Mutually convenient times when you can
talk with the host/host family members.
Whatever helpful advice and directions you
may need to make your stay pleasant and your travels time-efficient.
Flexibility. There are very few "rules"
and rigid "schedules." Talk with your host about your needs, preferences,
and expectations.
How will I find my way from the airport or
other terminal to Homestay Toronto house?
Prior to your departure for Toronto, you
can receive specific instructions for travel by taxicab, other
public transportation, or by car to your Homestay home. Our telephone number
will be included, in the event you have a problem and need further
instructions. Do not hesitate to call for help. To see a detail map and
directions you can go to Location Page
I love to talk
and socialize and look forward to conversing with my hosts. Will they be
around for me?
Hospitality, warmth, helpfulness,
cultural exchanges of mutual interest -- these are the characteristics that
best describe the difference between Homestay - Toronto and any other accommodations in
Toronto. For the most part, your host will be available to interact with you,
chat about your day’s activities, and answer your questions at some time
during each day. However, sometimes something occurs that your host has to
take care of and they may need to focus their time and attention on this. You
need not be offended; that’s part of family living. And remember, there may be
times when you come "home" to your host and family so exhausted that you want
only to relax quietly, by yourself. Without question, your host will
understand when you excuse yourself from everyone else’s company.
What happens if
I’m out late at night? Will I be able to get into the house if everyone else
is asleep?
Please be polite and enter as quietly as
possible since hosts may need to rise early for their work or children.
In addition to my
guestroom, what other rooms may I use in the house?
This varies. Guests are normally
welcome in rooms such as the den, dining areas, and living room, but not in
personal, host family bedrooms, baths, and other designated "private" areas of
the home. The host should identify "restricted" areas, if there are any.
Outside of the house, guests have free access to porch areas, gardens, and
yards. If in doubt, ask your host.
Hosts and their families do respect
their guests’ privacy. They may enter your room when you are not there (or
with your permission when you are there) to change linens, refresh snacks,
remove dead flowers, and do required maintenance.
May I invite my
own personal guests to visit me in my Homestay home?
The policy of Homestay Toronto is to
deny visitors to the host home for the protection of the host and guest.
Telephones are readily available for
your reasonable use. Please check with us the location of phones for your use
and any special household restrictions that may apply (hours and frequency of
usage). Phone usage is a guest
privilege that should not be abused.
Homestay Toronto insist on a "smoke free"
environment in their homes. This should not be treated as an idle rule. Please abide by the "no smoking" request at all
times. Homestay hosts usually indicate pleasant, convenient outdoor areas
where tobacco smoking is permitted -- and even provide smokers with an outdoor
ashtray.
No. But this is up to you. Your host does not promise to
make up your bed for you each day. However, most of us like to find neatly
arranged sheets and pillows when we return to our rooms after a day’s activity
-- so you might consider that before you leave in the morning. Depending on
the length of your stay, your host will probably be changing your bed linens
and towels every 3 or 4 days.
laundry?
Homestay Toronto has household
washers/dryers and ironing facilities that you will be permitted to use at a
time convenient to the family. Your host will instruct you as to proper usage
and generally allow you to use a reasonable amount of the family’s laundry
detergent.
No. The policy of Homestay Toronto
does not allow guests to cook. However, your host will indicate whether you
have access to small appliances (microwave, toaster, etc.) to "heat up" snacks
and beverages.
Will breakfast
be served to me? What foods will be offered?
Self-service. Hosts want to help and be gracious, but because of child care
and work schedules, a host may not be able to cook a large breakfast. In all
cases, foods offered will be based, as far as possible, on the preferences you
indicated on your breakfast check-off list.
At the very minimum, continental buffet will be set out for
you, based on your breakfast check-off list. Feel free to discuss your
breakfast options with your host.
Are there certain
hours for breakfast? What happens if I miss the family breakfast hour?
If there are household hours for
breakfast, and you expect to miss them, tell your host and you will be shown
where the breakfast foods are kept. After the missed hour and up until 10:00
AM, you may assemble your own continental breakfast.
When you dine with the family, you
are invited to eat what the family is having. Please specify if there is some
food group (poultry, fish) that you do not like. The host will be glad
to serve a family meal that is to your liking. A mutually agreed upon time can
be arranged to suit your schedule as well as that of the host family.
Am I
expected to help with preparing for dinner and cleaning up after dinner?
No, but it is polite to offer to
help. Sometimes, conversations and friendships flourish over these easy,
shared chores. In all cases, the nicer you are to someone, the nicer the
returned reaction.
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