With the holidays coming (and family coming), you may need some help organizing a guest room or two. In most houses, we share a guest room with another purpose. A home office seems to be the most common other purpose. Because a guest room is often a secondary purpose, one tends to treat it as an afterthought.

For 98% of the year, the afterthought status is OK, but when company comes to stay, that needs to change. Start by thinking of the details that you appreciate the most when you stay in hotel room. These must usually be tempered somewhat by accommodating the room’s other purpose. So, assuming your guest room has second purpose, here are some tips to strike a comfortable organizing balance.

1. Declutter!

Neither purpose will benefit from excess stuff, so be very strict on what items makes the cut. Maybe the seasonal clothes and archive files in your closet can be stored more remotely. Organizing to the rescue. When you walk into a new hotel room, think how much you just value the open space. There’s nothing inviting about other people’s clutter.

2. Open closet/ drawers

It’s OK if you can’t reserve an entire closet for your guests. But leave a generous length of closet rod open for your guest to hang clothes on. Same goes for organizing drawer space. A full chest of drawers may not be possible, but reserve a couple empty drawers.

3. Space savers

If your guest room is sharing space with a home office, you might not be able to justify  a regular bed. So consider a folding bed or futon, when organizing. Just be sure to open it up and add bedding, so that your guest feels welcome. Getting night stands with drawers can save space by eliminating the need for a full dresser.

4. Bedside basics

Nightstand surfaces tend to get so overloaded, that it’s easy to lose sight of the basics. A guest will always appreciate a reading lamp, a box of tissues, and a coaster. A coaster? That’s right. In your home, you may not worry about leaving a glass of water on your wooden surface. However, in someone else’s home you won’t feel as comfortable about it. Comfort is the key to an inviting guest room.

5. Charge up and connect

In this day and age, two of the most uncomfortable feelings are not being able to recharge and connect.  Make your guest feel welcome with an open outlet and a wi-fi password on a note. Also, your guest will welcome a surface to rest a laptop or tablet.

6. Towels

A folded bath towel and matching hand towel makes any guest feel welcome. If a guest is sharing a bathroom, leave the towels on the bed. It instantly says “we thought of everything.”

7. Trash can

I include a trash can, because it easy to forget and not unimportant. When organizing, it’s an unsettling feeling to have a piece of paper all balled up with no place to throw. For that reason a small trash bin conveniently located adds to the comfort.

8. Extra blanket

An unfamiliar place can feel twice as uncomfortable, if it is cold. Having an extra blanket handy is always appreciated.

9. Door hook

A door hook is another small detail that makes a big difference. It’s nice to have a place to hang your bathrobe or other large articles of clothing.  Not every piece of clothing merits a hanger or can fit into a drawer.

10. Bathroom room

You could get rid of your hotel samples, by leaving them out for your guest, for that “hotel treatment.” You could go all out like that or you can do something even more valuable. If you can’t give your guest his or her own guest bathroom, just give bathroom space. Leave a generous amount of surface area for their bathroom supplies.  Shuffling around crowded sink space never feels welcome.

As you can see in all these tips, making your guest feel welcome, doesn’t require a great expense. It just requires considering some of the details that you may take for granted in your bedroom space.  These details are particularly easy to overlook, when you mostly use your guest room for another purpose. Hope this helps.

If the holidays have snuck up on you, no worries. If you’re running out of time on your guest room(s), we can help. We not only help get your spaces organized, but set up systems to keep them that way. To learn more, call for a free consult today at 203.253.8414.