How to Be a Dream Guest Guide (Not Just on New Year’s Eve)

New Year’s Eve is the hospitality Olympics.

Full house. Big expectations. The bar is three deep, the kitchen is firing non-stop, and someone always tries to “just squeeze in” an extra six at 9pm.

And do you know what NYE really does? It exposes the little guest behaviours that make a night run smoothly… or send it off the rails.

I had a lovely New Years this year at The Titanic Hotel. A brilliant night with brilliant people. And even with great service, you still see the odd moment where someone forgets there’s a human behind the bar or on the floor, doing their best in the middle of the madness.

So yes, this guide is inspired by New Year’s Eve, but it’s not just for New Year’s Eve. Because the truth is, the same stuff applies on any busy Saturday, any sold-out brunch, any wedding weekend, any “we’re fully booked but we’ll make it work” kind of night.

Here’s the raw and real version. If you want your night to be brilliant, and you don’t want to make someone else’s shift grim, this is how.

1) The one that shouldn’t need saying: actually, turn up

If you book a table, turn up.

Hospitality is planned. Food ordered. Staff rota’d. Tables set. When people ghost, it leaves empty tables, wasted prep, and a team scrambling for no reason.

If you’re going to be late, call. Not a panic text five minutes after your booking time. An actual quick heads-up so the team can adjust.

If you need something, say it in advance. Allergies, accessibility, high chairs, a quieter corner. That’s not “being awkward”, that’s giving us a chance to set you up properly.

The boring grown-up stuff you do before you arrive is what separates a smooth night from a chaotic one.

2) First impressions go both ways

You’re checking out the venue… and the venue is quietly watching you too.

Say hi like you mean it. A simple “Evening! Happy New Year” to the host or bartender changes the whole vibe instantly.

Be on time, or own being late. Turning up 40 minutes after your slot with “traffic lol” energy and no apology? It’s not cute. It’s chaos.

Match the vibe. If it’s dressy and everyone’s made an effort, don’t rock up looking like you’ve just taken the bins out. You don’t need to be fancy, just look like you cared.

3) At the table or bar: where it either flows… or falls apart

This is where dream guests stand out.

Be patient when it’s clearly heaving. On busy nights, staff are juggling a lot at once. Barking won’t make it faster.

Order like you’ve thought about it. Try to order together, not one drink now, one in two minutes, then “actually I’ll change mine” when it’s already being made. We always want to make it as easy as possible for the customer but a little energy sending our way back to try and make our shift more organised is always appreciated.

Pace yourself. No judgement, but if you go from 0 to feral by 10pm, someone else ends up dealing with it. Usually the person mopping up your “great idea” at closing time.

If something’s wrong, tell us nicely and give us a chance to fix it. Most people in this job genuinely want your night to be brilliant.

4) The messy middle

Every busy service has that moment where the room gets louder, drinks stack up, and timing becomes everything.

Remember staff are humans, not robots. If we are talking about New Years, they are working on a day that almost over 70% of the country gets off. They are working to deliver you a good night. A quick “thank you” goes further than people realise.

Respect last orders and closing time. It’s not personal. It’s legal hours, safety, and exhausted humans. So make sure you have plans and know where you are going after every bar or restaurant.

Don’t treat the place like a festival field. Dropping glasses, leaving a table like a bomb site, vanishing without a word… someone is cleaning that up later. I understand that this is there job, they are getting payed but being decent costs you nothing and keeping your table as clean as you can always helps that person wiping your table later.

You don’t have to be perfectly behaved. Just be fun and decent.

5) Closing time: the unsexy part of the night

When you’re thinking “shall we go somewhere else?”, staff are thinking “bins, tips, buses”.

Settle up fast. Have your card ready. Don’t start a ten-minute debate about who owes what with the card machine in your face.

Tip if you can. If you can’t, use your words. A genuine “You were brilliant tonight” “Thanks for looking after us” sticks.

Leave when you’re asked to. Not 20 minutes later. Not “we’re just finishing this one” on repeat. People still need to reset the place before they even think about going home.

6) The day after: the part no one sees

Once the buzz is gone and everyone’s moved on, dream guests do one more thing:

Leave a kind review. Name the team member if you remember them. It genuinely

matters.

Message the venue if someone looked after you. A short “X was amazing” can make a manager’s week and help that person get recognised.

Bring the same energy on a random Tuesday in February. Being decent when it’s busy is great. Being decent when nobody’s watching? Even better.

Being a “dream guest” isn’t about being perfect, quiet, or sober by 10pm.

It’s just remembering that while you’re out having a great time, someone else is at work making that happen and you get to choose whether you make their night slightly heavier or lighter.