If you have stayed at someone’s home while being away, you will be able to appreciate how important it is to be made to feel welcome and not a burden. It is always special when your friends have a guest room and you don’t feel you are imposing by kicking anyone out of their bed or disturbing anyone.

If you would like to return the favour one day and you have a spare room in your house, why not set it up as a guest room? You can invite family or friends to stay for an overnight stay or a couple of days. You want your guests to come back, to feel free to visit again. You also want them to be comfortable. Either warm and snuggly or cool and refreshed depending upon the season. To basically feel at home.

So for your guest room, you want to channel a hotel room vibe without going overboard. Keeping it simple is best, but you want to make it beautiful too.

These are my top ten tips for creating a welcoming guest room;

• Have the room smelling nice – maybe that means you have had a candle burning, essential oils diffusing or sprayed some linen or room spray

• Ensure you have clean sheets and linen on the bed. Fluff the pillows and cushions

• Make sure to vacuum and dust the room prior to your guests arriving

• Leave a bath towel and face washer folded on the end of the bed - looks even better if they are the same colour and not mismatched towels. No one wants to travel with a wet bath towel in their bag

• Open the curtains or blinds to allow light in for when your guests first arrive or have them closed if they are arriving late at night

• Have a spare drawer or cupboard for your guests to hang any clothes or place their belongings

• Place a couple of good books or magazines on the sideboard from them to read if time permits

• Provide an electric blanket on the bed if they are visiting in the dead of winter and an extra blanket at the end of the bed

• Try not to have anything too personal in the room such as photos

• Have a full-length mirror on the back of the door. Who wouldn’t appreciate a mirror when they have been travelling awhile

Extras but not critical;

• Pick a bunch of fresh flowers from the garden to add to a vase in the room

• Have a box of tissues in the drawer

• Leave a fresh bar of soap for your guests on top of the towels

• Have a comfy single chair in the corner for your guests to relax in, maybe even a reading light

• Leave bottles of water on the nightstand

• Install a TV and DVD player in the room

• Offer a fan or heater if needed

• Have an alarm clock sitting on one of the bedside tables so they are aware of the time

Remember, don’t overcrowd the room. A bed and bedside tables are essentially all you need in there. Any extras are a bonus but don’t go filling every inch of the room. It begins to feel claustrophobic for your guests.

To be a great host;

• Make sure to warn your guests of any strange sounds throughout the night that they may hear e.g. the bin man comes at 5 am on Thursday mornings or we get up at 6 am to get ready for work etc. This way they can have some warning of what is going on without panicking

• Give your guests a tour of the house so they know where to find things such as the bathroom or laundry and know they are welcome to use them

• Go through how certain ‘gadgets’ work in the room/house if needed. You don’t want to make it awkward for your guests or them accidentally break something

• Offer them a drink on arrival and ensure to offer them breakfast before they leave the next morning

If your guests are only staying overnight I would hold off giving out your wifi or Netflix password. They won’t have much time for that. Also, leave the travel guides and printed area recommendations for when you decided to open an Airbnb. Your friends can ask for recommendations if they need them.

Do you have a spare room in your home for guests? What special touches do you have in there? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.