What thoughts come to mind when you first walk into your hotel room? For me, it’s the senses. The room smells fresh and clean. The sheets are white and crisp. The pillows are fluffy and stacked neatly at the top of the bed. The coverlet and sheets are tightly made and smell freshly laundered. The white towels in the bath are plush and hang beautifully on the towel rack. The soaps smell heavenly next to rolled hand towels. The hotel refrigerator is fully stocked with far too expensive sodas and snacks (go ahead and spring for that $15 can of peanuts). Lush robes hang on wooden hangers in the closet, and slippers beckon your feet. And, if you splurged, asking for a bottle of wine and treats upon arrival, they sit on a tray on the desk. In the morning, the smell of freshly made coffee fills the room as you nestle back into a fluffy bed of clouds straight from the steam shower.
Then, you return home. While it is nice to return home after vacation, I always wish I could replicate the feel and look of my hotel room in my bedroom back home. So, I’ve put together some inspiration and links to help you recreate that spa-like feel in your home. As we prepare for holiday guests, let’s get our checklist for your guest bedroom.
First, the two mistakes you may be making are old sheets and flat pillows. Nothing is worse for a guest’s night’s sleep away from home than sheets that feel thin or scratchy. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find a luxury feel at an affordable price. I purchased this sheet set from Amazon during Prime Day. With over 404,000 five-star reviews, I’m eager to try a crisp white set. Did you know that the Westin Hotel started the white sheet trend in hospitality? (Read about it here). I also have each of my mattresses covered with these waterproof encasements.
The Sleep Foundation recommends replacing your bed pillows every 1 to 2 years. I have these pillows from Amazon’s Beckham Hotel Collection, with cooling gel. I keep the pillows covered with these zippered covers so they will stay fresh and clean. I love sleeping on fluffy, full pillows!
Serena & Lily Masterclass Secrets of Styling a Bed
First, from Serena & Lily – A Masterclass on the Secrets to Styling a Bed. I liked the inspiration of how they walk you through three different ways to style your bed for the season, as well as the technique for pulling back the duvet to achieve the layered look often seen on a hotel beds.
I have a white pintuck comforter set, and I like it as a base for my bed, allowing me to add color and pattern with throw pillows. During warmer months, I use a linen bedspread and keep the comforter folded at the end of the bed.
The hotel bath is always so inviting, and I like to try to make my bathroom, as well as the guest bath, feel as luxurious as possible. I like Costco’s white bath, hand, and wash towels. They sell them in sets of six. They are a nice absorbent weight and wash well. If you’re not a Costco member, this set from Amazon has received excellent reviews. I also love washcloths designated for makeup removal. I keep a set of these on the shelf. A wicker ottoman is not only stylish, but it’s also functional as a hamper for wet towels. I love the look of stacking your towels on top of each other next to the tub. And, every hotel bath has a robe. I like this spa robe from Amazon. Add rolled hand towels on a tray by the sink with a dish of monogrammed soaps, and a set of L’Occitane Bath products, and you have a heavenly bath.
Finally, replicate that clean, fresh smell of a spa-like hotel room so you’ll have a good night’s sleep. I use this Lavender Pillow Spray at night as part of my bedtime routine. I keep it on my bedside and guest bedroom tables to spritz pillows every night before bed. I also use diffusers throughout my home to keep the house smelling fresh and inviting. I love this diffuser from Aera. My favorite scent insert is Beach House. This compact white noise machine is ideal for guests who need white noise to help them fall asleep. Lastly, it’s a nice touch to have a carafe and bottled water for nighttime meds. These can serve double duty on the dinner table, filled with wine or iced tea. I like to have several sets of these on hand.
With all this inspiration, you’ll never want to leave your home and neither will your guests!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
