Guest Rooms- What do you want in them?

[Scarlett]

Thanks for this thread.  Because of it I realized I have no mirror in the guest room! 

I keep the door closed to keep my cat and dog out of it.

[TechWife]

2 hours ago, QueenCat said:

You all have given me so many great ides. Many of which I hope to incorporate. This is the first time we've had a dresser dedicated to our guests so I'm in shock that so many of you wouldn't use it. I always wish I had one when I'm a guest. There is room for either a chair OR a suitcase stand. Which one is more important to you?

We don’t have a dresser in our guest room. Most things can be hung up if they need to be freed from the suitcase. My bff has been here several times & she said it isn’t needed. I would put a chair in a room over a suitcase stand. 

[Jaybee]

18 hours ago, Jaybee said:

I pretty much agree with everybody else on these things. My first thought was a suitcase stand like hotels have, because you aren't always staying long enough to really unpack, and it's nice not to have to get down in the floor. But yes to a surge protector, extra toiletries (incl. an extra toothpaste or two), etc.

I meant an extra toothbrush or two 🙄, not toothpaste (although a travel size would be nice).

[Grace Hopper]

15 minutes ago, TechWife said:

We don’t have a dresser in our guest room. Most things can be hung up if they need to be freed from the suitcase. My bff has been here several times & she said it isn’t needed. I would put a chair in a room over a suitcase stand. 

Hooks! We love hooks in strategic places. I agree that no dresser is needed. 

[QueenCat]

23 minutes ago, TechWife said:

We don’t have a dresser in our guest room. Most things can be hung up if they need to be freed from the suitcase. My bff has been here several times & she said it isn’t needed. I would put a chair in a room over a suitcase stand. 

The dresser is already there. It goes with the bed and nightstand. It's staying 😉 I'm thinking chair, too.

[QueenCat]

8 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

Hooks! We love hooks in strategic places. I agree that no dresser is needed. 

The dresser is already in place. It wasn't something I was thinking about... It goes with the other furniture.

[HS Mom in NC]

black out curtains-Sleeping from travel and naps can happen during the day.

tv-I don't want to hold my phone in front of me for a full length movie or tv show.

toiletries on hand- contact lens solution, contacts case, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouth rinse. We keep our take home kits from the dentist for guests and have other sealed travel toiletries on hand in case someone forgets something or checked baggage is sent on the wrong plane.

hook/hanging rack  on back of the door for bath towels-if all the towels look the same in the bathroom there could be unintentional mix ups.

steamer-Much faster, easier, and more convenient than an iron for wrinkled clothes.

thick unisex bathrobes-These are a nice extra people are unlikely to bring from home.

Extra hangers-I don't use dressers, I only hang things.

Clear bathroom counters-It's frustrating using bathroom counters that are too cluttered. I need space to get my toiletries out and use a hair tool without worrying about the cord knocking down a bunch of bottles and decor items that cover every inch of counter space.

Minimal decor-In a guest room too much visual clutter is stress inducing.  I want to relax. I also want tables and counters free for me to put things on. I once stayed in an Air BnB that was soooooo freaking cluttered. 

Quiet- At that Air BnB I wouldn't wait to leave because the walls and flat surfaces were covered and there were freaking ticking clocks in every other room. The first thing I did was pull the batteries out of each of them. 

No scented things!!!!-And then I got rid of the Glade plug ins there. Nothing is more nauseating than Glade plug ins. Same with scented candles/incense.  They're the worst! We stayed in another  Air BnB where the previous guest had smoked against the rules, and the owner decided to light scented candles and let them burn until just before we arrived to "get rid of the smell." It caused me a killer headache and I'd been up crazy early the day before and had flown across the country and was exhausted.  The place smelled like cigarettes and candle shop. She would've been better off opening the windows and  turning on the fans for a while until the worst of it was gone, then closing windows and spraying unscented Febreeze on things and letting it sit for a while, then opening the windows and turning on the fans again.

[QueenCat]

Several of you have mentioned black out curtains. I'm thinking these would look funny over my blinds? We have to have white facing the street (per HOA). I'm trying to decide what I think about one room having curtains and the rest blinds... You all have given me much to think about. 

[HS Mom in NC]

8 minutes ago, QueenCat said:

Several of you have mentioned black out curtains. I'm thinking these would look funny over my blinds? We have to have white facing the street (per HOA). I'm trying to decide what I think about one room having curtains and the rest blinds... You all have given me much to think about. 

Every window in my house has mini blinds and curtains.  During the day the mini blinds are pulled all the way up and the curtains are pulled all the way open for maximum light.  When it's night or when I want privacy the blinds are down and closed while the curtains are pulled closed over the blinds. Sometimes I just want a little light coming in but also privacy, so the mini blinds are down and I twist the control rod to open them slightly to allow in a little light while the curtains are all the way open. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Isn't this room for family guests?  Am I missing something here?  My expectations for a guest room in a family home is way different than what I would expect from a room that I'm paying for.  I don't mean that friends and family should be left uncomfortable but if I'm visiting friends and family I am there to interact with them, not to hide away in the room.  (Obviously there are times at night when we all need some space from each other and of course need to sleep in comfort and quiet.) 

[QueenCat]

43 minutes ago, HS Mom in NC said:

Every window in my house has mini blinds and curtains.  During the day the mini blinds are pulled all the way up and the curtains are pulled all the way open for maximum light.  When it's night or when I want privacy the blinds are down and closed while the curtains are pulled closed over the blinds. Sometimes I just want a little light coming in but also privacy, so the mini blinds are down and I twist the control rod to open them slightly to allow in a little light while the curtains are all the way open. 

Mine are the faux wood (but really look like wood) kind. 2.5 inches deep. Just trying to imagine the look... 

[QueenCat]

34 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Isn't this room for family guests?  Am I missing something here?  My expectations for a guest room in a family home is way different than what I would expect from a room that I'm paying for.  I don't mean that friends and family should be left uncomfortable but if I'm visiting friends and family I am there to interact with them, not to hide away in the room.  (Obviously there are times at night when we all need some space from each other and of course need to sleep in comfort and quiet.) 

Yes! Just for family and friends that come to visit. I won't be using all of the ideas, but I do want people to be comfortable. 

[HS Mom in NC]

9 minutes ago, QueenCat said:

Mine are the faux wood (but really look like wood) kind. 2.5 inches deep. Just trying to imagine the look... 

Here are images of wood blinds with curtains: https://www.google.com/search?q=images+wood+blinds+with+curtains&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj-ncywod_1AhUBGVkFHZEJBi4Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=images+wood+blinds+with+curtains&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoHCCMQ7wMQJzoGCAAQCBAeUPUGWJQMYNsOaABwAHgAgAGxAYgByQWSAQMyLjSYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=5Iz5Yf6bBIGy5NoPkZOY8AI&bih=507&biw=870&client=firefox-b-1-d

[Jaybee]

Some of what I would want depends very much on length of stay. If I'm somewhere for just a couple of days, it's very different from staying there for several weeks or months. For example, I would use a dresser for the longer stay, but not the shorter. Many of the suggestions are things that would be nice for longer visits, but no need for it for a shorter time. 

I agree with PP on need for lack of clutter. I don't want to be afraid I'll forget something because I don't see it among all the other things in the room when I get ready to leave. And with the no feather pillow; if I walked into the room, I would be congested in about 10 minutes. While I probably wouldn't use a chair, I'd like enough pillows or a study buddy that I could prop up in bed easily for reading.

[*****]

22 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

extra blankets and at least one extra pillow

1 extra pillow in a closet is nice, but don't go overboard with throw pillows on the bed. Sometimes there are so many, then I don't know where they are to be put when the bed is being used. Seriously!

If you have a tv with the bells and whistles: remote, roku, lots of choices for services, instructions would be very helpful. We don't have these services at home, so I don't know how to run these devices. Tech challenged I guess! So lately, I haven't even watched tv when renting a place because figuring them out is a bother. 

A lot of good suggestions on this good thread, but don't feel you need everything. Simple is nice, too!

[DreamerGirl]

We have inlaws and parents staying with us for 6 months at a time, so my list is vastly different from most.

What I found nice for them is have some sort of seating. A chair if possible to fit in, certainly a padded bench if you can. A little table beside it and a lamp beside.

This may not be possible due to space constraints, but I think if possible something extra to sit on other than the bed.

A mirror if you do not have a bathroom attached, a full length mirror if you do.

I always have an over the door hanger in all bedrooms because it is a place to hang a coat, a sweater, handbag, hat or even clothes that may not always need to be put away or folded.

[Kanin]

I'd say a fan for white noise, and various thicknesses of pillows for different preferences. Personally I hate pillows with fabric that makes noise when I move around, so quiet pillows would be awesome 🙂 

[SHP]

Prepandemic we hosted artists for different festivals every summer and were debating hosting international students as part of the Homestay program through the local university. 

Average size room:

Full size bed (or queen)

A desk with chair for writing

A vanity for make-up

Towels

Extra blankets and pillows

Power strip to ensure enough outlets

Hangers (LOTS of hangers for performing artists)

Comfortable chair or small couch (if room allows)

Wifi information

House key

Public transportation passes and schedules

Welcome packet that has a local guide (with coupons if possible) tailored to the artists. The venues we suggested for the college age LGBTQ guests was not the same as the senior citizens and neither of those had the information we included for the stripper/dominatrix (biggest mistake of my life was not timing my mother's departure to be BEFORE her arrival.)

 

[Ellie]

15 hours ago, MEmama said:

 Yes yes yes to a towel hanger.

Several of y'all have said that, but so far, my guests have never figured out where to put their wet towels. We have three guest bedrooms (crazy, innit?); one has its own bathroom, two share a jack-and-jill bathroom. There are hooks/towel racks in both bathrooms. I have found towels hung over the bathroom doors, taken into the bedrooms and laid on the beds, and laid across the rocking chair.

The bedroom with its own bathroom is used the most. At first, I put several folded towels on the bed, where the guests would be sure to find them; apparently, they didn't see the hooks on the bathroom wall (large hooks, on the wall next to the tub) to hang their used/wet towels, so towels were hung on the bathroom door (even hung on the shower curtain rod would have been better). Then I put the towels in the bathroom, hanging on the hooks; the guest left those towels and took towels out of the cabinet over the toilet. o_0 Then I showed a guest to her room, and took the clean, folded towels off her bed, and demonstrated hanging one on the hook (you know, cheerfully, while chatting, not as in a lesson on where to hang towels).  Towels were hung over the door.  Now I just put the clean towels on the sink and let them have at it, but I casually check each day to make sure my great-grandmother's rocking chair is not being used as a towel bar.

[mom31257]

Following because we need to do more with out guest room. 

[Ellie]

20 hours ago, QueenCat said:

Several of you have mentioned black out curtains. I'm thinking these would look funny over my blinds? We have to have white facing the street (per HOA). I'm trying to decide what I think about one room having curtains and the rest blinds... You all have given me much to think about. 

I always have curtains in addition to blinds/shades. Do you only have blinds on your windows?

[QueenCat]

45 minutes ago, Ellie said:

I always have curtains in addition to blinds/shades. Do you only have blinds on your windows?

Yes. I've had window toppers before but not full-length curtains with blinds. Oh, wait!!!!! I do remember one house where we did have curtains with the blinds in the family room. I'd totally forgotten about them (two states/houses ago). 

I do like the clean look of nice blinds. Actually, most of the downstairs blinds are being replaced next week with wooden blinds (two-three inch slats). The ones we have are in bad shape from the previous owners kids and dog. I like the clean look of nice blinds. I actually think that curtains would look funny on the single windows in the bedrooms. There are two windows in each (master has more) but there is a gap between them. 

[Laurel-in-CA]

I like having a reading nook - a chair with a small end table or a desk where I can put my coffee mug. I also appreciate NOT having flat pillows, and having a variety of sizes available. I usually sleep with a body pillow, a shaped foam pillow for my head and another smaller pillow as well. If I'm flying, can't take the pillows with me so I need *options*. I do appreciate all the suggestions. Our current "guest room" is a blow-up air mattress in the family room, LOL, and the downstairs is only 1/2 bath so overnight guests have to share the master shower. Someday we may have empty rooms for guests, LOL.

ETA: If the bed is high, please consider a step stool for us short people. This is another reason for having a chair to sit in rather than just the bed.

[DawnM]

I don't want my dad's girlfriend in mine! 🤣