36 essentials for any guest room.

The Holidays are right around the corner. Are you in denial like me? I’m not ready. But when the holidays grow nearer, a lot of us host guests in our homes!  So part of getting our house “holiday ready” is actually getting it guest ready too! I LOVE when guests come and when we were looking for our house, I was adamant about having enough bedrooms for a guest room. I’ve discussed this before, but I am a firm believer in the “if you build it, they will come” mentality when it comes to guests. If you have a guest room space, visitors are more likely to come. They will feel more comfortable coming if they don’t feel like they are impeding on your family.

I’ve been overhauling our guest room and I’m really close to revealing the entire room, but over the last month or so I’ve been thinking about how to create the perfect getaway for our guests. I have come up with a list of 33 ESSENTIALS for any guest room. I know that some of these might be a little overboard, but why not spoil your guests!?!? {One down side to this post is that guests will feel sooo special that they may never leave.}

1. Have a comfortable bed. If you have ever slept on an air mattress for 3 days straight before, like most of us have, you know that getting sleep is not optional. I for one turn into a MONSTER without sleep. We have a Simmons Beauty Rest ComforPedic in our guest room, and they LOVE IT!

2. Nightstands on the side of the bed are another necessity. People need a place to unload their car keys, set their purse…etc. So a nightstand on each side of the bed is essential in my book. Ours are from Walmart {yes, I said Walmart} and they only cost $69.00 each. I even put them together myself without any assistance from the man of the house. {The nightstands are called BHG Crossmill Weathered Collection End Table}.

Here is a sneak peek of the room!!

3.  Lamps on each side of the bed are another nice gesture. People like to read in bed, and having a lamp by their bedside gives them that option. Plus your house is an unfamiliar place to them, so this way they won’t stumble around if they need to get up in the night.

4. Provide reading material. I try to remember to put a good book and a few magazines out for my guests.

5. Clean towels in plain sight. Make sure they are big and super soft. You don’t want your guests to have to search for the necessities, so make sure you put out a stack of towels before your guests arrive. My favorite are these BHG bath sheets from Walmart.

6. Your WiFi password. Don’t forget to provide your guests with your wifi password so they can access your internet as needed.

7. If possible align your bed where an electrical outlet is near the nightstand. Most of us need to charge our phones each night. {If  you want to be extra thorough, you can provide an extra charger in the nightstand drawer.

8. Extra blankets in case they get cold.

9. A ceiling fan or a box fan in case they get hot.

10.  A few snacks on their pillow. Maybe a piece of chocolate. 🙂

11. Written instructions on how to use the TV/DVD player. After a 45 minute call with Dan’s Grandma once, I am a firm believer in writing down these instructions. 🙂

12. Extra pillows. Everyone has a different pillow preferences, so provide a few different types for them to choose from. Plus more pillows are needed for reading in bed, so don’t chince them on the pillows.

13. Tissues. There’s nothing worse than looking for a tissue and not finding one.

14. Alarm clock. Most of us have our phones, but I’m obsessed with needing to know the time, and if I roll over at 3am, a clock nearby is appreciated.

15.  High quality sheets. A few years ago my sister stayed at my house and was in LOVE with our sheets. It made me laugh, but the truth is, a good soft, set of sheets can make or break a night’s rest. Our sheets are a BHG 425 wrinkle free set from Walmart.

16. A clean closet. Guests usually have items they need to hang up, so make sure to have room for their stuff in the closet. A few empty high quality hangers are a great idea too.

17. Place a chilled bottle of water on the nightstand in case your guests need a swig. It’s all about spoiling them in my opinion.

18. Full length mirror.

19.  Place a notepad and pen on the nightstand or in the top drawer in case they need to write a list.

20. Make sure the shower is stocked with shampoo, conditioner, soap, extra toilet paper, and Febreze!

21. Extra toiletries just in case. Extra toothbrushes, hairspray, a lint roller, fingernail polish remover, hairspray, q-tips, lotion, face wash, extra razors…etc. Even the best of us forget something!

 

22. Headache medicine. I’m headache prone so a bottle of Advil that is accessible is super thoughtful and helpful.

23. Remove your home phone from that room in case a neighbor calls at 7am.

24. A list of your favorite local restaurants.

25. Ironing board and iron tucked away in the closet just in case.

26. Garbage can. Because they shouldn’t have to search to throw away anything.

27. Hook on the door to hang a damp towel, a purse…etc.

28. Nightlight. When I’m at my Mom’s house my kids always act scared even though we have stayed there hundreds of times. We always end up searching for a nightlight to calm them down.

29. Feminine products tucked into the nightstand drawer just in case.

30. Hair dryer nearby.

31. A luggage rack is a great gesture so that your guests don’t need to bend down to rummage through their suitcases.

32. Fresh flowers to welcome them and express your excitement they are here!

33. A scented candle is great to welcome them too!

Updated 11/16/14

34. A port-a-crib in the closet in case they have a baby/toddler. 

35. A sound machine. 

36. Ear plugs. If your guests are light sleepers, ear plugs are a must! 

Did I miss anything!?!? Cheers to guest season!