Before the next guest: turning over the Soho room

Some days, once the room is finished, we stand still for a few seconds and just look at it. The sheets pulled flat, the pillows stacked neatly, the tea set back in its place, late afternoon light coming through the wooden shutters. It is the quietest moment in a homestay host's day.

It starts with the smallest things

A room turnover at ChiMi always begins with the things nobody notices. Fresh bin liner. Wipe the tea table. Check the water dispenser is full. Line up the slippers by the door.

Then comes the bigger work: strip and remake the bed, mop the floor, polish the mirror, test the air conditioning remote, check the projector, fold the towels. The last step is our favourite one, setting the tea set on the table by the window and opening the curtain just enough to let the light in.

Who will the next guest be

When it is done, we always wonder who will open this door next. Someone in Saigon for a few days of work. A small family visiting for the weekend. Someone who landed at midnight and simply needs a quiet place to sleep.

Every guest carries a story of their own. We never know that story in advance, but we do know one thing: the room has to be ready before they arrive.

What we hope for

The Soho room draws on old Hong Kong, with its moon gate headboard, ink wash scroll on the wall and a wooden desk facing the trees. Still, the thing we fuss over most is not the furniture. It is how the room feels the moment you step in.

So that a few days at ChiMi are not just a place to stay, but a calm pause in the middle of a fast city.

See you at Soho.

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ChiMi Homestay & Coffee, 313/18 Nguyen Trong Tuyen, Ward 8, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Hotline 085 800 3456, email [email protected].