With Christmas coming you may find you have lots of people coming to visit and this means making up guest rooms.

Like any good host, you probably want to make the right impression with your guest room, and Christmas is a time for showing off the fancy bed linen, towels and cutlery!

For a guest room, you’ll want there to be all the things they expect, and you want them to leave after having a good experience. That’s not to say you can control everything - if you are inviting guests over and they have young kids, they may not be able to relax as much as they’d like but you can do your best.

Here are a few tips on how to make up a wonderful guest room for visitors

  1. Wardrobe and drawer space.

    Any guest room should have enough space for your guests to pop away their things, especially if they are staying a few days. If you have extra storage for bags do let them know it is available and before they arrive make sure you have the space free so they don’t have to put their things in with your stuff (if you keep the space for yourself). 

  2. Fresh bed and plenty of pillows.

    It is the simple things in life. No one likes the "new bed feel" more than people who have travelled for family occasions. Make sure the bed is made up with fresh sheets and provide extra pillows just in case. It is ok to dress the bed with nice throws and extra cushions as they can pop them on the floor when they are not needed. 

  3. Towels and toiletries

    If the guest room has an en-suite, make sure you pop in some fresh towels and toiletries but if you there isn’t an en-suite, just leave these items on a chair next to the bed as then they’ll be able to grab them easily without bothering you. Tell your guest where the bathroom is and where they can wash etc too. 

  4. Lighting, table and chair.

    It may not be possible but if you have the space, it is nice if a guest room has a desk table and a chair for them to sit at to do their hair or simply read/write.

    Lighting should be a lamp by the bed and over the head lighting (as usual). You could leave them some magazines or books in their bedroom too if they like reading but remember this isn’t expected!.

    Some guest rooms might have a TV for their guests but again, this isn’t mandatory so if you have one, great but if not, don’t worry! If you are giving them a TV, save time by leaving a few notes on how it works or let them connect to your Netflix which you can have already logged in. It’s a nice touch and it also gives them some space if they need it. 

  5. Remember the kids.

    If you are welcoming guests to your home who have kids with them this might change the dynamic of the guest room. If they are all sharing, it may be a tight squeeze or the kids may be able to share with your kiddies.

    For the kiddie guests, have extra toothbrushes, towels, and blankets/pillows. If your guests have a small baby, make sure they know where everything is if they are bottle feeding or weaning their tiny one.

    Make the guests feel comfortable as often, it is hard to visit people with the kids as they worry that they’ll act up and cause mayhem. Be relaxed and ask your own children to welcome your guests. Get some cheap art sets or craft sets for the kids to play with and try to get the kids to have fun on their own without adults so you can all relax. 

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