7 Tips For Holiday House Guest Prep

Investing in quality pieces and having them in place all year makes the hosting season much simpler and helps ensure your guests feel at home away from home. After years of hosting house guests and being guests at other homes, we’ve compiled a guide to our favorite tips for creating cozy guest spaces.

Layer Bedding For Different Options

The key to being a great host is ensuring your guests don’t need to ask for anything. By investing in fewer quality things, you can have one of each necessity in your guest room, making your guests feel truly at home. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to bedding, so having a few options is a great way to make your guests feel comfortable. Start with a base layer of a linen sheet set, add a cotton quilt or waffle knit for texture, fold a heavier duvet or comforter at the bottom, and keep an additional throw blanket draped over a chair for easy access.

Invest in 1 Pair of Quality Linens

While it’s nice to have more than one set of bedding in the room you use every day, you really only need one set in the guest room. Investing in high-quality linens that feel comfortable and durable makes all the difference. Once the guest leaves, wash the sheets and return them to the bed. This approach reduces storage needs, frees up space in the linen closet, and means you can invest in one great set rather than spreading the budget across several mediocre sets.

Add a Mirror

If you’ve ever stayed in someone else’s home where you don’t have access to a full-length mirror, you know how important this one is. It’s one of those simple things that makes a big difference and allows your guests feel comfortable getting ready in their space. If shared bathroom space is tight, adding a little stool or table next to the mirror for storing belongings is a great bonus.

Install Hooks for Hanging Essentials

Hooks inside the room are easy to overthink but can make a big difference in your guest’s comfort levels. Placing a few inside their room for jackets, purses, hats, or shopping bags helps them settle in. Strategically placed hooks are also perfect for guests to hang their bath towels to dry. This way you can ensure they’re always using their own towel, and it keeps shared bathrooms clean and tidy.

Provide Bath Linens in The Guest Room

Just like sheets, it’s nice to have a dedicated set of towels for the guest room to keep them looking bright and fresh while making putting them away much easier. Providing a tray of bath essentials in the guest room helps your guests feel at home and know that their towels are fresh and reserved for them. It can be hard to keep track of whose is whose in a busy bathroom or shared space, so keeping them in the guest room is the perfect remedy. Pro Tip: Invest in bath sheets, not just bath towels. Bath sheets are extra special and spacious and provide a little added luxury.

Opt for Live Plants, Not Fresh Flowers

While the sentiment of fresh flowers in a guest room is sweet, if your guests struggle with allergies or are sensitive to smells, it may cause discomfort. Instead of placing a vessel of fresh-cut flowers, opt for a vase of fresh-cut branches or a houseplant near their bed. If they aren’t flowering, they’ll be much less likely to cause any irritations while still welcoming house guests with a bit of fresh sentiment.

Add Thoughtful Extra Details

Extra little details can go a long way in making your guests feel welcome and at home. Adding often-forgotten items to your guest room, like extra phone chargers, toothpaste, or hair ties, brings a thoughtful touch. Another easy win is adding a carafe next to the bed to offer guests easy access to water. We also love adding a candle, matches, and a clock to bedside tables for functional decor.

Shop some of our favorite guest room essentials below.