COMPANY’S COMING… GETTING THE GUEST ROOM READY!

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

I love having guests at StoneGable. This weekend we are eagerly awaiting a house full of friends and family! So that means making sure my guest rooms are in great shape and ready for our guests! It is a process I usually start about a week in advance of knowing I’m having guests so I’m not rushing around at the last minute. I want to have fun and enjoy the time with company just as much as everyone else so getting the guest rooms ready is something I can check off my list. I’ll show you how I do it!

CLEAN THE SHEETS AND QUILT

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

 

I like to put clean sheets and pillow cases on my guest room beds no more than a week before my guests arrive. I love that fresh, just washed smell and so does my family and friends. I also wash the white quilts on my beds. They can take lots of washings and still look amazing! It’s important to me that my guests know that they are sleeping in spotless and great smelling beds!

Don’t forget to clean your pillows, shams, duvets and any other bedding when they need it.

MAKE A COZY BED

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

I like to make sure I have a beautifully made bed with soft, good quality bedding. And a must for our guest rooms is having mattresses that we would sleep on ourselves. When a mattress is worn out it should be thrown out and not be sent to the guest room.  

Many of us sleep on different kinds of pillows. For my guests, I have collected down, foam and memory foam type pillows for my guests to choose from. It’s a nice luxury and ensures my guests a better night sleep!

A lovely bed layered with pretty bedding is a joy to sleep in!

PUT AN EXTRA BLANKET AND A COUPLE PILLOWS IN THE CLOSET

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

It’s so thoughtful to keep a couple of blankets in the closet or drawer for your guests. Pillow too! I also have a fan in the guest room closets so if my guests get too warm they can use it to cool down since we don’t have ceiling fans. 

VACUUM AND DUST

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

Other than adding fresh flowers to my guest rooms, vacuuming and dusting are the last things I do before company comes.  I dust all surfaces and vacuum my windows, baseboard and floors. It’s spit-polish clean when I am done!

FILL BASKET OR DRAWER WITH CLEAN TOWELS

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

All of the towels at StoneGable are white. They are easy to clean and I can find great quality white towels on sale very often. I keep towels for my guests in their room. In some rooms, I keep them in a couple of the bottom dresser drawers and in the bedroom above I keep them on a rattan cart.

We are refinishing our main hall bathroom, the one most guests use. We have pegs on one wall with number tags. Each guest can hang their towels on a peg or two.

MAKE SURE A BEDROOM HAS THE ESSENTIALS

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

Guests love a well appointed room! With lots of extras they might need. I keep a clear plastic box in the closet filled with things my guests might have forgotten like toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, shaving cream, feminine products, antiperspirant, comb, Aleve, Tums, floss, baby powder, hairspray, etc.

And my guest love that I have bottled water, chocolates and small bags of nuts or munchies waiting for them.

Other things to have on hand in a guest room are tissues, a clock, smart phone docks, pamphlets of local attractions, an extension cord, a sturdy luggage rack, and even a bed tray.

LEAVE CURRENT BOOKS AND MAGAZINES IN THE ROOM

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

When I see current magazines in a guest room I know I’m in for a super stay! One home I stayed in tucked magazines they thought I would like under my pillow. Isn’t this a great way to show guests you were happily expecting them?

My guest really like to have things to read and putting them in their room is such a nice, thoughtful touch!

ADD A THROW TO THE BED

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

 

A pretty throw casually draped over a bed lets my guests know that I want them to curl up, get comfortable and use the bed! And throws add another fabulous layer to a well made, welcoming bed! I make sure there is a clean, good smelling, soft throw on all my beds. Guest don’t have to unmake the whole bed to take a nap or read. They can just cover up with a throw.

If you don’t like a throw on a bed drape it over a chair in the guest room.

 

PUT FLOWERS ON THE NIGHT STAND

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET A GUEST ROOM READY

Don’t forget a small vase or pitcher of pretty flowers! I put them on the nightstand in my guest rooms. If guests stay for more than 3 days make sure to change the water and make sure the flowers still look healthy!

One word of caution…make sure guests are not allergic or sensitive to flowers before you add them to the room. If you have allergy prone guests add a sweet little green plant!

Now the next time company is coming you can easily get your guest rooms ready for them… and they will be so thankful for your thoughtfulness!

If you like this post you might like..

10 ESSENTIALS OF A COZY GUEST ROOM

10 ESSENTIALS FOR MAKING A COZY GUEST ROOM-TITLE PAGE-stonegablebog

THE MAKING OF A COZY GUEST BED

How To Make A Cozy Bed- Title Page-stonegableblog

LAYERING BEDDING LIKE A DESIGNER

LAYERING BEDDING LIKE A DESIGNER-stonegableblog.com

PIN IT AND SAVE THE INSPIRATION!You might want to follow me on Pinterest and see all the great things I’m finding to pin HERE!

COMPANY'S COMING-HOW TO GET  A GUEST ROOM READY

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

22 Comments

  1. I loved this post and I shall be reading it again and again for inspiration and to check I have not forgotten anything in our guest bedroom. I absolutely love getting our guest house ready for guests. One of the first things I did after we had renovated it was to spend hours (and I mean hours) just sitting in the sitting room, sitting in the bedroom, quietly looking around, looking out the windows and thinking what it would be like if I was staying there, what would I like and what would I really not like at all. It had to pass my personal test, and I agree the mattress and bedding are of absolute prime importance. If I feel I would love to stay there then I am happy! One of the specialities of our area here in France are salted caramels and so I always fill a glass jar in the guest bedroom with them, a great little local thing when a guest wants something sweet. Another must have for me is a heated towel rail in the bathroom, because there is nothing worse than damp towels! Have a lovely weekend, Susan X

  2. Ooohhhhh, I’d luv to be your guest Yvonne!! Such a thoughtful hostess. Will be using this post as inspiration as I stock up for the guest season.
    Hugs, Gee

  3. I also put out 2 new terry cloth robes with new flip flops in the pockets. With everyone using just carryon bags, who has room for a robe???

  4. Beautiful I have guests coming for a month and I hope my space looks as fantastic as yours. Your home is always perfect, Yvonne I know your guest will be comfortable.

  5. Another wonderful post, Yvonne. When will you begin taking reservations for your followers? I’m sure there are a number of us who would like a weekend getaway at the beautiful and gracious Stone Gable!

  6. A mirror in the guest room! I was just fortunate to be a house guest, my host had a beautiful guest room, large and spacious. Closet space for hang up clothes, extra towels and blanket. A dedicated bathroom for my husband and I to use. My only suggestion would be the addition of a mirror in the guest room. By no means is this a complaint, who could complain when given such generous accommodations? But, when two people need to share, it’s nice to use the bathroom to shower, and then move into the guest room for hair and makeup, leaving the bathroom open for the next person.

  7. Thankyou for your tips! The white quilts you have that take lots of washings…what brand are they & where did you buy them? This is what my guest room needs!

    1. I get my white quilts at our local Pottery Barn outlet or at HomeGoods. It’s the TYPE of quilt it is that makes it sturdy. Not a lot of stuffing and lots of top stitching.

  8. Laurie Davis says:

    Another great post! I wish you would hold a contest for a night stay at Stonegable but that might be awkward for you & Bobby..lol. I don’t offer different types of pillows for my guests, that’s brilliant! I change out the pictures in my guest room for the guest staying. I put that person in the frames of our different times together. It creates some sweet moments revisiting trips and special times together. Hope you have a restful weekend sweet friend!

  9. Wow, Yvonne! You are the best hostess I have ever seen! How in the world do you get your guests to LEAVE? Everything is just gorgeous.
    I spent all day yesterday cleaning our guest bedrooms for our sons who will be home from college for the summer in a couple weeks.
    They got the clean sheets, but I think I will implement some other ideas from this post, like the candy basket and magazines. I also like the towel idea with the numbered hooks for their bathroom.

  10. I love this post, nothing makes a guest feel more special and welcomed than a cozy room so thoughtfully put together. We had a five bedroom house before that was wonderful to invite family and friends to, now we live in a much smaller space but still have guests from time to time, do you have suggestions for how to set up for guest when they need to stay in common areas like a familyroom. This I find challenging.

    1. I LOVE this and I love the black tray on the bed! Where did you get it?

      1. I found the tray on Wayfair over a decade ago. Look there they have very pretty bed trays.

  11. I recently had two families visiting at the same time. I replaced the all white towels in the guest bath with colored ones and placed them in their room. That way when they hung them up, they would know which was their’s. I did this in the hope that I wouldn’t be washing towels every day for two weeks. I’m going to start adding magazines that I believe would interest the individual. You always have great tips, Yvonne.

  12. Annabelle says:

    I just knew you would be the best hostess possible. Thank you for all your helpful tips and I hope you have a wonderful time and visit with your guests.
    May I ask if there are any particular names you prefer for sheets? I have a queen guest bed with queen sheets but the fitted sheet always gets very wrinkled. I know mattress sizes have changed…when looking for new sheets I learned that most sheets are for up to 18″ mattresses. I think mine is shorter. Could that be the cause of more wrinkles? It does not have a pillow top to make it bigger/taller.

  13. Practical post, Yvonne. Your guests can’t help but feel welcome and comfortable. I love your tips. I love, love the idea of white quilts. So sensible! Have a perfect weekend with your guests!!

  14. Such a great post, thanks for all the tips. Sounds like you having fun but busy! Have a awesome time with your guest.
    Be Blessed.

  15. Hi Yvonne! Your guest room looks so pretty and inviting! I love it! Thanks for these great tips! It reminds me a very funny video I saw recently in which a guy gently mocks a woman who is prepping her house ahead for company. I put the link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBwELzvnrQg Hilarious! It reminds myself to stay calm in these situations 🙂

  16. Another reason to supply guests with white towels and sheets is that some facial scrubs and makeup contain Benzoyl peroxide which is a bleach. Once I was left with white bleached handprints on my blue towels and washcloths. Very expensive lesson.

  17. Pamela Thomsen says:

    Yvonne, I just printed your article on preparing your guest room! Going into my binder of “keep forever” articles. Will follow it step by step. Also liked the suggestion of an extra mirror. All white linens and towels is brilliant!

  18. Yvonne, I love your guest room with the black bed. Where did you get the lovely bedside table? I’m wondering if you painted it yourself, love it.

    1. Hi Judy, I found this table years ago at HomeGoods. It sat in my basement because I did not know where I wanted to put it. It finally found a home in one of my guest rooms.