to expect host to let her party guests know that she has a no shoes policy?

YABU.

@Bignanna

And that's where we will have to disagree.

I have been asked probably 5 times or less to remove my shoes. I just think it's really rude and I will definitely judge the host for it. And it is definitely a hassle to carry another pair of shoes with you, particularly if you are just popping in for a brew.

I honestly had never come across this until I moved down south.

🙄

I love sloths. Wouldn't have one in the house though.
Oh, and my auntie's budgie.

Lovely people don't "hate" animals.

They do. I am a lovely person 😇

I hear dogs speak very highly of you.

Oh for goodness sake!
I hate dogs, ok? The jumping up, slavering, growling, barking, biting, pissing and shitting everywhere.
I cannot imagine how they would enrich anyone's lives, let alone mine, but I will say it once more:
each to their own

You're the one that's missing out...

You can only speak for yourself.
My life has enrichment. I don't like dogs at all, and wouldn't want a cat.
Like I said, mess and smell. But each to their own.

It's probably not "odd" not to have pets but I think it's a little sad. Pets enrich your life so much.

I’m not just talking about this thread, but I’ve seen similar threads on different forums and they seemed to favour the shoes off, and take an opposite view to you in that its considered disrespectful NOT to remove shoes. I don’t think anyone thinks their floors are more important than people, but I can understand why hosts prefer their guests to remove their shoes unless they have some horrible foot condition , or disability. It’s no hardship to take along some indoor shoes if you don’t want others to see the holes in your socks.

It's not "odd" not to have pets.
I don't want the smell and the mess.
I have a lovely home, it's very welcoming and I don't care if you keep your shoes on or take them off. My flooring will cope, as will I.

I know a couple of people that insist on shoes off but they are very much the minority. The fact that shoes off houses tell you to take them off as soon as they open the door tells you that most people are shoes on. If the norm was shoes off then you wouldn't have to tell everyone that comes to your house.

I never feel comfortable in shoes off houses as I always feel that they are more interested in their furniture than me. Also they don't tend to have pets which is something I find odd, animals make homes complete.

@Bignanna it's funny how we are reading the same thread and getting totally different conclusions from it.

From the poll and from the answers, I would say that most people agree with OP and think it's really unreasonable/awful to invite people around to your house for a posh /formal charity event and once they arrive in their gladrags, ask them to take their shoes off.
It's actually really fucking rude and the host is putting their flooring above people and making them feel awkward. They are being terrible hosts.

Genuinely, I don't know how you can think anything else regarding the circumstances for this event. In my whole life, any posh / formal event that I have been invited to, whether it's in someone's house or elsewhere, I have never ever been asked to remove my shoes.

In everyday life, I don't remove my shoes nor do I ask my guests to, but that's probably because we have hard floors downstairs

That’s slightly circumventing the issue which is removing them for formal events. I’m not sure an overwhelming response in favour of shoeless formal functions is likely. Being at home watching tv, for example, is a completely different thing.

OP refers to this as a posh event. Can't have been very posh if they were making people take their shoes off.

The question of whether outside shoes should be worn inside is a favourite of many forums, but from what I’ve read, the overwhelming response seems to be in favour of removing shoes. There’s some silly responses, that’s to be expected, but imo it boils down to common sense and courtesy.

I have never in my life considered putting slippers in my bag to go to a house party. No one has ever asked me to bring slippers either. I go to a lot of house parties too. I'm not treated like a contaminant on the vast majority of occasions.

Besides, I wouldn't be allowed my slippers according to your rules because I take the bins out/nip to the car in them 🤷‍♀️

What if the indoor shoes may have once, inadvertantly, touched the ground outside? Do you think people should line up and have the soles inspected?

They don’t have to go without shoes, though! They can bring comfy indoor shoes with them.

You could have indoor shoes for such occasions!

I don't need them. Happily for me, no one I know refuses to accommodate my disability.

I wonder, do these precious floor folks refuse to allow a wheelchair that has trod the dirty earth to enter their homes, or do they require people to have special indoor wheelchairs?

They ARE going to suffer discomfort. You're not even accounting for medical conditions, let alone the fact that many, many people have said they wouldn't feel comfortable without their shoes on.

Of course you care more about your floor than how you're making anyone feel.

No, never, @CharlotteBog . The last one I went to was an engagement party and people were dressed up. All wore shoes.
Common sense would say that those kind of shoes aren't going to be particularly dirty!
A bit of dirt? That's life! Clean it up.

Invitation: We would like to invite you to our charity event. Formal attire please. But no shoes.

Never seen such a thing in my life.

Invitation: We would like to invite you to our charity event. Formal attire please.

Guest thinks - oh I'd better ask if I can keep my shoes on.
Host: What?!

Also never seen such a thing in my life.

It's OK for floors to get a bit grubby. Guest attending a posh party are unlikely to have mud or dogs mess on their shoes. If they had picked some up, they'd probably want to clean them. A bit of rain? That's what door mats are for.

Has anyone truthfully been to a party where they've worn a lovely outfit and all the guests have been in overshoes or bare/stocking feet?