11 Guest Room Essentials for the Ultimate Hospitality

A good guest experience is all about feeling welcome, pampered and surprised by thoughtful little extras. To create the ultimate overnight stay for your visitors, there are some guest room essentials that make all the difference.

With the right decor, fixtures, and furnishings, you can create a relaxing space for your guests without breaking the bank.

So if you’re looking for some stylish and cozy guest room essentials to pamper your special guests, look no further!

Essential Ideas for the Ultimate Guest Room

1) Paint your guest room in a calm and welcoming color palette

The guest room is a special space that should be warm, inviting, and relaxing. Using a calming paint color palette in a guest room is a perfect way to give overnight visitors a relaxed and cozy atmosphere.

A good place to start is with your wall colors. Light, neutral colors are best for creating a calming and relaxed atmosphere.

Soft colors like pale gray, off-white, and light pastels all create a peaceful ambiance that promotes relaxation.

And these colors also leave room for more dramatic accent colors to be used elsewhere in the room, such as a deep navy or rich burgundy.

When decorating a guest room, thoughtful color combinations will help create a soothing atmosphere. Soft blues, greens, and neutrals should all pair nicely with the wall to help complete the calming effect.

Choose bedding, curtains, and artwork in shades in the same palette. Avoid bright colors and busy patterns.

Feeling overwhelmed about creating paint color combinations? I can’t rave enough about the Benjamin Moore Affinity paint collection. It’s an assortment of 144 absolutely gorgeous colors that are specially curated to all match and complement each other – in any combination. (No, you’re not dreaming!)

I bought my own fan-deck at Blain’s Farm & Fleet and have used the colors in three homes now. Currently my guest room is painted in “Crystalline,” which is fresh & light in the sunlight and quiet & serene at night.

Feeling overwhelmed about paint colors? Try the Benjamin Moore Affinity Collection.

There are also countless online color palette generators to help you create a beautiful combination you’ll love. My favorite color palette tool is Coolors – The super fast color palettes generator!. I use it literally every time I need to create a color palette – including the one for this website!

2. Invest in a good quality mattress for your guest room beds

A good mattress is essential to providing your guests with a restful, comfortable stay. And while there are countless quality beds with high price tags, you don’t need to spend big bucks. There are plenty of good mattresses that are reasonably priced.

And unless you run a B&B, your guest room mattress won’t be slept on every night anyway. You don’t need to pay top dollar for an extra durable mattress.

When shopping for a mattress, it’s important to consider all the factors. Different mattresses offer different levels of comfort, support, and pressure relief.

For example, hybrid mattresses are popular because of their combination of memory foam and innerspring support.

On the other hand, memory foam and latex mattresses give excellent pressure relief, which can be really helpful for those who suffer from joint pain.

My favorite mattress solution is the mattress-in-a-box idea. They’re inexpensive, can be ordered from home while in PJs, and they’re pretty darned comfy!

Awhile back, we ordered a Zinus memory foam mattress in a queen size for our guest room and were beyond impressed. Matter of fact, we ditched our old Sleep Number bed and ordered a king-size mattress-in-a-box for our own room. (That was five years ago, and we still love it.)

It’s also important to think about the size of your mattress. Most guest rooms will need at least a queen-size mattress for adults, with twin- or full-size mattresses for children and youths.

3. Treat your guests to good quality bedding

Excellent bedding for a guest room is not only important for practical reasons but also for showing that you care. Quality bedding helps to ensure that your guests have a comfortable sleep experience.

Quality bedding should be chosen based on the type of experience that you want to provide. Think about things such as thread count, fabric material, breathability, warmth, and softness.

For example, sateen or percale bedding is usually smooth and silky, making for a luxurious feeling.

Flannel or jersey options are nice and cozy for cooler climates.

Bamboo and cotton are good choices when you want a more breathable fabric.

The sheets we’ve used for years and highly recommend are these from California Design Den. They have over 30,000 5-star reviews on Amazon right now, and in my opinion it’s well deserved. Every guest who’s slept on them raves about how comfortable they are. Plus, they wear well AND they’re affordable!

One last thing: I recommend plain white sheets without a pattern, as they’re the softest, wash up great, look clean and fresh, and they’ll always go with everything else in the room. And if you have a few sets, they’ll always match each other, too.

4. Offer a selection of pillows in the guest room

A variety of good pillows is one of the easiest ways to help your guests have a comfortable, restful sleep.

By providing a selection of pillows, guests can choose the best pillow for how they like to sleep – such as size, texture, shape, and firmness.

A variety of good pillows is one of the easiest ways to help your guests have a comfortable, restful sleep.

For example, my husband swears by a firm, fluffy pillow to catch his Zzz’s. While I’m addicted to my Arc4Life cervical traction neck pillow, which I’ve been using for years and literally cannot sleep without. (PSA: If you have an old whiplash injury, this is your dream pillow.)

Your guests are likely the same.

By offering a few different pillows, not only will the bed look extra comfy and welcoming, you’ll make sure that your guests find just the right pillow.

Choose two different firmness levels, such as soft and medium-firm, as well as two different fill types, such as down and synthetic.

Your guests will sleep like babies and sing your praises in the morning over scrambled eggs and coffee.

5. Add cozy blankets and throws

Extra blankets and throws are an easy and inexpensive way to create a warm, inviting space. These guest room essentials can instantly transform a room into a comfortable oasis.

When choosing cozy throw blankets to add to a guest room, look for materials that feel soft and luxurious.

Fleece and chenille are both comfortable and affordable. A cozy texture like shag, sheepskin, or Sherpa adds an extra layer of warmth and comfort.

Choose neutral colors or light pastels that blend well with the other room decor, such as white, gray or beige.

For a homey touch, consider adding a homemade quilt or handmade throw. Natural fibers like wool, alpaca and cotton are all super choices for cozy throw blankets.

Consider adding several throws in varying sizes, textures and colors for an eclectic look. You can also consider adding a few accent pillows in coordinating hues.

Finally, layer in a variety of throws and blankets throughout the room to complete the homey look and feel.

6. Help your guests to settle in

When setting up a guest room, think about places to store your guests’ clothing, luggage and personal items. Here are a few guest room storage ideas that might help:

a. Clothing

Consider installing a tall dresser with plenty of drawers. This gives your visitors a place to put away clothing during their stay.

If space is limited, a wall-mounted shelf with hooks could also hold items like coats, backpacks and purses.

b. Luggage

Utilizing under-bed storage is a great way to keep suitcases out of the way. This gives your guest a convenient spot to store luggage out of sight and free up space.

c. Personal Items

A night stand with storage drawers is a great spot for your guests to store smaller items like wallets, phones and keys.

7. Include a basket of fresh towels in your guest room

Keeping a supply of fresh towels in a guest room is essential for creating a comfortable stay.

Don’t be afraid to invest in high-quality towels, as they last longer and better absorb moisture. Choose light colors; they’re easy to clean and can even be bleached for freshness.

Finally, towels should be presented nicely and neatly. Even a tiny bath or bedroom will appear more welcoming when folded towels are displayed attractively.

8. Ensure the guest room is fresh and airy

Who likes a hot and stuffy room? If that’s your guest room, your visitors will be miserable. They won’t sleep and they won’t enjoy their visit, regardless of all the other good things you do for them.

A room that’s clean, fresh and airy are guest room essentials, regardless of the room size or decor.

Make sure the heating and air vents are adjusted correctly in the room. And once your guests have spent a little time in there, ask them how it feels! Drop the A/C a notch if necessary or provide an extra blanket if they’re chilly.

Consider cracking a window for some fresh air. Also, a tall oscillating fan is usually a big hit! Lots of people sleep with them nightly for the white noise alone. And the breeze they provide keeps the air moving nicely.

9. Include a guest room basket of treats

Having a small box of chocolates or treats in the guest room is a simple but fun way to show hospitality to your visitors. It’s incredibly thoughtful to set up a small area for refreshments.

You can offer a basket of snack bars, nuts, or candy treats. Include some bottled water. And if you have room, maybe even a Keurig-type machine and some coffee and tea pods.

These treats don’t need to be expensive or over the top. A few truffles, fruit jelly beans, or other bite-sized candies can be fun and thoughtful guest room essentials.

Place the treats in a rustic box or pretty basket and let your guests help themselves.

10. Provide fresh flowers or greenery

A vase of fresh flowers or other greenery is a super way to add beauty and style to a guest room. Flowers and plants bring color and life, creating an inviting atmosphere that makes guests feel welcome.

A flower bouquet on a bright window sill looks amazing. For a more subtle, natural look, include ferns or other plants in glass containers or add a hanging terrarium with succulents. You could even hang a small decorative wall garden or display some potted plants around the room.

Fresh greenery adds a nice touch of life and energy, and a few well placed plants or flowers can easily turn an ordinary guestroom into a relaxing retreat.

11. Add the finishing touches

In addition to the above ten guest room essentials, you can treat your guests to popular books, magazines, crossword puzzles, personal care items or writing materials. Include a charging station for their devices – and make sure to provide your Wi-Fi password.

Entertainment like a smart TV or Alexa device are sure to be appreciated, too. And of course include a wall clock so they can conveniently check the time.

Finally, don’t forget to make sure all the rooms have functional smoke detectors. And include shades or black-out curtains and ear plugs for the best possible sleep environment.

Final Thoughts

When entertaining guests, there’s no end to the ways you can make their stay special. Consider any special amenity you’ve enjoyed while traveling – and then pass that along to your visitors.

Make sure your guests know that you’re thrilled to have them and can’t wait for their return.

Your guests will leave feeling pampered, well rested and anxious to come back. Or maybe they’ll treat you to an ultimate guest room experience at their home!