The Complete List of How to Make Overnight Guests Feel Welcome

The fact that you’ve thought of all of these little things to make your guests feel comfortable in your home just says, “Welcome…I’m so glad you’re here!” ⟹

With the upcoming holidays, a lot of us will welcome friends and family to stay with us in our homes. I thought this was the perfect time to come up with a comprehensive list of everything I could think of to make overnight guests feel comfortable and even pampered!

I brainstormed all kinds of nice touches. No, I do not have all of these available to my guests. But I have added a lot of them over the years and I still continue to improve our guest accommodations to make everyone feel as comfortable in our home as possible!

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In the bathroom.

1.  Fresh, fluffy towels. Don’t have your visitors use your worn out castoffs. Provide new or new-ish towels that are still soft and fluffy. And bonus points for white to create a spa or hotel feel!

And having THESE MAKEUP WASHCLOTHS is the best idea! I know I HATE staining washcloths in someone’s home or in a hotel.

2. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and bar soap. Outfit your shower or tub with new…again, not mismatched rejects from your bathroom.

3. Extra toiletries. Anything your guests might have forgotten. I find that the most forgotten toiletry item that our guests ask for is a toothbrush. And I often save travel sizes of products just for this purpose.

Here are a few ideas of toiletries to stock:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Floss and mouthwash
• Razors
• Basic medicines for things like pain relief, stomach upset, and heartburn
• Feminine products
• Bandaids and antiseptic
• Contact case and solution
• Lotion
• Qtips, cotton balls or pads
• Scissors/nail clippers
• Shower cap

4. A hair dryer.

5. A plunger and air freshener or Poo-pourri.

Things to check in the bathroom:

• Make sure there is plenty of toilet paper, an extra box of kleenex, an extra bar of soap, and an extra bottle of hand soap. Everyone hates it when they don’t know they’re out of tp until it’s too late!

• Check to make sure everything is clean! Deal with any mildew issues in the shower. And do a last minute check of the sink and toilet.

• Have a trash can available and make sure it is emptied.

• Have plenty of hooks and bars to hang towels. A hook on the back of the door is always useful!

In the bedroom.

1. Layering options for the bed. Provide a light coverlet, quilt, or bedspread, a fluffy warm comforter, an extra blanket or throw, and a variety of extra pillows.

2. A welcome basket. This is where some of the thoughtful touches come in! Have a basket awaiting your guests with things like magazines and catalogs, snacks, and bottled water. Having snacks in the room is usually appreciated because guests don’t always have control over mealtimes and don’t like to ask for snacks. Stock a few cereal or protein bars, some nuts, and add some nice chocolates as a special treat. And a few electrolyte packets are a good idea too…I know I like these if I’ve had some cocktails the night before.

3. Electronic and technology needs. Sometimes these are most important to guests! Here are a few amenities you should add to your guest room:

• An extra phone charger and block
• A television
• A clock
• A sound machine

• The wifi password. We have a framed printable in each of our rooms. We even have an old computer set up in one bedroom that we make sure guests know is for their use.

4. A place for their belongings. This includes a place for a suitcase, room and hangers in the closet, an empty drawer, and room on the surfaces to put their things. A trinket dish for small, loose items is also nice to have.

5. A mirror or makeup mirror for additional “getting ready” space outside of the bathroom. I know I always appreciate a full length mirror for getting ready as well.

6. An additional place to sit besides the bed.

7. Neutral, unisex decor. You want your guests to feel comfortable with the room style. Make them feel as though they are in a nice hotel with white sheets. Keep accessories on surfaces to a minimum so guests have room for their things. And don’t fall into the trap of putting all of your old hodge podge accessories into your guest room because you don’t want them in the main rooms anymore.

8. A bathrobe. Another luxury hotel touch…a nice fluffy white unisex robe in XL that fits everyone.

9. Pen and paper.

10. An iron and ironing board.

11. A nightlight.

12. A coffee pot. If you have room, a small single cup brewer is nice along with cups, an assortment of pods, and sweeteners, syrups, and creamer. We are fortunate enough to have this “kitchenette” in one of our bedrooms for guests to use.

Things to check in the bedroom:

• Sleep in the room yourself occasionally to see how the temperature is and how the mattress and bedding feel. This also allows you to catch other things you wouldn’t notice.
• Check the light bulbs in the ceiling and lamps.
• Check the tv remote batteries and make sure the tv is logged into streaming services.
• Make sure nothing smells musty or sour. It is always nice to wash the sheets right before so that they smell fresh.
• Make sure there are accessible plugs with a power strip for things like chargers and cpap machines.

A few final touches.

And a few extra ideas to make your guests feel extra special! Leave a welcome note. Add a small vase of fresh flowers for the occasion. And top it off with a diffuser or a candle with a nice, pleasant scent.

I hope you find some of these ideas helpful as you are preparing for the upcoming holiday season. Let me know in the comments if you have any great ideas that I’ve missed!

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