I just got finished putting fresh linens on the guest room bed, putting out two sets of bath towels, and ensuring the reading lamp next to the bed is working. Why? Because my mother arrives today for the holidays, and I want her to feel at home in our guest room. (You'll recall that I have been working with my house cleaning check list in preparation for her visit.)
After I got done, I ended up coming across a tip sheet from Hotels.com with some suggestions on how to decorate your guest room like a hotel. That is, there are guest room design ideas for bedrooms that include many of the same amenities you would find in a hotel—and which I hadn't thought to include when readying the guest room.
I know that I like feeling pampered in a hotel room, even if I don't like paying expensive hotel rates. So though guests stay with you for free, there's no reason you can't borrow from some of these guest room design ideas so you can decorate your guest room to look and feel like a hotel. Here are 5 ideas.
- Provide technology amenities: Make your guests feel right at home by providing easy access to the technological amenities they find in hotels or in their own homes. For example, if your guest room has a TV in it, include a remote and a TV channel guide in an obvious spot. Also, if your home has Wi-Fi, jot down the network they can log onto for free and what the password (if any) is.
- Give them easy access to "warmth." Unless you live in a warm-weather climate, you are probably welcoming guests when it is cold outside. Your guests may not be used to your home's climate so don't make it difficult for them to get warm. Some ideas for a small bedroom include hanging a fluffy bathroom inside the guest room closet, and stacking extra blankets in the closet as well—just like real hotels do.
- Let them brew their own coffee in the morning. Clearly, if you are up at the same time your guests are, you can offer them the coffee you make for yourself. But if your guest is an earlier riser—and a coffee drinker—why not put a coffee maker right in their room? This was one of these guest room ideas I hadn't considered. Plus, with my Keurig, I can stock the guest room with K-cups of coffee along with hot chocolate and tea, giving my mother a plethora of morning drink options.
- Bring out the games: Regardless of age, we're never too old to have some fun. Board games are a great way to spend time together away from the television. My mother loves to do puzzles in her free time at home. So I put out three different puzzles on the guest room side table, in case she is inspired to start working on one.
- Prepare toiletries like a hotel does. Create a little kit for your guest room that includes everything your guests might need, or could have forgotten, and which they might normally find in a hotel room. These include toothbrushes, shampoo, and body lotion. Even putting an extra roll of toilet paper or a tiny sewing kit in there might be much appreciated.
I'm glad I thought about how to decorate my guest room to feel like a hotel room. However, I will draw the line at leaving a "menu" in there, as room service in the morning is definitely not included.
