How to Create a Cozy Guest Room (that your guests will actually love!)

As the holiday season approaches, many of you might be thinking about overnight guests and how to make them feel welcome in your home. The truth is, hospitality is the same at any time of year! And after more than three years of hosting hundreds of families, I have some great guest bedroom ideas for you. Here are my best tips and tricks for creating a cozy room your guests will feel comfortable in for an overnight stay in their temporary space.

Tiny Cabin Makeover: The Perfect Cozy Guest Bedroom

Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we? I want to talk about the basics of a cozy guest room that will make your visitors feel right at home. And what better way to showcase my ideas than sharing my own tiny cabin bedroom that I made over specifically as a guest room? 

I picked bright, light colours and a pretty wallpaper to give the impression of space when there really wasn’t any.  There’s a rug on the floor to add a layer of warm fabric between my guests’ feet and the floor.

Creating extra storage even in small rooms

The whole cabin is only 467 sq ft, so there’s not a lot of storage space. But I think that any guest should expect somewhere to put their belongings if they want to take them out of their suitcase. With no room for a closet in this bedroom, I had to get creative! A floating shelf mounted to the wall with baskets on top was the perfect solution to store extra blankets or clothing. I also installed a clothing rod underneath for hangers. And I put one adorable IKEA TARVA upcycled nightstand on each side of the bed. There’s a drawer and little cubby in each one! 

Add some soft ambient lighting

Lighting is important for the cozy factor too. You will see that I’ve placed lamps on the wall (on each bedside table would work too) beside the head of the bed to make evening reading easy and comfortable. Candlelight is also a beautiful touch when you’re going for cozy! These faux candles are my favourite because they have all the comfy magic of soft candlelight with none of the hazards of a forgotten flame.

Bring in some personal touches

Don’t forget about decor! Just because this space isn’t going to be used by you on a regular basis does not mean you should leave it bare and neglected. A vase with either dried or fresh flowers is a lovely touch. Create a little vignette on the dresser top with decorative books and little knick-knacks for a personal, homey touch. 

A comfortable bed is a must

And then of course, there’s the bed itself! You don’t need to be an interior designer to understand that a comfy bed is the real key to making guests feel welcome and cozy in a spare room. A good quality mattress is a great place to start. If you can’t afford a new one, just put a nice mattress topper or even a quilted mattress cover over top for a bit more comfort. 

You’ll notice that I’m a big fan of white linens! I think that comfortable bedding is one of the most important guest room ideas. Making up your guest bed with natural, breathable fibers like cotton or a cotton linen blend is best. These cotton linen sheets are my favourite option! I like to pair them with this matching cotton linen blend duvet cover set that includes a duvet cover and two pillow shams. The warm white of these bedding options pairs beautifully with any other colours you want to put in the room, neutral or not. Add a cozy throw blanket to the end of the bed so your guests have plenty of options if they feel chilly at night. You could also add some throw pillows with different textures for an extra comfy guest room feel.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the actual items I use in our vacation rental, check out my Amazon store. Here you will find my suggestions for a good mattress, light filtering shades, and other products I find indispensable to creating a comfy overnight stay for my guests.

More Ideas for Upping the Cozy Factor

Now that you’ve got the basics of your spare bedroom layout set up, there are a few more little things you can do as a host to really make your guests feel at home. 

Make sure the space is clean

The best thing you can do to make someone feel at home in your space is make sure it’s clean. Give your guest bathroom a good deep clean. Clean the floors. Make sure every surface is wiped and dusted. I like to use White Revive by OxiClean to make sure my white linens and towels stay sparklingly white for every single person who uses them! One more clean-sheets trick I will share is lint rolling every layer of the bed as you put it together. Even clean sheets have a surprising amount of hair and lint on them, and removing all of it before your guest arrives is an extra nice thing to do. 

Leave a welcome gift basket

Leaving a small gift basket on the bed or side table is a lovely gesture! As a 5-star hostess I’ve compiled a list of items my guests really appreciate AND things that they often forget to bring. None of these items need to be expensive (you can get most if not all at the dollar store). Here are just a few ideas for your basket: 

• Bathroom essentials like toothbrushes, soap, shampoos, conditioner, and lotions
• Snacks you know they will enjoy like granola bars or packaged cookies
• Any Wi-Fi passwords they may need to log in to your internet connection 
• Slippers or warm socks 

Create a coffee station

If you have the space (or even if you think you don’t) consider adding a simple bedroom coffee bar station and stocking it with a selection of coffees and teas, sugar, and creamer. This way your guest does not have to wait for you to wake up to start their morning routine! Or, they can make themselves a evening cup of peppermint tea or decaf coffee before they snuggle into bed.

Other small touches your guests will love 

There are so many little things that can make a person either comfortable or uncomfortable while travelling! I am continually using my own experience hosting (and feedback from our guests) to keep adding to my list of cozy extras to make people’s stay a success. Here are a few more:

• Stock your guest bathroom with a lot of towels, folded nicely
• Keep a box of tissues by the bed and in the bathroom (you can use a pretty cover to make them blend in with your decor)
• Put an air purifier in the room
• Hang a pretty bathrobe with slippers in the pockets for each person in the closet or behind the bathroom door
• Provide a contactless phone charger on the nightstand beside the bed

Now you have all my best ideas for making your guest room comfortable and cozy for your visitors! But really, ff you just remember these two things, you will be OK: 

• Guests are sometimes uncomfortable asking for things
• People often forget basics while travelling

If you make it your job to provide essentials they may have forgotten and try and think of everything they might want before they have to ask for it, you’re well on your way to providing the best overnight experience at someone else’s house that your guests have ever had. 

Happy hosting!

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