5 Level Up Items for Your Guest Bedroom

By Mario Esposito
Last Updated: June 23, 2019

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A guest bedroom equipped with the bare essentials will do for overnight or weekend visitors. For longer stays, though, you might want to pull out all the stops as a host. After all, wouldn’t you want to feel as welcome as you can be if you’re the guest in someone else’s home?

We’re not suggesting that you furnish your guest bedroom like you would an Airbnb—unless that’s what you want to do, that is! The following are simply suggestions. How useful each item is in reality will depend on several factors: your visitors’ preferences and habits, where your guest room is located, the size of the space, etc.

Pro tip: If you’re setting up your spare room from scratch, check out our list of 5 guest bedroom must haves before you consider adding the items below.

1. A Well-Equipped Bedside Table

You might think of a bedside table as a big ticket item, but with online shopping that’s no longer the case. A simple one like the Homfa Bamboo Night Stand ($39.99 on Amazon) is already more than sufficient for the job. You may also look into folding side tables—typically more affordable, though without a drawer, cabinet or a bottom shelf—if floor space is more of an issue over style.

Homfa Bamboo Night Stand

A nightstand is a thoughtful comfort consideration for your guests. Want to go the extra mile? Add some convenient design accents and functional items: a small tray or bowl, a tissue box, a candle and/or diffuser, and maybe even one or two essential oil options,

Easy access to a flat surface makes bedtime all the more cozy. Give your guests a place to put their glasses, nighttime reading material, prescription bottles and supplements, charging devices, jewelry, and more. You don’t want them to have to leave these things on the floor and accidentally step on them.

2. A Bedside Lamp

Got a nightstand? That’s great! Now for the ultimate bedside table level up: the bedside lamp. Don’t make your guests have to get up and out of bed just to turn off the lights at night. A lamp is always going to be useful and appreciated. The Seealle Modern Nightstand Lamp ($28.99 on Amazon) even comes with the added convenience of a USB charging port.

Seealle Modern Nightstand Lamp

A budget friendly option is to provide night lights that automatically turn on and off depending on the light levels in a room. You can pair this with an extension cord or two—especially if your power outlets aren’t near the bed—so your guests will still have an easy way to charge their phones.

3. A Lined Wastebasket

Having a wastebasket is a must for any guest room, in our opinion. We are aware that some prefer to keep trash cans out of the bedroom, choosing instead to put them in the bathroom or a common area elsewhere.

Our take? A bin such as the Household Essentials Woven Seagrass Wicker Waste Bin ($12.96 on Amazon) adds to the room’s aesthetic and saves your guests the hassle of looking for a place to throw their dry waste—like used tissues, baggage tags, boarding passes and/or receipts.

Household Essentials Woven Seagrass Wicker Waste Bin

Use a plastic liner for easy cleanups. If you and/or your guests are neat freaks, you may also want to consider getting a wastebasket with a lid—although they will be less affordable and less likely to be attractive.

4. A Clock

Everyone has a smartphone these days, and no one really needs another device to check the time. That being said, a clock is still a great addition to any room. If your guests are on holiday, they may not want to be on their phone all the time, anyway.

They may be resisting the urge to reply to emails and messages from work. They may be on a social media cleanse/hiatus. An inexpensive wall clock will be more than welcome, as long as it’s the silent and non-ticking kind, like the Hippih Wall Clock ($8.99 on Amazon).

Hippih Black Wall Clock

If there’s enough space on the nightstand, you may want to provide an alarm clock instead—especially if your guests are in town to attend a special occasion. Giving them the option to set an alarm with an unfamiliar sound and snooze button is a great way to make sure they wake up and show up to the event on time.

5. A Full-Length Mirror

This level-up item is verging on luxury, because it’s not easy to find affordable options that still look good. However, it’s one of those things that really ties a guest bedroom together, and is always appreciated—particularly if there’s no attached bathroom where guests can get dressed.

Best Choice Products Standing Cheval Floor Mirror

The Best Choice Products Standing Cheval Floor Mirror ($54.99 on Amazon) is sleek and functional. If the space is too small for a floor mirror, though, you can look into getting a door-mounted mirror. A wall mirror or a vanity mirror is a good, affordable compromise.

Other Guest Bedroom Amenities Worth Considering

Want to go the extra mile for your guests? There are many more ways to level up your guest bedroom, of course, although doing a complete overhaul may strain your budget. Here are some quick suggestions.

Guides, Maps and Reading Material

Are your guests first timers in your town or city? An extremely thoughtful addition to the guest bedroom for this type of visitor would be a small stack of current year local magazines and a neighborhood map. If you’ve got extra time, you can even add a note and point out landmarks and tourist spots they might want to check out.

Access to Cable, Internet and Subscription Services

Is there a TV in the guest bedroom? Make sure that the remote control has fresh batteries, for starters. After that, consider adding a note with directions for turning the TV on, as well as a local channel guide. Your WiFi password should be displayed, as well. If you have Netflix, Hulu, etc.—add directions for access to those, too.

Food and Drinks

Is the kitchen far away? Some water bottles and light snacks in a small basket may be a good idea, specifically if the kitchen is on another floor or on the other side of your home. Your guests may get hungry or thirsty in the middle of the night, and may find it difficult to get around an unfamiliar house.

Useful Appliances

Finally, some true luxuries: Consider providing a steam iron and/or a hair dryer, if you’ve got extra ones to spare, or if you feel they will be needed for the duration of your visitor’s stay. You may also simply inform them that they may borrow yours should they need them—and let them know where to find the items on their own.