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Original poster

How do you put up guests without a spare room?

57 replies

WaitrosesCheapestVodka · 10/02/2020 10:23

Just wondering? 3 bed house with 2 DCs. Looked at sofa beds but even spending
££££ they're not as soft (and we don't have ££££!). I was thinking of a day bed in one DC's room, then they could share with their sibling? Or an airbed in lounge? Do guests hate airbeds..?

I'm hoping someone will have a genius idea that hadn't occured to me Grin

OP posts:
Samhradh · 10/02/2020 10:25

I think it depends to an extent on how often you have guests. A good sofa bed if you have them relatively frequently, an airbed if they're fairly rare?

caulkheaded · 10/02/2020 10:25

We have a sofa bed in the lounge. We’ve got a separate dining room so it can stay up too without inconveniencing anyone if someone is using it. We’ve also got some really good inflatable mattresses so people can use one of those on the floor if lots are staying.

PoshNorthEssex · 10/02/2020 10:28

We have an airbed in the lounge that DH and I sleep on and give guests our bedroom. If it's a family with children coming, DSs move in with each other and we give the visiting kids one of their rooms. The kids just have camping mats on the floor.

WardrobeJumper · 10/02/2020 10:32

Give the guests a DC bedroom and put one DC on air mattress in other DC's room.

Pippin2028 · 10/02/2020 10:32

Unless you are in London, you can normally find a decent hotel for 50-60 a night. If you really don't have the space, guests can stay in a nearby hotel or bnb. Saves stress and gives everyone some privacy and space.

aNonnyMouse1511 · 10/02/2020 10:33

We have a camping bed we use - it self inflated and also has a later like a P.E mat. Very comfortable actually.

We also have a sofa bed in our family room.

We also have a single with a pull out trundle in one DCs room so lots of options depending on who is coming and how long they’re staying for

zelbazinnamon · 10/02/2020 10:36

Loathe not having a spare room and very pleased to be moving to a bigger house. Family of 5 in 3 bed house.

We do varying things depending on who is staying - give them our bed & we sleep on the living room floor, visiting kids generally share our kids bedrooms, if our adult visitors are tough they can sleep on the living room floor, MiL stays in a B&B...

amaryl · 10/02/2020 10:37

Ds had a double bed, so would get in with me and give up his room.
And a sofa bed downstairs
And camp beds

CountFosco · 10/02/2020 10:38

We have a spare room but also have sofabeds and aerobeds (mainly used for children). The trick with airbeds is to have many warm layers underneath so we have a warm wool blanket, then an undersheet (John Lewis waterproof ones are fab) then a flannelette sheet. Duvet of your choice on top. Stops the bed getting too cold overnight.

When we had a 3 bed with the 3DC we'd put all the DC in a room together (with extra children on the airbed, less room to store than having a daybed or trundle bed) and used the child's single room for single guests. More than 1 person we just said 'sorry, no room, here are some local hotels/ self catering'.

sashh · 10/02/2020 10:49

As children my brother had bunks, I had a double bed. When we had guests I had to give up my room for them and use the top bunk.

Whatelsecouldibecalled · 10/02/2020 10:52

We’ve got an aero bed which plugs in and inflates to same size and height as a double. Put it in living room or dining room depending how many staying. We stay on that and give guests our bed. Pain in arse taking up and down each day but usually it’s only a night or two and the pump is electric

woodencoffeetable · 10/02/2020 10:55

we have a sofa bed.
anyone who doesn't want to sleep in the only living room of the house is welcome to book themselves into a hotel.

ShirleyPhallus · 10/02/2020 10:59

We have an airbed in the lounge that DH and I sleep on and give guests our bedroom.

I’d feel very uncomfortable with this set up if I was a visitor! I’d much rather take the air bed myself than sleep in the bedroom of my hosts.

happymummy12345 · 10/02/2020 10:59

My dad used to live 250 miles away and often wanted to stay for a week or 2. Before we moved we had a spare room so it wasn't a problem. But since we moved to our new house we no longer have a spare room so he sleeps on the sofa. It's an open plan living dining room with one door into the room, and you walk through to get to the kitchen. My dad likes to go to sleep early as well, which means that we never get any time to relax when he's here and when he's tired we have to go to bed ourselves as there's nowhere else we can go. However he decided he wanted to move to where we live as we are here. So he's now got his own house about 20 minutes walk away, so no more sleeping in our living room. I wouldn't mind a few nights but it was weeks at a time

Wannabegreenfingers · 10/02/2020 10:59

I give up my bedroom and sleep on the airbed in the living room.

Its not a popular decision on MN and many people are very odd on here about their bedroom's and no one else setting foot in them!

Obviously everyone has clean bedding.

happycamper11 · 10/02/2020 11:04

I sleep in with my DC and give guests my room, or I sleep on the sofa. I also have air beds for camping and would take that myself and give adult guests my bed. The exact logistics depends on how many adults/dc are staying

Heymacarana · 10/02/2020 11:08

I have never had the need for a guest to stay at my house, and have never stayed at anyone else’s.

Hotels are wonderful things, almost like they were invented for exactly this sort of reason.

A perfectly adequate travel lodge or similar can be had for virtually no cost these days

megletthesecond · 10/02/2020 11:11

I don't have guests.
My mum has had to stay when I've had an operation so she has a nice camp bed in the living room.

tooyoungat40 · 10/02/2020 11:13

If we are really squeezed we can accommodate two in the living room on a sofa bed, put the two children in our bedroom on an airbed, pull out the single bed that becomes a double in one of the children's rooms and put two others in the bunkbeds in the second child's bedroom. We have accommodated 10 people in our three bedroom house this way. But only for a few nights!!! Mostly we just have couples to stay and then children bunk up together in one room and guests on the pull out double bed in the second bedroom. No one expects hotel quality accommodation when visiting friends and family.

kelper · 10/02/2020 11:17

We do have a spare room, but DS has a double bed so if we didn't have the spare room Id put guests in DS's bed for a night (If they can find it due to all the cuddlies!!)

windymillersmill · 10/02/2020 11:18

We just don't have guests, it's too much hassle. We could have a spare room but choose not to.

Gazelda · 10/02/2020 11:20

We've only ever had children come for a sleepover (share DD's room) or elderly (single) parents who have our room while we use the very comfy sofa bed downstairs.

Maybe we're a bit too unsociable.

eenymeenyminyme · 10/02/2020 11:21

I sleep on the sofa or in with DD and let guests have my room.

Roomba · 10/02/2020 11:23

I generally offer them my room and kip on the sofa. If my kids are away at their Dad's I'll just sleep in their hunk bed. But when my parents visit, they insist on taking a sofa each. My mum reckons one of my sofas (an IKEA leather one which is just a normal sofa, but very deep, about 10 years old) gives her the best nights sleep ever, better than any bed she's tried!

Disfordarkchocolate · 10/02/2020 11:25

We have a truckle bed that fits under our son's bed. So, it's a spare single bed or next to my son's bed it's a large double. We also have a single futon in the spare room/office.