Blog Posts

Hosting Holiday Guests at Your Arrive West Apartment

If you are staying home at your Arrive West End apartment for the holidays this year, chances are you may be hosting some overnight guests. To help you out, we’ve pulled together some tips for hosting guests at your home in Dallas, Texas. Warm Welcome Beginning with a warm welcome sets the tone for your guest’s entire visit, and it’s easy to accomplish. Something as simple as fresh flowers, chocolates, or a fruit basket sends a message that you are glad to be hosting family and friends. Take some time to put together a welcome basket and include things like a flashlight, snacks, water bottles, your guest WiFi password, a portable charging stick, mints, and travel-sized toiletries. Comfy Bed Whether you have a dedicated guest room, a pull-out sofa sleeper, or an air mattress, make your guest’s bed as comfortable as possible. A memory-foam mattress pad can go a long way in helping out in this endeavor. Spring for luxurious cotton sheets with a high thread count to help provide a good night’s sleep. Make sure an extra blanket is easily accessible in case your guest takes a chill. Privacy Clear out a drawer or a cupboard so your guest will have a place for their things; even a hook over a door can provide a place to hang things up. Let your guests know what time you are typically up and about, especially if they will be on an air mattress in the living room. Let them know if it’s okay to use a bedroom for changing in (much easier than in a bathroom), and let them know it’s fine for them to follow their own schedule. Holiday Extras Because it’s the holidays, you may have to do a few extra things, like have an extra stocking or two ready just in case they forgot to bring theirs. Prepare in advance to include some of their holiday traditions into your celebration. For example, do they eat a special dish to celebrate? Invite them to make it, or get the recipe and add it to your menu. Little things mean a lot, and with some advance preparation, your guests’ trip to Dallas will be one of the most memorable ever. Be sure to include some downtime for both you, and your guests — don’t feel like you need to entertain them 24/7; they likely need some alone time too. Please share your ideas about hosting guests in the comments. How do you make them feel at home? We want to wish everyone in our apartment community happy holidays. Thanks for reading our blog!

Putting the Thanks in Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming to Dallas, Texas this month, and that means in addition to a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, our minds turn to giving thanks. This month, the Arrive West Blog has some tips for giving thanks in a variety of ways, to members of our apartment community, co-workers, family, and friends; we’ve got ideas! Send a Thank-You Note Buy a box of thank you notes to keep on your desk. When someone does something especially nice take a few minutes to write them a note. Yes, you could send an email or a thank- you meme, but there’s something special about receiving a handwritten note. To the recipient it means, someone took the time to think of me personally, and that’s a good thing to share. If you’re not sure about how to go about writing a thank you note, Hallmark shares this guidance: How to Write a Thank-you Note Keep a Gratitude Journal Buy or make a gratitude journal. Every day, take a few minutes to make note of three things you are grateful for in your life. They can be big or small, the point is to seek out and write down what you’re grateful for, then when life is getting you down, you can go back and read them for a lift. If you’ve got kids, help them create their own gratitude journal. The Happy Housewife has some easy-to-follow directions: Gratitude Journals for Kids . Make a Daily Gratitude Post for a Month on Social Media Chances are social media is a daily part of your life. Harness that habit and use it to promote gratitude. During the day, post at least one thing you are grateful for and why. Not only will you be releasing happy feel-good endorphins for yourself, you will also be brightening others’ day too. Share Something You Are Grateful For with Your Partner, Spouse, or Family At the end of the day, perhaps around the dinner table, share what you liked about your day, what you learned, and what you are thankful for. It’s a great way to connect and to acknowledge the good that happens every day. Pay It Forward Here in Dallas, despite life’s challenges, we’ve been blessed by family, friends, members of our apartment community, and even complete strangers. Somehow, being blessed by other makes us want to “pay it forward.” Make it a point to “pay it forward” each day. We love this list of 60 Selfless Ways to Pay It Forward . Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our apartment community. We hope this month we can all put the “thanks” in Thanksgiving!

Welcome to the Arrive at West End Blog

Welcome to the Arrive West End Blog! Bringing apartment living tips, DIY projects, and information about Dallas, TX to the blog page is what we do. We will be posting about local events, places to eat, and places to visit. You may also read blog posts about the area, its quirky bits, fun facts, and unique features. We will also write about our apartment community and how you can have a fulfilling time her. Check for cooking tips and tricks (including recipes), and even book and movie reviews every now and then. Check back often to see what’s happening on the blog. To get things started, here’s a little bit about our community. We are excited to provide the amenities members of our apartment community are looking for in the place they live. Our individual apartments feature the amenities that make life easier, from our clubhouse to our fitness center. We have it all! Take time to enjoy of our pool, rec room, or our business center — it’s all yours at Arrive West End. Our apartments come with the full range of appliances in the kitchen, and we know you’ll love the convenience of having a washer and dryer in your apartment — no more lugging laundry to a laundromat or laundry room. Take time to relax on your private balcony or patio with a soothing drink and a good book. It’s all a part of living at Arrive West End. Our on-site management team works to make the Arrive West End experience the best ever, and availability of on-site maintenance means your needs can be met quickly and efficiently. We provide package receiving and we accept online payments, which of course saves our residents time and money. We have covered parking and we are near public transportation as well as freeway access. Explore what we have to offer — you’ll be glad you did!