Traveling is exciting, wonderful and, at times, majorly stressful. I love staying in hotels, resorts, B&Bs, with friends… but when I’m not in my normal environment little things I need to help maintain my day-to-day can be worrisome, from will there be a hair dryer to where’s that plug!?
By working in travel PR, I’ve spent a lot of time in hotel rooms {a lot}. I’ve taken note over the years on ways the best make stays special for their guests, and incorporated them into our home. Here are my favorite ways to make our guest room a little haven for friends and family:
Wifi Password – Let’s be serious. It’s going to be one of the first questions after opening the door and hugging hello (especially for us where our guests might not be using international calling plans, instead relying on wifi). I used a cute design from Michelle Hickey {love her printables} and put it into a frame on the dresser.
Fresh flowers – There are few things as special as waking up to fresh flowers on a nightstand. I place seasonal blooms in the room the morning guests are set to arrive. They’re the perfect greeting upon arrival, and each time they’re in the room.
Charging Station – With living in another country, I know our guests probably won’t have a charger for their iPhones, iPads, and other electronic goodies. Behind the nightstand, I set up a power strip so there are multiple outlets available {there’s nothing worse than having too few outlets in a room you don’t know} and put extra chargers we have in there. Use tags to label the chargers so they know what to use for each device.
Clean Towels on the Bed – It’s easier to have towels folded nicely and placed on the bed so guests know those are theirs to use. I save our travel toiletries from different hotels, and include those on top as well.
Books & Magazines – On the nightstand, I put out a few interesting books for reading pleasure, along with a couple of that month’s magazines. Based on who is visiting, I’ll pick up something I know they might like. {When my parents come, I’ll get Architectural Digest, for my best friend it’s British Vogue}. It’s also great idea to have a local magazine or newspaper. We get a couple free ones {The Kensington Magazine and The Resident} every month, so I save that for our guest room. It’s both inexpensive and thoughtful. I also keep a notepad and pen in the nightstand drawer, just in case they need to jot down some notes.
Keys – Chances are you won’t be with your guests 24/7. Let them feel comfortable to come and go as they please with their own set of keys. I bought a cute London bus keychain to go with ours, picked up at one of the tourist shops for less than £1.
A Local’s Map – Unless you’re planning to welcome home family, your guests don’t know the area fully. For us, that’s beyond true. Urban living means big cities and so much to explore. I put a map of London on the dresser with the keys. It has places of interest, the tube system and shows all the city’s neighborhoods.
Space in the Closet – This one is the hardest for us, I will admit. We use our guest room closet for all of our seasonal clothes. Still, while our guests are here we will take out some {ideally all} of our clothes so they can hang their with the extra hangers I keep in the closet.
Luggage Rack – My favorite thing. It’s such a little luxury, but I love having my suitcase on a luggage rack in hotels. That little elevation makes all the difference to me, and will to your visitors too. {They’re worth the minor investment! I purchased ours from Amazon.}
Blankets – I always have a blanket folded across the foot of the bed. Everyone’s body temperature is different, so I like to make sure people have easy access to extra warmth.
Special Tools – I try to always pack in a carry-on if it’s a trip of five days or less. That means I’m really looking at cutting down space and it’s only essentials going with me. I figure my guests want to do that too, so I keep a hair dryer and curling iron in a basket in the guest room. I also keep a flashlight in the nightstand drawer, just in case!