If you’re having guests for the holidays, it’s something extra to add to your plate of preparation. Ensuring they have everything they need for a wonderful time can be difficult when you have so much to think about.
However, from their perspective, coming to your house for the holidays takes them away from their own homely, cozy environment, and takes them somewhere alien. With this in mind, perhaps the best thing you can do for your guests this season is to provide them with a guest room that blows them away, that surpasses all they could ask for.
Rather than just having a spare bed and perhaps a towel or two, why not go the whole way and offer them something close to luxury. Although they say don’t make your guest room too nice, or your guests will never leave (!), in the holiday season, it’s perhaps something you can stretch to.
Why not try a few of these simple ideas to give your guest room a touch of class and luxury:
1. Aid Their Appearances
There’s nothing more annoying than going to a hotel room only to find that there aren’t enough plug sockets, the hair dryer socket is too far from the mirror, or there’s no mirror at all. When kitting out a guest bedroom, it’s important to think about what you think you would need it you were staying in a hotel or someone else’s house. What would make getting ready easier for you? And especially since everyone wants to look their best during the holiday season, it’s nice to give guests a hand.
Provide them with a mirror. A mirror on a dressing table is great for makeup, accompanied by a full-length mirror. If you don’t have room for a stand-alone mirror, attaching one to the back of the door allows space-saving. Having two mirrors also means that two guests staying in one room can get ready at the same time.
Throw in a hair dryer. We always forget to bring hair dryers with us but they can be essential to the getting ready process. By providing one, guests feel that touch of hotel speciality seeping in.
Make sure you have enough sockets. Providing a multi-socket adapter is a great way to ensure guests can plug in everything they need at once, from straighteners to phone chargers, from the hair dryer to a lamp.
Think about lighting. If the overhead light is dim, making makeup application difficult, add a brighter desk lamp or table light on the dressing table or near the mirror.
Don’t make them rummage. A really annoying thing to have to do is rummage through your suitcase to try and find what you need. If you don’t have room to provide your guests with storage, at least provide them with a suitcase bench for them to bring their case closer to eye level to find their clothing more easily.
2. Store Their Stuff
Storage is always an issue for guests, especially when they have outfits for special occasions which they would like to hang. Nobody wants to live out of a suitcase so if you have the space, providing that storage for guests makes them feel at home, rather than a temporary lodger.
Run a rail. If you’re limited for space, a hanging rail complete with coat hangers is a lovely way to provide guests with a little hanging room for dresses and shirts they’d rather not have creased.
Drawers for drawers. If you have enough space, a chest of drawers is a lovely idea as it allows guests to give a temporary home to their belongings. However, if you’re limited for space, then slip in a bedside table which has a small set of drawers in, so that guests have somewhere to place their valuables and undies.
Armoires for the win. Armoires are small skinny wardrobes which incorporate both hanging space and drawers. Great for people with small guest rooms, this set piece of furniture solves storage space, with just enough room for your guests to hang their clothes for their holiday visit.
3. Think Extra to be Extraordinary
Providing guests with a little bit extra makes the difference between just another stay at your sister-in-laws and that touch of holiday quality. Giving your guests something that makes them go ‘ooo la la’ is the added sparkle needed at this time of year.
Extra pillows and blankets. Not everyone likes the same style pillow so providing plenty of options makes sure everyone has a comfortable night’s sleep.
A little Christmas tipple. Providing a couple of glasses and a decanter of brandy or a bottle of mulled wine for bed, add a nice Christmas spirit to the room, and add a touch of class usually only found in expensive hotels.
Wake up and smell the coffee. Everyone likes a cup of Joe in the morning, so why not give your guests the propensity to make it themselves. That means they can wake themselves up while getting ready in the morning, so their fresh faced by the time they meet you.
Extra darkness. Not everyone has composite shutters to keep the light out. Think about installing blinds as well as curtains so everyone gets a lovely night’s sleep.
Extra softness. Providing extra towels that are all soft and fluffy, dressing gowns, slippers etc are a lovely way to give you guests creature comforts this holiday season that they wouldn’t expect.
So get thinking about what your guests want this holiday. What would you want if you were staying elsewhere for the holiday season? A touch of class? A little luxury? Why not provide it and you’ll not only impress your guests, but give them a festive home away from home.
Emily Jenkins is a freelance writer currently in the process of decorating her house. Having taken on the project from scratch there is a lot of hard work to be done. When she’s not writing you can find her surfing home improvement style websites such as http://www.sunbeltshutters.com/ or searching for DIY videos to teach her how to improve her home on a budget.