to be so fussy about creating perfect guest-room?

[theboatisleaking]

We've just completed extension and for first time ever have a proper guest-room! I'm very excited about making it as comfortable and welcoming as possible but DH thinks I'm going OTT and wants to keep it very simple.

When you're a house-guest, what things make a perfect guest-room? What do you need or wish hosts had provided and what's too much?

It's a small room, just space for a double-bed, plus an open-storage wardrobe (with shelves and rail), also a small chest of drawers. Large window with no blind/curtains as yet (DH thinks no need to cover window but I diasagree!) No ensuite but a bathroom right next door for guests' exclusive use.

So far I've added a bedside lamp, box of tissues and a warm throw. I want to add a tea-tray with travel-kettle, cups, tea, biscuits etc and a TV (we have a spare) but DH thinks this is too much and might make guests feel they're not welcome in kitchen and living room. I also want to add fresh flowers, a bowl of wrapped chocolates (like Lindor) and some books/magazines but he thinks it will make it look cluttered! What do you think? What would you appreciate if you were a guest?

And do you think plain white bedding is best or something colourful (I think white looks a bit clinical and makes guests paranoid about marking it but DH thinks otherwise!)

Any advice/opinions appreciated!

I think a kettle is going a bit far! Bit too B&Bish. I wouldn't turn my nose up at chocolates and magazines though.

Personally my preference is for white sheets with a bright throw over it but to be honest I don't really care what the sheets look like as long as I'm confident no one has slept in them before me.

You need something on the window

I agree the kettle etc is a bit odd in a spare room, but mags and books is nice if you've the room. I also have an alarm clock in mine.

in the guest bathroom I have a little basket in the cabinet with 2 new toothbrushes, mini deodorant, hairspray and toothpaste, cotton buds, comb etc. In case of emergency stay over or in case someone's forgotten something.

Definitely cover the window! Don't make it self contained though, or your guests will feel awkward coming out to join you. Would you really expect a guest to stay in their bedroom watching tv??

I'd leave a bottle of still mineral water and a couple of glasses instead of the tea-tray. And a small clock somewhere to see the time (but one without a noisy tick).

You need curtains otherwise guests get woken up stupidly early in summer. Unless you want them up and gone sharpish!

If you are going the full hog I'd like the following:
clean sheets, any colour, plain or patterned so long as it all went.
blanket
extra pillows
water glass
full length mirror
plenty of plugs - or an extension cable
good lighting in room or bathroom
nice towels
a window that opens
wardrobe space
tv/radio

toiletries in case I've forgotten my own, bubble bath if there is a bath.

However, having said that, i'd be just as happy with somewhere to sleep and go to the toilet!

Yes kettle is too far, I would think I was not allowed in the kitchen. I would love to have books and magazines though. And a curtain!

I also have bath robes and basket of those disposable hotel slippers in my guest room.

I don't like the idea of a kettle, way too B&B.

How about one of those glass water holders that has a cup for a lid on the bedside table?

Definitely cover the window. Etsy has some beautiful custom Roman blinds for not so much money. I'm sizing them up right now.

DEFININTELY CURTAINS!!!!

I have lots of bits and pieces that I put into guest room, mostly that are duplicates gathered over the years. So a decent hairdryer, couple of hot water bottles, spare pillows (in covers) etc all in the wardrobe. And a few decent hangers.

I had thought about cups etc, but thought it might feel like "stay in there out of the way"! So I have a nice jug with a lid (which I tend to fill with water the day of arrivals) and 2 nice glasses instead, many guests seem to want water in bed. A nice chocolate on each pillow would be a treat if a bowl is too much. A small vase of flowers would be nice too (you could always get the test tubes that hang on the wall using suction cups, to put up 2 or 3 nice blooms!!, or other such ones).

I usually put a nice magazine or 2 there. And usually a book of Sudokus/crosswords, a small notepad and a pen. Box of tissues is good, and a bin (with liner in it) if you have a tiny space.

I normally put out a stack of towels on each bed - one body sized, one hand towel and one facecloth. If the bathroom next door is exclusively theirs, then you don't need to do that. (Next part could go in that bathroom instead of room too).

I have a basket of toiletries. Now, a lot of those were from hotels over the years, so things like a matching shower gel, shampoo and soap. Shower cap, shoe shine sponge etc - don't match but obviously hotel so guests are welcome to use them. I also had put together a big lot of travel-sized things that might be useful for DSiblings arriving in the day of DGrandparents funerals (coming from overseas, 3 funerals in 27 months - and as the eldest of 6, living in the city of all 3 DGPs and away from DPs, it was kinda up to me to have the "base" for them to arrive to, and make sure all were respectable too). But I have left it in the guest room as somethings seem to be handy and used up (I know some are overkill).

Cotton buds
Cotton wool pads
Cleanser, toner, moisturizer
New toothbrushes and toothpaste
Razor and shaving foam
Deodorant (male and female)
Fresh comb, hairclips, hairspray and hair gum
Nail file
Nail varnish remover and clear nail polish
Hand cream
Painkillers, antacids, immodium, motilium
Band-aids
Safety pins
Spare pair of plain tights
Spare pair of dark socks
Pocket packs of tissues
Clothes brush

See, too much - but at the time, I was under stress and needed everyone coming through my house to be presentable or able to become so, fast, and not annoy my parents about it either. And not knowing who would be staying, calling en route from airports, not have packed properly, etc.....

oh yes, curtains are a must. blackout ones. It's up to the guest then if they draw them or not.

A mirror, definitely.

Enough plug points.
Decent lighting including bedside lamps.
A door that actually shuts (I'm looking at your DH who has been promising to fix our guest room door for ages)

No to the kettle and the chocolates.

with TV, it depends if most of your guests would stay a night or two, or do you rather have overseas visitors staying a couple of weeks at a time. If the latter, then they might not want to spend every single evening with you and would appreciate some privacy.

Sorry, forgot spare blanket in wardrobe.

And clock - preferably clock radio so they can set an alarm if needed and listen to radio in bed.

Easy access sockets, if possible, for charging gadgets.

Curtains and none of the rest, too much like a hotel. Very impersonal. I'd feel a bit odd staying somewhere with all of this, rather than being welcoming it would feel like I was on show.

How long are your guests staying for?!

Agree on decent curtains/blinds. Maybe both, because then it can be either pitch black or they can wake up to the sun.

Mirror, hairdryer, tissues and that would be useful.

But the kettle... Unless I was staying for a week, I think I'd find that a little unsettling. It would sort of suggest that I had to stay in my room and not come and socialise with the rest of the house!

I would find all that very touching and thoughtful but also quite hilarious. Sorry. We'd be giggling away behind shut door. You aren't running a B&B.

Definitely no kettle/cups etc - as DH says, that would make me feel I wasn't allowed out of the room unless invited - it's very B&Bish. My guests are told to help themselves to whatever they want from drinks, fridge etc.

You do need some curtains or blinds though. Who wants a bedroom with no privacy?

Chocolates and flowers are a lovely idea but not exactly necessary. I love flowers and chocolates and have them at home anyway, they are normal things to have in a room, to me. Although people might have hay fever?

White/coloured linens, really couldn't give a shit as long as I'm comfortable. And it's not my mother's migraine inducing home-made 70s swirly patterned ones. Good mattress, decent pillows, cotton linens, not too hot or cold.

Who are these guests going to be? Family/close friends I like to treat (and be treated) pretty much as if they are at home, not formal guests. If it's something more formal, then I can understand the whole 'hosting' thing a bit more.

Spare toothbrush/toothpaste/shampoo etc useful.

My top three requests would be

A - clean

B - clean

and

C - clean.

That's all really.

I've just given our spare room a deep clean and am really happy with it now. There is a huge Superking bed, spare pillows and blankets in the wardrobe, blackout blind and have just hung some beautiful curtains too. There is a stack of guest towels on the blanket box as the bathroom would be shared. The plants are well maintained and i normally put a jug of fresh flowers in prior to a guest. A bottle of water and a couple of glasses too.

It's very relaxing in there, white walls and ceiling, cream carpet, cream curtains with faint purple roses outlined, white waffle bedding with cream pillows and a thick fluffy cream blanket across the foot of the bed.

'A nice chocolate on each pillow would be a treat' - oh it would be a treat all right, DP and I would be wetting ourselves laughing at this.

People visit to stay in your home. With you. If they wanted to go to a hotel, they would. Keep it simple and homely, not faux boutique B&B. That's just embarrassing.

My spare room had bedding, lamps and a clock radio

That's it

Imo blackout curtains were a priority in our spare bedroom and extra blankets. Also different types of pillows in there. (I always have issues when we stay anywhere.)
If you're planning on chilling out in there when you haven't got any guests though, you may want to go for it. (Ours is probably the nicest room in the house.)
Tbh though, our spare room always gets turned upside down when people stay in it (ie my PIL) so would advise against putting too much of yourself into the project because there's a chance it won't be appreciated / looking into it while they're there will make you cringe and the things you've put thought into will get spoilt. (Ours gets reinstated after our guests have gone and cleared beforehand.)

I have two hot water bottles in my guest room for visitors. I put out fresh towels etc on the bed for them. In the bathroom there are spare shower gel and shampoo.

I think the TV and kettle are too B&B ish, but a friend who stayed recently asked if I had any spare slippers she could borrow (wood floors downstairs). I did happen to, but have now thought of getting some of these to keep in the bedside cupboard in case anyone else would like them - I think they can go in the washing machine.

If I went to stay at a friend's house and they had white sheets and chocolates I just know there would be a drunken chocolate-smearing-on-the-sheet-then-having-to-explain-it's-not-poo incident.

Books - magazines - I'd much rather be given free rein to pick what I like out of the house stock (assuming you have bookcases) than be given a handful to pick from.

Puzzle books etc, I wouldn't dare do them, I'd assume they were yours.

I often put some flowers in, when guests are coming, but I wouldn't go as far as chocolates!

Said guest with the borrowed slippers said to her partner that our guest bedroom is "better than other hotels" because it had conveniently located plug sockets! Her DP fell about laughing and of course shared that little gem of a comment as soon as they came downstairs!

tissues, wpb, mirror, accessible plugs with adaptor if visitors are from abroad. I hate heavy duvets, much prefer a lightweight one with extra blanket. Water yes, kettle, tv, chocs, flowers, mags no. I like to spread my stuff around.