Add These 5 Things to Your Guest Room to Make It Feel Like a Luxe Hotel

It’s inevitable to forget something while packing, but I try to reduce the risk of anyone having to make a run to CVS. Taking an inexpensive glass jar with a lid, I threw in things such as mini bars of soap, travel-size dry shampoo and toothpaste, tampons, individual packs of makeup wipes, new razors, and shower caps (that I admittedly collected from past hotel stays). This was also not an entirely altruistic act as it gave me a place to store my overflow toiletries, and I most definitely pick through the jar before I travel anywhere. It sits on the guest bathroom counter for the taking and features a custom-made label letting visitors know not to be shy.

I refer to the closet in my guest bedroom using another sitcom reference: the Monica Geller closet from “Friends.” It’s stuffed with, well, a lot of stuff and is definitely a future organization project on my list. In the meantime, I wanted guests to have their own space to hang their clothes, so I found a slim garment rack that fits easily in the corner of the room and includes a handful of wooden hangers. There’s even a bottom shelf for shoes and folded items like pajamas and underwear. This way, guests can unpack and organize their outfits as soon as they arrive.

I dread asking anyone what their WiFi is when I’m at their place. The look of panic on their face feels familiar as they scramble to remember or find it. I wanted to avoid this annoying interaction in my own house so I found an adorable sign to put in the guest room. That way, they can connect whenever they need, and I'm off the hook for remembering the password on the fly.

Even if I don’t take a sip, I still need a glass of water on my bedside table every night. So I wanted my visitors to have their own source of hydration without needing to trek into the kitchen. A beautiful carafe set—with the cup serving as the lid when not in use—acts as the perfect nightstand accessory to help quench my guests' thirst. If you want to level up the luxe look (and taste!), add a few slices of lemon and lime to the carafe.

Sometimes, I’d rather not take my charger out of my bag when I arrive anywhere because it simply increases the chance of me forgetting it. To keep my guests from having the same issue, I plugged in an extra iPhone charger behind the bed and kept it accessible using a small cable clip attached to the side of a nightstand. If you want to accommodate all types of phones, try a charging pad that’s compatible with different brands.