To make your visitors feel welcome and comfortable, there are small gestures you can make to ensure they have an enjoyable stay. The bed and curtains are basic essentials, but there are a few other things to consider for your guest room before your next (or first) guests arrive to stay.

While you don’t have to splurge on expensive linen, you should have a coordinated set of clean bedding for your guest/s. A neutral coloured linen set will fit in all year round.

Hopefully the layout of the room means a power point is beside or near the bed, allowing for a lamp or other bedside lighting in reach. Lamps with a few settings are ideal as they give the choice of different brightness levels depending on preferences.

A stack of fresh, clean towels is a welcoming touch. Be sure to include a wash cloth, hand towel, and bath towel for each guest.

Just in case your guests have forgotten to pack something, include a decorative bowl or basket with a few extra toiletries (perhaps you even already have a few samples in your home from hotels). Alternatively, you can place them on the towels. Include a new toothbrush and bar of soap so your guests won’t stress if they forgot theirs.

Sometimes, despite assuring your guests that you want them to make themselves at home, they may be hesitant. If you put together a tray of everything needed to make coffee or tea, it will make it obvious to the guest that, even if they’re awake before you, they’re welcome to help themselves, just as they would in a hotel.

This may not be necessary if they’re only staying for one night, but if you’re hosting guests for more than a few days, they’ll appreciate somewhere to hang or store their clothes, rather than picking crumpled clothes from their suitcase or bag. Even if you add a few hooks to the wall for hanging space, providing a few coat hangers. Try to clear a drawer or two for your guests to use.

If your guest is new to the area, a nice idea would be to gather tourist brochures and information on the area. Mark special locations on a map including your favourite restaurants, cafes, parks, theatres, attractions, and more. You may be showing them around, however if you’re at work or your guest wants to do some solo exploring, it’s always a good idea to have the information readily available for them.

A lot of these things are logical and simple things to provide. It doesn’t take much effort to prepare a guest room for visitors to have an enjoyable and comfortable stay. These tips can help you set up a lovely guest room for your visitors.