10 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Overnight Guests

We love when guests come to visit! After a long journey, I know I want to unpack and settle into a lovely environment. Since we have had many guests recently, here are 10 ways to prepare your home for overnight guests.

1. A Comfortable Bed

Perhaps the thing I miss most when I travel is my bed and pillows. So we try to make the sleeping arrangements at our home as comfortable as possible. If you don’t have a good mattress in your guest quarters, you can affordably add a pillow top. There are so many to choose from depending on how firm or soft you want your bed.

The photo above is my college-daughter’s room. If you would like to see how and why we painted it this luscious shade of orange, click here. While she is away at school, we use this spare bedroom for guests.

2. Scrumptious Linens/Blankets/Pillows

No one likes scratchy old sheets. There are several options based on your budget. Costco carries an 800 thread count hotel linen line that we like. My friend, Andrea, who used to run a bed and breakfast, swears by linen sheets. See her post about why linen sheets are a worthy luxury.

I always wash our sheets and line dry them. The sheets smell SO good and fresh and no dryer or dryer sheet can replicate that.

With so many choices on colors, thread count and patterns, you can make your guest bed look like a 5 star hotel.

Provide an extra blanket or quilt so your guest can regulate how warm (or cool) they want to sleep.

For pillows, I like a choice so we place both a firm and softer pillow on the bed. Since some people may be allergic to feather or down pillows, using a hypoallergenic filler is a safe bet. All our pillows have zippered pillow case protectors beneath the pillow case.

3. Bath and Pool Towels

Before our last group of guests arrived, I did an inventory of our towels. I found a sorry bunch of mismatched, stained, and frayed towels. Since then, many of our old towels are donated to the local dog shelter and new sets of towels are bought. It made me realize that I am fine using an old towel, but do I really want my guests to use a towel that is falling apart?

Also, make sure you have enough towels for the length of their stay, including a face, hand and bath towel. My husband loves the towel sets from My Pillow.com, which are quite affordable.

Since the pool is a big attraction with visitors from colder climates, large pool towels are a must.

4. Beverages and Snacks

Living in a dry climate, keeping hydrated is very important. Bottles of water are available in both the bathroom, bedroom and/or kitchenette. Finding out a guest’s favorite beverage or cocktail, makes one feel welcomed. If you missed the post about the new bar cart in the pool house, click here.

Most people like a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but are not yet fully dressed or showered. Having a coffee maker and/or tea pot nearby is a bonus. In remodeling the pool house recently, we bought a small Nespresso maker that has a milk steamer attached. With a small beverage refrigerator we can supply milk, cream or Coffee-mate for our guest so they can make their own cup of Joe.

I like to put together a basket of snacks, too with items such as nuts, trail mix, crackers, cheese crisps and those wonderful Biscoff cookies (one of my favorites).

5. A Place to Work

Since many people continue to work while they travel, having a designated place and space to plug in is important. Make sure you have plenty of outlets too. And don’t forget write down your WiFi passwords to your internet.

6. Toiletries

Since airlines only let you travel with small sizes, providing large containers of shampoo, conditioner and body wash is a plus. We also keep a supply of toothbrushes, razors, bandaids, cotton balls and Q-tips in the bathroom. Hand soap and hand cream by the sink ensures your guests can wash their hands frequently.

And no one wants to carry a blow dryer that takes up space in their suitcase so keep an extra one handy. And if your guest is lucky to have their own bathroom, stock it up with toilet paper and Kleenex.

7. A Place for Luggage and Unpacking

When I check into a hotel room, the first thing I do is put my luggage on the luggage rack and unpack those items that need hanging in a closet. If you have room to have your guest put their belongings in a dresser or closet, that is ideal. If not, a luggage rack can serve as open dresser. Here’s an affordable one from Amazon that will fold up nicely.

Make sure you provide extra hangers and make space in your guest room closet.

Another nice touch is providing robes. We have thick Terry cloth ones and lightweight cotton kimonos for guests to choose. Again, unisex white Terry robes are easy to find on Amazon here.

8. A Nightstand and Necessities

On the nightstand, next to the guest bed, a good lamp for reading or providing light to the room is essential. Also provide outlets for your guests to charge their phones (if they want to keep them nearby). We also have a water pitcher and glass available for those thirsty needs at night. Here is a nice bedside carafe and tumbler from Lily’s Home.

9. Some privacy

No one ever wants to feel underfoot while they are guests. No host wants to feel intrusive or hovering to their company. If you can provide a place so you guests can enjoy some privacy that is ideal. Whether it be a balcony, an outdoor terrace or a piece of the yard, giving your guests space is a nice gesture. It certainly doesn’t need to be something extravagant, but an area where they can be alone.

As much as we love company and love visiting friends and family, sometimes you just need some quiet time. Our pool house provides space for our guests to spread out and maintain their privacy.

10. Fresh Flowers, a pretty candle

Who doesn’t love a pretty bouquet of flowers? Bright red tulips look fabulous in this black, white and green bedroom. This is my other daughter’s bedroom, which is now an additional spare guest room. If you want to see the post on how and why we painted this room black, click here.

A beautifully scented candle adds ambiance to a room. My favorite candle is Volcano by Capri Blue (see it here), however, Target also has a nice affordable candle selection too.

As more people are traveling, we hope the number of house guests you have increases. Any extra touch you provide to make your guest’s stay special will be so appreciated.

I hope you enjoy these 10 tips on how to prepare your home for overnight guests. As always, thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you have a spectacular Wednesday.

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