Where do guests sleep if you have no spare room?

[SparePartz]

Asking people who only have enough rooms for your family members, not those with extra rooms and guest rooms!

We are considering inviting an older family member, who has recently lost her husband, to stay. I don't think they'd want to come if it meant staying alone in a hotel in the closest town a bus ride away. DS(14) has his own room, as does DD(12), DH and I in the third bedroom. Not sure I can ask DS&DD to share whilst she would be here. Sofa is not a sofa bed type, and could only sleep one anyway. Living area is one room and effectively the corridor between all bedrooms and the bathroom. The only thing I can think of is relative in DD's room, with DD on a mattress on the floor. Seems a bit rude though to not give guest their own space.

How do you house guests if you've not much space?

How long is it for? If it’s just a night or 2 then ds or dd on the sofa and give guest their room.
We don’t have a spare room, when in laws come they stay with another friend of theirs nearby. The only others that stay are our young adult children who can bunk in with siblings or take the sofa.

Not sure why DS And DD can’t share a room for a few nights? My kids are older but share a room with twin beds when we’re away.

How long would the stay be for? A night or two and I'd get your dc to share a room.

We had PILs on a sofabed in the living room over Xmas. In previous years we had a smaller flat and they stayed in a hotel across the road.

If DD is willing to give up her room, can your DD have the sofa so the guest can have your DDs room?

Is there room for one of the kids to sleep on the floor in your room?

Depends how long for-I’d get the kids to share if it’s only for a night or two. If they’ve got school the next day, I wouldn’t though.

We don’t have overnight guests other than sleepovers for kids as they can bunk in together.

When my parents visit they sleep in DD's room (as she has a bed and a pull out bed so they get a bed each) and DD sleeps on the floor in our room (as she refuses to sleep in her little brother's room, though there'd be more room for her there). If its just my mum visiting then she sleeps on a mattress in DS's room as he loves having a sleepover with grandma.

Growing up we had guests stay a lot and there were already 7 of us in a 4 bedroom house so us kids slept wherever there was room, once me and my brother slept in the conservatory, and privacy and comfort was forgotten about for the duration.

In a hotel, mainly!

Visitors do have the option of a decent airbed in the lounge, but tend not to choose that. Although I have had emergency sofa-sleepers before.

Sofa, blow up bed in living room, or nowt.

If you don’t have space for someone to stay then you… can’t have someone to stay?

If DD and DS can’t share, then you go in with DD, your husband with DS and give the relative your room?

Air BnB or Travelodge

You haven’t got enough space. Can you go and stay with your family member for a couple of days?

Definitely don't make your relative share with one of your children. That's really unacceptable for your older relative tbh. I would get your children to share or get them to sleep on the sofa bed whilst relative is staying.

Get an inflatable mattress, you and dh on that in the living room and guest in yours.

I absolutely hate it when people do this. There's something so strange about sleeping in someone else's marital bed in their house when they aren't away. My in laws did this for us once- made me feel so icky!

If she comes, it would be for 1-2 weeks as it's quite a long way to travel.
It's not practical for DD to have the sofa. She goes to bed at 830pm and then no one could use the living area.

We used to have a Jay-Be folding bed for guests. They’re not expensive, easy to store in a loft or garage or large cupboard when not in use, and unlike a lot of camp beds are really quite sturdy and comfortable. Worth having even if you only have infrequent guests. Then just do some shuffling with bedroom allocations or accept that you have to lose the living room for a short while.

We now have a fantastic full Olympic weights rack in our home gym which converts into a double guest bed - though that’s obviously a very expensive and cumbersome solution to your current situation! 😄

DD with you and elderly female relative, and DS and DH in another room. Works fine that way

Get DD in with you on a mattress on the floor and the guest takes her room.

Although, check with the guest first what they prefer. I don't love sleeping at other peoples home, especially if there is no dedicated guest room. I'd much rather be in a hotel and spend my days/evenings with the family.

The best bed or room in the house should always go to guests, so that would be yours, OP? Then you bunk in with one of the kids.
When I was a child, I had a double bed, so grandparents slept in my room. I would sleep in the dining room, on a foam mattress & in a sleeping bag. I was virtually under the table, but it was good fun and, let's face it, kids can sleep anywhere.

Our two older kids used to share when guests stayed before we had a spare room. They used to find it fun. Or put your DD on a blow up in your room for a couple weeks if you think DC's sharing wouldnt work? then swap for DS the second week so its fair?

If it's only a week or so why can't your kids share? Failing that dd with you and dh in ds's room. Guest gets dd's room.

I do think she needs her own room for that length of time. I stay at my sisters house fairly regularly and bunk in with my niece on a trundle bed, but after 2 or 3 days I'm desperate for my own space. I find it very tough to be living out of a suitcase in a shared room like that.

The kids need to share, or one on a mattress on your bedroom floor

Or if that's really not doable, are there any affordable airbnbs nearby?

You need to give her a room if she stays. I might ask a visiting student to stay on the sofa for a night or so, but not an older relative.

We move both teens in together for visitors (we do have a spare room, but we sometimes need to have two spare rooms if lots of people are staying). Both are boys, so maybe that makes a difference? If for some reason your DD and DS can’t share for a week, then one of them can come on the floor in your room?

Otherwise I don’t think you can put her up.

I don't think it's OK to ask DC to give up their rooms for a guest. The room is the DC's only dedicated space and has their possessions in it.