top 10 tips for hosting guests
A guest bedroom featuring comforting blues and red and baskets on the wall at Villa Mauresque, Marekesh, Morocco
When booking an Airbnb, I like to find one that provides a home away from home that is more personal than a hotel room but with the five star treatment of a hotel. Each time I stay in an Airbnb, I take away some tips from those that do it well and lament on how I could do it better when staying in one that misses the mark somewhat.
Whether you are a host of an Airbnb or are setting up a guest room in your home for friends and family, here are my top ten tips for making your guests feel welcome and special.
1. Dress the room
Decorating a guest room is a good excuse to have some fun and create a whole new look for this special room in your home. Splash out on a beautiful textile for the bedhead and valance like the Christopher Farr Cloth fabric and add a grasscloth wallpaper in the room by Kit Kemp below. Perhaps you prefer something more eclectic like an Indian block print quilt and baskets on the wall like the guest room in the image above at Villa Mauresque.
2. Furnish the rooM for the Look and Functionality
A well decorated room needs layers so add a rug, bedside lamps with custom shades, an armchair for the corner of the room or an ottoman at the end of the bed, a pretty pendant light, and a mirror on the wall for dressing. The bedsides should be big enough for your guests to put their reading glasses, a book, a glass of water and their phone. If your guest room has a verandah or terrace add a couple of comfortable outdoor chairs so your guests can relax in privacy.
Eclectic chairs on the terrace at Villa Mauresque, Morocco
3. A bed or your Dreams
What is it about a hotel bed that is so comfortable? It is the quality of the mattress, and the bedding and room service of course. Purchase a new good quality mattress for your guest bedroom rather than use one your family has slept in for the past 20 years and is sagging in the middle. Buy new good quality pillows (make it 4 pillows not 2) and use mattress covers and pillow covers to protect your bedding. If you want to service the room as well that is up to you of course!
4. Choose bedlinen carefully
Choose 100% natural linen bedding for that comfortable lived in look or crisp white cotton sheets with a piping or embroidery detail for a more formal look. Layer the bed with a duvet and cotton quilt on end of the bed for winter or a bedspread or quilt for summer. Keep extra quilts and blankets in the cupboard just in case.
5. for the love of cushions
Choose two throw cushions in a beautiful fabric that work with the scheme of the room or two European pillows that work back with the bedlinen. Do not put too many cushions on the bed as it is annoying for your guests and they may just end up on the floor of the room.
A bedroom designed by Kit Kemp, Crosby St Hotel. New York celebrating colour, pattern and textiles.
6. Somewhere for a suitcase
There is nothing worse then a suitcase on the floor and having to bend over to rummage through it to find your clothes. Provide a fold up luggage rack or perhaps an ottoman for your guests to place their suitcase or overnight bag on.
7. hang it up
Some guests prefer to hang up their clothes and not live out of a suitcase especially if they are staying for more than a few days. Provide space in the built in cupboard and pretty hangers for their use or put a stand alone cupboard in the room for guests. You could buy a second hand cupboard and paint it a pretty colour or purchase a beautiful antique one.
8. A desk for working from home
Often your guests will have some work to do whilst staying at your home so provide a small desk or table where they can set up their computer and a comfortable chair. Add some portable power points for charging their computer and phone at the desk or beside their bed.
9. Pamper your guests
Make your guests feel special with a hand towel and bath towels that are as soft and luxurious as those in a hotel room but a little different such as those by Matilda Goad . Or introduce colour with classic towels by Missoni . Treat your guests with luxurious toiletries like Aesop Hand wash and body cleanser that they may not use at home. Provide a fluffy white towelling dressing gown or white linen robe for their use especially if the bath is down the hall.
10. Extra Touches
Don’t let your guests go thirsty or make them walk into the kitchen at night in their PJs for a glass of water. Put a carafe and glass next to the bed. Place a vase of fresh flowers or greenery and a scented candle on the bedside or dresser to welcome them to your home. Place some favourite novels or books of short stories and a pile of magazines in the room.
Below are some of my favourite things to accessorise a guest room highlighted in this post. Click on the images for more information.
At Berkeley Interiors we can help you to decorate all the special rooms in your home including your guest bedroom and specialise in sourcing the furniture, lighting, rugs, making custom furnishings, selecting artwork, and styling your spaces including the final touches such as bedlinen and accessories.