Best guest room ever!

[Waytooearly]

My new place has a spare room which I am trying to make into a really nice guest room. I usually just buy Primark sheets etc. but thought I might splash out here to make it really nice.

Any recommendations for really cosy bed linens? Anything to make the bed nicer like a mattress topper? Any other ideas to make a guest bedroom really comfortable?

Not feather bedding, in case of allergies.
No memory foam either, hot an sweaty.

Good cotton bedding, not poly cotton, some nice blankets and throws
A one cup hot water dispenser and a filter jug
Hairdryer and enough mirrors to see full length, back and front
Bathrobe

Why are people saying I'm running a B nB? I said guest room. I've never had a place with an actual guest room and I'm excited.

I love the tips, thank you!

Though I like the warning that I six months I'll be back here complaining that people won't leave!!

Your spare rooms sound like the Ritz
Mine has a bed, bedside table and lamp and 2 plugs.

Ignore them and enjoy your room.

I love having (occasional 😁) guests too. We’re a bit out on a limb, most of our friends/family have to go to quite some effort to get here so I really enjoy making them feel very comfortable in their room too, going home feeling that they’ve had a bit of an holiday.

Its nice to have a permanent guest room set up to make your guests feel comfortable and welcome. I always feel pleased when people wander down later than they'd planned in the morning and say what a comfortable well rested night they've had. And yes of course people can ask you for things but it's far easier for them if they don't have to. Our guests last week stayed overnight unexpectedly and commented on how thoughtful it was to have a spare toothbrush in the room since they obviously didn't have one with them.

I want to come and stay at some of your houses!

Same here, most people bring toiletries but they only have to ask if they forget something, most people would just help themselves to stuff in the bathroom anyway (we only have close friends and relatives to stay). Same for coffee and tea, people just come down to the kitchen and help themselves. Also a glass of water, if you wanted to have one available in the night you'd take a glass up, but no one that stays here ever does, we don't take water to bed either.

If you normally buy cheap sheets for yourself. Id give those sheets to the guestroom and get yourself something lovely. I like nice sheets but don't care what I have for 3 nights.

Sorry, my last post is not really in the spirit of the thread, but I would feel as if I was staying in a b&b if I had all these extras offered, I'd rather hosts just told me where things are to help myself in kitchen, bathroom etc in other words to make myself at home.

Nice sheets don't have to be expensive. Plenty of nice 100% cotton examples available at Ikea plus other places - Matalan, Dunelm etc.

My spare room is currently accommodating a foster cat nursing 4 kittens. It's furnished with a load of cardboard boxes, old towels and a litter tray.

There is a proper bed in there with half decent bedding and I have jokingly offered to it various friends and family members as a 'kitten spa'. They can come and lounge on the bed and watch/play with the kittens and I will provide them with the tipple and snacks of their choice.

Crikey! I can't believe some of these guest room set ups!
We have lots of visitors and guests always say how much they enjoy staying over but we don't go to a fraction of this trouble!

We live in the country and our guest room has nice view of the countryside.

The room is not huge but it has a very comfortable double bed and decent duvet and pillows (replaced about 18mths ago but only used sporadically), I rotate about 3 different sets of nice bedding in various colours that tone with the walls.

A bedside locker with a clean drawer in it and some books on the shelf beneath, a lamp on top and always some fresh flowers, mostly from the garden.

We have an antique trunk at the foot of the bed and I leave a full set of matching, guest towels out on it. 2 sets of it's a couple.

There is a cabinet with a mirror above it along the end wall. A nice chair for clothes and a set of decorative hooks on the back of the door.

That's it. It is always clean and aired before anyone stays.

I wouldn't dream of leaving notes about breakfast times or loads of weird samples of toiletries and I would never use them if I found them in someone else's spare room.

I don't leave chocolates either!

loads of weird samples of toiletries

A small shower get, shampooo, conditioner, body lotion, some toothpaste and make up remover isn't really weird . Its just stuff people might not have with them when they stay.

Most people would just borrow a bit from the bathroom or ask though?

I still don't understand where these samples come from though? Are the freebies from magazines? Gifts from shops when you buy full size stuff? or do people buy them specially - surely must be the case with toothpaste etc?

I have very specific brands I use so to me these samples would be weird and I would not use them or think to leave them in the room.
If guest use half a tiny bottle of whatever do you leave half for the next guest or replace?

Mine are just slightly smaller versions of normal toiletries. They are all from the same range. They're not samples. Toothpaste is pearl drops normal size.

I personally use a glass jug of iced tap water with glasses not bottled water.

I too am findings this all a bit OTT. We have people to stay and i just tell them to help themselves to anything they need in the bathroom and kitchen. We don't have a permanent guest room but a sofa bed in the small front room with good bedding and towels in a trunk in the room, so it can be ready in minutes. The kind of people who stay with us are comfortable enough to just ask for anything, as I would be in their houses.

Our friends just tell us to help ourselves, to food/drink/toiletries etc as needed. So I would just encourage your guests to do that.

Although they got some plastic bath toys and a big plastic jug for their family bathroom when us (and other family members) had little kids (despite their children being grown up). It was a lovely touch and a plastic jug made washing their hair so much easier (separate shower cubicle).

Plus wifi info

A good mattress cover for periods/sweat/ not quite potty trained kids.

It wasn't a criticism of you, OP. But most of the answers here are ludicrous! A guest room needs to have a comfy bed, some bedding, some towels and access to a bathroom. That's it. If you want to add a few more touches then great. Otherwise, guests can bring their own chargers, sunglasses, paperbacks, swimming costumes and travel kettle FGS. This is one of those threads where I swear I live on a different planet to most of MN!

Bedside light that I can turn off from bed.
A tiny kettle and tea making stuff.

A guest room needs to have a comfy bed, some bedding, some towels and access to a bathroom. That's it.

I agree, but would add adequate lighting, especially by bedside, and enough bare surfaces for me to put my stuff (kindle, tablet, phone, etc.). Also I don't expect to be making coffee or tea in a bedroom in a private house. if I know them well enough to be spending the night with them, I expect to be able to take care of that in their kitchen.

Yes to bare surfaces, I like a bedside table (with a lamp) that I can put my phone, book, diary and glasses on, I don't want it cluttered up with jugs of water (that I might knock over reaching for my glasses in the morning as I can't see past the end if my nose).

After searching out the labels during a 'naiccce' hotel stay, I use this company for all bed linen, pillows, towels. If it's good enough for them, it's ...

Www.richardhaworth.co.uk

Oooh! I have my own room (kind of) in my friends nice house for when I stay with her for weekends. The things I like is that there's a plug next to the bedside table so I can charge my phone, a wee bedside lamp so I don't have to fall over things in the dark. She's also got a small tv on the wall which I like but it's not essential. Blackout curtains are good and a nice comfy bed.

No to the feather duvets/pillows, they might be up all night sneezing. Sainsburys do 100% cotton bedding at a decent price.