How should a host greet their arriving guests?

[Hmmmmm]

We have a glass front door so anyone walking up our side walk can see into our entry hall and if you are coming downstairs you must go through the entry hall.  So if I see a guest walking up the front walk, they are going to see me, so I am not going to walk away to wait till they ring the door bell and Im not going to just stand there watching them walk up.  I am going to go ahead and open the door, walk onto the front porch to great them.  However, I won't do that till they are out of their cars and approaching the house. 

[Thipu1]

Because the layout of our building can be tricky for first-time guests, we usually buzz them in the front door of the place and meet them in the courtyard.  This method is especially useful if they have luggage.  The forty steps to our apartment can be daunting with a roll-aboard suitcase. 

[BarensMom]

I'm not going to stand outside or leave my front door open - I don't want bugs or the heat/cold to get out.  It won't kill the guests to ring the doorbell and wait for 5 seconds.  Besides, if Baren decides to make a break for it, then my guests would have to entertain themselves while we run all over the neighborhood to catch him.

[bopper]

For the first guest, I would probably wait at the door as I see them pull up.
For subsequent guests, I would be talking to them and then greet new guests as they come in/ring doorbell.

[onyonryngs]

OP, I'm curious as to what brought about this question.  Are you going to share the story?

[Mental Magpie]

I chose other because I think it depends.

If it is obvious the person is going to sit in the car for a moment (a la applying lip gloss, straightening tie, checking e-mail), then let them ring the door bell and go do something else until they do.  If they get out and don't have anything in their hands, wait at the door to greet them.  If they look like they need help carrying something, "escort" them in.

I do think it is rude/creepy, however, if they obviously see you standing there for you to wait for them to come ring the doorbell.  Open the door when they draw near and invite them inside.

[LifeOnPluto]

OP, I'm curious as to what brought about this question.  Are you going to share the story?

Sure! My DF and I are having a slight difference of opinion. We recently hosted a gathering at our house. DF was the one passing by the front door when he saw our guests pull up in the driveway. He continued standing at the front door and watched them get out of the car. He cheerfully called out "Hi!" when they got out (and they called back "hi!"), then he went outside to greet them.

My feeling is, he shouldn't have waited at the door / gone outside. It seems a little odd, and desperate, to me. We see these people maybe 3-4 times a year, FWIW.

DF, on the other hand, doesn't see anything wrong with it. He also thinks that our guests would have seen him in the doorway as they pulled up, so it would have looked rude if he'd just moved away (further back into the house) without greeting them.

Judging from the opinions here, it looks like most posters agree with me! 

 

[Mental Magpie]

I actually agree with him on this one. I probably would have done the same thing, especially because you don't see them that often.

[CakeEater]

In that case, I wouldn't go right out to the car, but I'd probably open the door, wave and wait there.

[TootsNYC]

I don't think either way is wrong, but I actually agree that he'd have looked weird if he'd walked away from them.

[Mental Magpie]

I don't think either way is wrong, but I actually agree that he'd have looked weird if he'd walked away from them.

Ditto.  The reason I would have gone out, too, would be to greet them since I hadn't seen them in a long while.

[onyonryngs]

I don't think either way is wrong, but I actually agree that he'd have looked weird if he'd walked away from them.

Ditto.  The reason I would have gone out, too, would be to greet them since I hadn't seen them in a long while.

Me too, but only because they may have seen him at the front door.  I think the acknowledgment was appropriate. 

[Lynn2000]

Yeah, in a real situation, there can be lots of little awkward things that happen--like, you think they can't see you standing at the door but they can; or you're getting out of the car going, "Um, why are they just standing at the doorway waving?" and then when you get closer you realize they don't have shoes on or they're blocking the dog or something. If I spotted my host through the door and he turned away, I would probably just think something inside the house had attracted his attention, and it would leave my head within seconds as long as someone was there to let me in promptly.

[Outdoor Girl]

I guess my answer is 'It depends'.  It depends on whether or not the guests are going to be staying overnight and hence, have a lot of stuff.  It depends on the weather, too.  If it is summertime, I'm more likely to go out and help them cart stuff in.  If it is wintertime, I'm more likely to meet them at the door and take their stuff from them if they need to go back to the car for more.  Mainly so I don't have to take shoes on and off.

If none of the guests are staying overnight, it depends on whether or not they are the first guests to arrive.  If they are, I'm more likely to meet them at the door and greet them, since I've probably been waiting.  I won't stand there with the door open, though, since one of the cats likes to escape.  If they aren't the first guests to arrive, I'm more likely to be busy visiting and will wait for someone to ring the doorbell and I'll go greet them at the door.  Although, with my group of friends, they are more likely to ring the doorbell or knock and then try the door.  If it is unlocked, they'll come in and holler.  And since I can see my front door from practically anywhere in the house, this works great.  The only time my door would be unlocked would be during a party.

[Hmmmmm]

OP, I'm curious as to what brought about this question.  Are you going to share the story?

Sure! My DF and I are having a slight difference of opinion. We recently hosted a gathering at our house. DF was the one passing by the front door when he saw our guests pull up in the driveway. He continued standing at the front door and watched them get out of the car. He cheerfully called out "Hi!" when they got out (and they called back "hi!"), then he went outside to greet them.

My feeling is, he shouldn't have waited at the door / gone outside. It seems a little odd, and desperate, to me. We see these people maybe 3-4 times a year, FWIW.

DF, on the other hand, doesn't see anything wrong with it. He also thinks that our guests would have seen him in the doorway as they pulled up, so it would have looked rude if he'd just moved away (further back into the house) without greeting them. Judging from the opinions here, it looks like most posters agree with me!

I agree with your DH.  If I was the guest and saw him walk off I'd think "Uh oh, I wonder if I'm early and they aren't ready for us."