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7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

by | Feb 18, 2014 | Bedrooms, Decorating Inspiration, Guest Rooms, Michaela, Simple Gatherings, Welcome + Gather

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7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests 7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests We love hosting friends and family from out of town at our home. In order to cut down on the stress surrounding the preparation of the guests, we have a short checklist of things to do before they arrive. Of course when you open your home to loved ones, you want to put your best foot forward but also remember it’s really about spending quality time with the person or people. They certainly won’t judge you for the state of your guest room {at least I hope not ;)}.

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

Here are 7 tips to prepare for guests:

– Vacuum the bedroom they will be sleeping in (we also broom the hardwood floors because we have a puppy who sheds. Nothing says welcome like a wad of white fur!)

– Get a simple tray for the bed. Stack with books and magazines.

– My favorite accessory is always fresh flowers or a pretty plant. I picked up our purple plant from Trader Joe’s for only $3.99. Love that!

– Set out nice, clean towels. We give guests a few washcloths, a bath towel and hand towel. Setting them out in a cute basket like the wire one you’ll see below is a cute touch.

– I always think it’s nice to set out a glass bottle of water for the guests and on the nightstand or tray.

– Be sure to clear off the nightstand and put a yummy smelling candle there for ambiance and a nice scent.

– Lastly, we make sure to clean out the dresser drawers and closet, in case they’d like to unpack their suitcase and get comfy.

Here’s a peek at how our guest room is styled (and how cute is that sweet Whatever Is Lovely print by Lindsay Letters?!)

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests

If you’re looking for some simple accessories, nice bedding, pillows or towels, you can find my favorites below. Click on the images to shop the items (these are affiliate links).

Hopefully these tips have given you some ideas on how to quickly spruce up before guests arrive! Have a wonderful day! 7 Great Tips: Preparing a Room for Overnight Guests interior design website / services / portfolio

21 Comments

  1. L.Harlow

    Great ideas. Before visiting my sister, she asked my what my favorite treat was. Upon my arrival I found a bowl of Swedish fish on my night stand. It was a personal touch that I now use on my house guests.

    Reply
  2. Val Frania

    Thanks for the tips. We’re getting our guest room measured today for new carpet so it’s onward and upward from here! I’ll definitely take your advice. Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Melinda @ Love Melinda

    Great tips! I’m working on our guest room right now. I also love little bottles of lotions and things. My sister in law did that when we visited and I now do that for our guests.

    Reply
  4. Leigh Anne Wilkes @YourHomebasedMom

    Thanks for all the great tips – I am totally in love with the headboard. Was that a vintage find?

    Reply
  5. Kathleen Chaney

    I am in the doldrums of winter..today I’m using your guest room idesa to CREATE! Makes me feel like Spring is coming! Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Natalie

    I know this tip isn’t for the guest room but I love it when my hostess puts out a fresh wrapped bar of soap for me to use. I always make sure I put out a fresh bar when we have guests now.

    Reply
  7. Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm

    Wonderful tips; I set out bottles of water because nothing says yuck like a few dust motes floating in a glass. Or, even worse, if a fly had managed to get into the room…yuck. Make sure folks aren’t allergic to scented candles or use an unscented candle, still get the ambiance but not the odor.

    Reply
  8. Michaela

    Love all the suggestions above! Lotions is a great one to add to our check list! The headboard is Pier 1 imports from about 10 years ago…so I guess you could call it vintage ;) Thanks for having me!

    Reply
  9. Stephanie

    Nice tips Michaella! I would also add to put an extra blanket or throws because I’m always frozen when I sleep at other people’s places. Even though they assure me that I wont be cold with their duvet or whatever, I always am.

    Reply
  10. teresa

    Beautiful room….wonderful tips….we have a little cabin in the mountains…where I plan to put your ideas to work.
    Thanks =)

    Reply
  11. JC

    @L. Harlow – haha I just had to comment. My younger sister asked what sweets I loved last time I visited, she knows I absolutely adore Turkish delight and made it part of her cunning plan to fatten me up.. it worked!

    Oh, and this is a gorgeous room getting back on topic hehe :)

    Reply
  12. Karen Fields

    Just seeing the little sign with the towels rolled up so sweetly gives the guest a feeling of home sweet home. Very nice!

    Reply
  13. Karen Stutts

    Love the flowers, and do I see some magazines under them? That’s a great touch – to ask the guest what magazines he/she likes to read. Great Post!

    Reply
  14. Tan Lindique

    I have an ornate photo frame on the dressing table and whenever a guest stays over then I put a photo of him/her/them with me into the frame. I also have two sets of drapes – the inner is a slightly sheer fabric and the outer is thicker with blackout backing because some people prefer a lighter room when they sleep whereas other need total darkness. Ohh and I always make available a spare set of house keys for my guest so he/she can come and go at will and not feel obliged to “live by” my schedule, especially if they visit is a longer one :)

    Reply
  15. lisa b

    I like to provide guests with a power strip near a table or desk for charging their electronics.

    Reply
  16. Allison

    I love these tips. I also make sure the bathroom medicine cabinet is stocked well with possible toiletries (individually wrapped toothbrush, toothpaste, cotton balls, face wash, babyoil, moisturizer…)and I make sure there is a room fan available in the bedroom-you’d be surprised at how many people have a fan addiction and need the noise to sleep.

    Reply
  17. stef

    I too love the idea of a power strip for their electronics.

    Reply
  18. Lea

    I love and do all of these plus I added a guest book for them to write whatever they want to share. It’s fun looking back on who stayed when and what they wrote to you.
    Love my guest room.

    Reply
  19. Lisbeth

    In our guest bedrooms I provide the name of the wifi network and password in a small, cute picture frame on the desk or sidetable. Guests always appreciate it because who can live without internet? :-)

    Reply
  20. Alicia

    I have installed bamboo shades on the back of the house, upstairs and downstairs and I love them.
    My question is the front of the house. I live in a 2 story simple colonial house with 3 upstairs windows and 2 downstairs in the front. They have wide white blinds right now. I really want to put up bamboo shades in the front too but have always been taught to have have either white blinds or white lined curtains in front. Would it be AWFUL to have the brown bamboo in the front?

    Reply
  21. Connie Roberts

    Where did you find the bedding? I want something with yellow like this

    Reply

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