How to Make Guests Feel a Warm Welcome in a Spare Room
Tick off this guest room essentials list to make sure overnight visitors feel relaxed and welcome
Wondering how to prepare a room for guests? Once you’ve sorted your bedding, table lamps, bedside tables and mirror, it can be difficult to know what else to include. Check out this guide to find ideas for those little extras every spare room should have to make sure your friends and family have a restful stay.
Provide storage for their belongings
If your guests are staying for longer than one night, they’ll appreciate the chance to unpack.
To help them store clothes, shoes and accessories, provide both hanging space and a surface. It doesn’t have to be an expensive piece of furniture – a row of hooks with a shelf or a clothes rail like this one will do the trick.
Your visitors will be able to keep garments crease-free on hangers and gather all their items neatly in one place.
Find a local design professional on Houzz
If your guests are staying for longer than one night, they’ll appreciate the chance to unpack.
To help them store clothes, shoes and accessories, provide both hanging space and a surface. It doesn’t have to be an expensive piece of furniture – a row of hooks with a shelf or a clothes rail like this one will do the trick.
Your visitors will be able to keep garments crease-free on hangers and gather all their items neatly in one place.
Find a local design professional on Houzz
Create a digital zone
There’s a good chance the first thing your guests are going to ask for is your Wi-Fi password. Pre-empt this by providing it for them, alongside a handy tech station where they can charge up all their digital equipment.
Write down the Wi-Fi code and display it on a noticeboard or in a picture frame, so your visitors can easily spot it as they unpack.
The tech station can be as simple as a surface with a USB socket or adaptor nearby – and if you have spare charging leads, include those, too.
9 Smart Charging-Station Solutions for Decluttering
There’s a good chance the first thing your guests are going to ask for is your Wi-Fi password. Pre-empt this by providing it for them, alongside a handy tech station where they can charge up all their digital equipment.
Write down the Wi-Fi code and display it on a noticeboard or in a picture frame, so your visitors can easily spot it as they unpack.
The tech station can be as simple as a surface with a USB socket or adaptor nearby – and if you have spare charging leads, include those, too.
9 Smart Charging-Station Solutions for Decluttering
Put together a basket of bathroom must-haves
How many times have you forgotten your toothbrush when staying overnight somewhere? Make life easy for your guests by gathering a selection of bathroom essentials, so if they’ve forgotten something, they won’t need to ask you late at night, or spend ages rummaging through the bathroom cabinets.
Include a spare toothbrush, some small decanted bottles of toiletries, towels and even a brush and hairdryer. Keep the basket next to the bed, and make sure your guests know they can help themselves.
How many times have you forgotten your toothbrush when staying overnight somewhere? Make life easy for your guests by gathering a selection of bathroom essentials, so if they’ve forgotten something, they won’t need to ask you late at night, or spend ages rummaging through the bathroom cabinets.
Include a spare toothbrush, some small decanted bottles of toiletries, towels and even a brush and hairdryer. Keep the basket next to the bed, and make sure your guests know they can help themselves.
Fit blackout blinds or curtains
For everyone’s benefit, it’s important your guests get a good night’s sleep. Avoid bleary eyes in the morning by providing a comfortable environment that promotes relaxation.
One of the key pieces of kit for quality sleep is a window treatment that blocks out the light. Hang blinds or curtains with blackout lining to make sure your visitors aren’t woken up by street lamps or morning sunlight.
How to Choose the Right Window Treatment
For everyone’s benefit, it’s important your guests get a good night’s sleep. Avoid bleary eyes in the morning by providing a comfortable environment that promotes relaxation.
One of the key pieces of kit for quality sleep is a window treatment that blocks out the light. Hang blinds or curtains with blackout lining to make sure your visitors aren’t woken up by street lamps or morning sunlight.
How to Choose the Right Window Treatment
Consider temperature regulators
Something else that can interfere with sleep is the temperature of the room. It’s often hard to get comfortable if you’re too hot or cold. Make sure your guests can warm up on a cold night by providing extra blankets and quilts.
If your friends or family are visiting during the summer, it’s a good idea to tuck a fan somewhere in the spare room so they can cool off.
Something else that can interfere with sleep is the temperature of the room. It’s often hard to get comfortable if you’re too hot or cold. Make sure your guests can warm up on a cold night by providing extra blankets and quilts.
If your friends or family are visiting during the summer, it’s a good idea to tuck a fan somewhere in the spare room so they can cool off.
Include some good reads
If your guests are staying for a few days, give them space to relax and recharge. Make them feel at home in their room by putting out some books or magazines.
Leave a pile near the bed or armchair, or set up a bookshelf, as the homeowners have done in this bedroom.
If your guests are staying for a few days, give them space to relax and recharge. Make them feel at home in their room by putting out some books or magazines.
Leave a pile near the bed or armchair, or set up a bookshelf, as the homeowners have done in this bedroom.
Freshen with subtle scent
Bring a luxurious feel to your spare room by adding some well-chosen scent. Pop a reed diffuser on a spare surface, or put some flowers in a vase.
The particular scent you go for is also important – choose something fresh and subtle, as certain fragrances can be overpowering.
Tell us
Do you have any other tips to help kit out a spare room for guests? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
Bring a luxurious feel to your spare room by adding some well-chosen scent. Pop a reed diffuser on a spare surface, or put some flowers in a vase.
The particular scent you go for is also important – choose something fresh and subtle, as certain fragrances can be overpowering.
Tell us
Do you have any other tips to help kit out a spare room for guests? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
Your guests will no doubt bring along an overnight bag or suitcase, which can be pretty cumbersome, so invest in one of these nifty folding racks to keep luggage neatly out of the way.
It can be tucked in any spare spot in the room, and luggage can be placed on top for easy unpacking. This will save your visitors from tripping over baggage on the floor, and will avoid any damage to bed linen or upholstery from sharp edges on a suitcase.