6 Ways to Make Your Guest Room Feel Like a Hotel
TABLE OF CONTENTS
On This Page
Stock the Room with Snacks
Sooth with Essential Oil
Listen to Your Guests' Needs
Remove Visual Clutter
Consider a Full Refresh
Add an Extra Touch to Your Sheets
Summer brings us suntans, cookouts, fresh watermelon recipes, and—fingers crossed—beach vacations, and winter gives us Christmas celebrations galore. However, if you know your home will become a revolving door of family reunions with each new season, it's never a bad time to elevate your guest room from #WFH office to boutique hotel room.
Home decor blogger, Wendy Lau from The Kwendy Home (@TheKwendyHome), has stayed in her fair share of hotel rooms from her time as a flight attendant—the most memorable ones considered all five of her senses. Keep reading to learn how to curate a guest room that even your mother-in-law will love by including taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch with little touches and simple techniques.
Marta Xochilt Perez; Styling: Page Mullins
Stock the Room with Snacks
While you aren't advertising yourself as a Bed & Breakfast, it is a huge mood boost for your guests to find a thoughtful snack after a long day of travel. Wendy suggests using a small basket to hold the snacks. "It doesn't have to be fully stocked—even a carafe on the nightstand or a chocolate on the pillow is a lovely touch." Using a vessel to hold the snacks—like a basket, pillow or otherwise—makes the gift feel purposeful. It elevates it from last-minute addition to thoughtful decor.
Sooth with Essential Oil
Aromatherapy is a therapeutic technique for a reason. Essential oils help regulate any high strung emotions that come with the stress of travel. According to Mayo Clinic, some studies have shown it reduces anxiety and improves sleep through the smell receptors in your nose. Let the pleasant scent soothe your guests' nervous system by setting up a diffuser in their bedroom. Wendy's favorite? "Citrus! It's a universally pleasant scent!" According to Healthline, it's also known to lift your mood and relieve an upset stomach (which might come in handy if family dinner doesn't go as planned).
Listen to Your Guests' Needs
Whether you live next to a construction zone or at risk of a rooster wake-up call, offer earbuds. When Wendy was a flight attendant she always appreciated these thoughtful amenities during overnight trips—a tip she decided to bring home with her after years of travel. If goodie bags aren't your thing, try a welcome playlist. Wendy said, "I remember the hotel lobbies always had soothing music playing in the background, which helped set a calming tone to my stay. Music has a way of dictating our mood, so you can influence the desired ambience by playing something energetic and upbeat or soft and relaxing." Eye masks are another great amenity to offer your guests, especially if you don't have blackout curtains. The better your guests sleep, the happier they will be at breakfast.
Remove Visual Clutter
Eye sores like a desk overflowing with busy paperwork is the last thing you want your visitors to experience. While you're Marie-Kondoing through old tax files piled on the office chair, don't forget to designate a space for guests to unpack their clothes—this could be a set of drawers, a few hooks behind the door, or a mobile clothing rack that can be folded and stored when it's not needed.
Consider a Full Refresh
If you're up for a challenge, consider doing a full refresh by painting the guest room before your next visitor arrives. However, be careful with the colors you choose. Bright and bold colors are perfect for a statement wall but won't exactly feel like a peaceful escape. If you are renting, removable wallpaper is also a great way to add visual stimulation to a drab space without losing your deposit.
Add an Extra Touch to Your Sheets
Wendy's top tip to freshen up a guest room? "Put a few dabs of essential oil on a couple of dryer balls before you put your bed sheets in the dryer. When they come out they'll be all fluffy and smell wonderful." Wendy said she thinks fresh sheets are the most important thing to remember when someone stays with you. "It makes me so happy when guests wake up and remark on how comfortable and soft the sheets are."
