15 Guest Bedroom Essentials That Will Make Them Want To Stay!
When you have guests to stay, you want them to feel at home, and if you have a room specifically for guests, some guest bedroom essentials are a must. Here are all the best – so you can be ready for them whenever they arrive!
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Guests are of course people you want to welcome into your home – and treat as well as possible. They will be people who are really close to you, and they deserve a treat!
As such, here are my top 15 “must haves” for your guest bedroom / guest room essentials to ensure that your guests leave with a smile on their face every time!
EXTRA TIP – If you have a guest bedroom – always stay the night in it before you have guests to stay. It’s only then that you get to know if there are any issues with the room because you will be using everything just as they will be.
Guest Bedroom Essentials To Get Now
#1 – A Great Mattress
Above all else, when guests stay the night you want them to sleep well. This means making their bed as comfortable as possible.
You obviously won’t be able to please everyone because some will prefer firm and others soft – so I would advise getting something in between. (Unless of course you will spend time sleeping in that room as well, and then go for what is best for you).
We have this one on our daughters bed, and this on our guest bed – all of which I highly recommend.
#2 – Extra Blankets And Pillows
Along with your mattress, the bedding itself is key to a good nights sleep.
Of course you will have the usual bedding for your guest bed – but there are a couple of extra things to think about when guests stay: –
- Are they allergic to any of your bedding… I have friends who are allergic to feathers – and so the fact that all out bedding and pillows are feather (because that’s what I prefer) isn’t a great thing!. We therefore have an extra set of bedding especially for guests that we add to the bed when they stay – ideal!
- Will they be cold/warm enough – Personally I can’t sleep at all if I am cold – and so having at least one extra blanket to add to the bed for your guests would be ideal so that they can decide how cosy they want to be.
- Do they have enough bedding? – Some people love to have lots of pillows so they can prop themselves up a little – and others prefer to sleep with just one. Having a few in the room will enable them to decide what they are most comfortable with.
#3 – Great Lighting
Guests should be able to have ambient lighting for the evening, and brighter light that helps them read/put makeup on etc…
As such I would recommend good ceiling lighting, bedside lamps, and possibly an extra light around the mirror in the room.
#4 – Good Window Treatments
If you like to sleep in complete darkness, but the room has very see through curtains then you aren’t going to sleep all that well.
Of course – you need to decorate your home as you like it, but try and take into consideration the level of darkness your guests will have when they stay.
You could maybe look at blackout lining for your curtains, or have a blind AND curtains so that people can pick how much light comes in.
I am currently loving shutters and have put them in all my bedrooms (there will be a post on this shortly so watch this space), as you can get pretty much a total blackout, OR angle the shutters so that the right amount of light comes in for you. Perfect!
#5 – Ability To Change The Rooms Temperature
Whether it needs to be colder or hotter in the room – there should be ways to allow your guests to change the temperature on their own.
For example – on hot nights when they want to cool down – can they open windows (don’t lock them, or have the key close by), is there a fan that they can use?
Or on colder nights – we have already talked about adding in extra bedding, but you could also ensure that the heating is on and radiators can be altered easily.
#6 – Something To Read
If your guests can’t sleep, or wake early – or just want to go to their room for some quiet time – then it’s great to give them something to read, just in case they haven’t brought their own.
Magazines work really well for this because they’re quick and easy to read – just ensure you pick a couple of generic styles that most people would like – such as food, home, health etc….
#7 – WIFI Password
There aren’t many people who won’t want to take a look at their email or the internet when they stay with you – so make it easy for them by writing your WIFI password down in their room.
#8 – Toiletries
Most people bring their own stuff to use in the bathroom etc… but things can easily be forgotten.
As such, I like to have a pot/jar in the guest bedroom filled with small toiletries** that they can help themselves to. You can get travel size toiletries** easily enough, so I would have a small stock of the following ready to go: –
- Shower gel
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Comb
- Cotton buds
#9 – Towels
Again, guests may well bring their own towels, but always put out enough so that each guest has 1 large and 1 smaller towel to use.
#10 – Storage For Their Clothes
Ideally you will have some hooks and at least one empty drawer for your guests to hang/store their clothes so that they can unpack properly.
#11 – Storage For their Bags
Don’t make your guests have their bags in their way the whole time they are with you.
Suitcases are bulky – so try and have somewhere suitable that they can store their bags away.
Some ideas would be: –
- Under the bed
- By the side of a chest of drawers
- Inside a storage bed
- On top of a wardrobe
- Or even – out of the room completely (if the room is small then offer to take their bags and store elsewhere once they have unpacked)
#12 – Mirror And A Surface!
By this I mean an area that would work well as a dressing table.
It doesn’t have to be an actual dressing table – but could just be a mirror with a shelf below it, or a chest of drawers below – just somewhere that they can easily get themselves dressed and ready in the morning.
(Ideally the mirror would be near natural light as well)
#13 – Hair Dryer
An added bonus if you can have a spare hair dryer in the room. This stops them having to ask for yours, or bring their own etc….
#14 – A Glass
Most people like a glass of water by their bed – whether just to drink if they are thirsty, or to take medication etc… – so make this easy by having a glass ready and waiting!
#15 – Clock
Yes, most people have their mobile phones which tell the time – but it’s always good to have a clock in your guest bedroom so that they can easily check on the time if they wake up in the night, or wake early.
An extra help may be to have an alarm clock – just in case!

Basically – think of a really great hotel room and what they have in them – and make your guest room similar (although obviously a lot more homely!).
You won’t go far wrong then!
Do you have all these guest bedroom essentials all ready to go? Are there any I’ve not listed that you’d consider crucial too? I’d love to know so please leave a comment below.
p.s. If you want to know how to get your whole home guest ready, then why not CLICK HERE to read an article I wrote a while ago about just that…
Great ideas!
I would add – having a bedside table and a light by the bed that can be turned off without getting out of bed. Since they may be in unfamiliar territory, it’s nice to not have to stumble around in the dark getting into or out of bed.
Also, many people now charge their cell phones at night but want to keep them nearby. Making sure the bed is near an accessible plug or running an extension cord/power strip to the edge of the bed is nice.