Help me be assertive!

[LemonLimerance]

I agreed to let some family friends stay for 3 nights - two girls in their mid 20s - as they are visiting our town. I hadn’t met them before and when I met them earlier today they seemed very sweet.
They went out tonight, came back to a sleeping house an hour ago, and have been clattering about ever since. I keep thinking they’re surely about to go to bed, and then one of them comes back out. I can hear music from a phone, talking. sounds of the bathroom being used with the door open, something crashing to the floor, doors being opened and closed with no thought to the noise level. It’s after midnight, which is way too late for me to be lying here awake.
I know I should have gone down sooner to say something but I’m just hoping they’re done for the night now. But this can’t go on for the next 2 nights.
Equally, I want to come across firm and assertive, not angry and aggressive tomorrow morning.
What can I say to get my point across without it being massively awkward for the next 2 days?

Morning bump?

Ask them if they had a good night, what they got up to type thing then say something like " bloody hell you two were loud, could hear you in bed! I'm a really light sleeper so need you to be like church mice from now on " smiling and friendly.

Do say something though.

That’s a good idea. Why am I so bad at this sort of thing? We’ve had plenty of guests before and it’s never been a problem so I didn’t anticipate this!

It's hard when it's someone you like/are friends with to say something that might come across as harsh.

Hope you manage to speak to them and they are quiet for the rest of the stay. It would drive me potty too so you have my sympathy!

While I appreciate that you don't want to be harsh , when I was that age (and stupid) I preferred the people who didn't get cross but told me at the time to pipe down rather than have a chat about it the next day

Looking back I often didn't make the connection between people saying hope you slept well, we were a bit disturbed and the noise I made.

Hope that helps , in case your guests are as dense as I was

Set your alarm early tomo and hoover while singing Freddie's I want to break free. Tell them you always blitz the house early, they best have an early night tonight then!

Thank you GreatDuck :)

Finally you are right, so much better to just call out at the time than have to have an awkward “chat” the next day.

They did get better and now they’re gone and I’m freeeee to prance around in my undies again.

Haha that's good OP