Article originally appeared on NWA Motherlode

The Holidays are here and there is nothing greater than spending it with family! The decision to have family stay with you versus a hotel can be difficult. Our handy guide below will provide you with the top 5 reasons why you should choose a hotel.

5. Your guests won’t need to worry that they’re inconveniencing you.

When we travel, we always want to make sure we're not creating too much work or hassle for the people we're staying with. Your guests feel the same way. So staying in a hotel often solves that anxiety because there’s automatically less work for the hostess to do which allows both you and your guests to relax and enjoy the holiday.

4. You won’t have the added pressure of being “on” for 24 hours a day.

Let’s face it: After several days of entertaining house guests, everyone gets a little worn out. But when your guests stay at a hotel and just spend chunks of time at your house, extended visits are much more enjoyable because everybody gets a little break at the end of the day.

3. Your guests can make a mess and hotel housekeeping can deal with it.

You know how careful you are when you’re staying at someone else’s house? You want to be sure that you don’t leave a mess behind, and you’re quick to jump in and help with dishes, straighten up any toys your kids play with, etc.

When you put your guests into a hotel, you’re giving them the gift of being a little lazy for a few days because hotel housekeeping will be there to clean up. Everybody wins.

2. Your guests can enjoy more of the community.

Sometimes when people stay at your house, they don’t feel as free to come and go as they please. Having your guests at a nearby hotel gives them the luxury of being able to control their own schedule and go out for a little sightseeing or shopping when they feel like it. It feels more like a combination of family visit AND vacation.

If you choose one of the Columbia County hotels, for example, your guests can easily sneak in a little holiday shopping or they can take their kids to see the Holiday Lights at Evans Towne Center Park. Or they can try a new restaurant or do any of these activities on our “Things to Do” list.

1. Everybody needs a little space and downtime.

Having your guests stay in a hotel is especially good if you happen to have some family dynamics which create tension. If your uncle always starts an argument or your mother can’t help but make a running commentary about your husband or kids, it’s often a blessing to have a little extra space instead of having everyone right on top of each other for days on end.

Also, consider that if you have small kids in your house and your guests aren’t used to that, they might be really grateful for a little downtime away from all the holiday chaos. Sometimes having a few hours in a quiet hotel room makes it much easier for them to embrace the festivities when it’s time for the holidays’ big events.

On the flip side of that, if your visiting guests have a baby, they might LOVE the idea of having a quiet hotel room to go back to when it’s time for the baby’s all-important nap. We all know how hard it is to keep babies on their schedules during the holidays.

Cost is always a factor when it comes to putting guests in a hotel, but the good news is that local hotels offer great deals around the holidays. Call the front desk of any hotel and ask about specials or promotions they might have, and try to get rooms close together if you have multiple guests coming into town.

We hope these reasons help you give yourself permission to put guests in a local hotel, if that’s what works best for you and for them. Having a little “hotel back-up” often makes the whole holiday run smoothly and adds an extra element of vacation fun.