Making a spare room welcoming for overnight guests

Start with the bed — it does most of the work

Your guest will spend more hours in that bed than anywhere else in the house, so it deserves the first share of your attention. Strip it back, air the mattress if you can, and put on fresh linen even if the room has sat untouched for weeks. Guests notice the difference between sheets changed yesterday and sheets changed a month ago.

Build the bed in layers, so your visitor can adjust it to their own idea of comfortable:

• A mattress topper or thick underblanket softens an older mattress without the cost of replacing it.
• A 10.5 tog duvet suits most people in most British rooms, with a lighter 4.5 tog folded nearby for anyone who sleeps hot.
• Two pillows per person, one firm and one soft, so nobody has to ask for a second one at bedtime.
• A folded blanket or throw across the foot of the bed — easy to pull up in the night, easy to kick off.
• A spare set of linen left in the wardrobe, in case of spills.

If the bed is a sofa bed or a folding guest bed, set it up before your guests arrive rather than making them wait while you wrestle with it. Add a thick topper to disguise the bar across the middle, and be honest about whether it is comfortable enough for more than one night.

Clear a space that belongs to them

A spare room that doubles as a storage room can still work, but your visitors need somewhere to unpack a few things, or they will end up living out of a suitcase on the floor. Aim to empty one drawer, clear a shelf and free up six or eight hangers in the wardrobe. A small stool or folding luggage rack is a bonus — it saves backs and keeps bags off the bed.

• Two or three hooks on the back of the door for coats, dressing gowns and towels.
• A shallow basket or canvas bag for laundry, so damp towels do not end up in a heap.
• A mirror, ideally near a window, if the bathroom is busy in the morning.
• A short extension lead with a couple of USB sockets, because plug points are rarely where people need them.

The bedside table: light, water and somewhere for a phone

If one thing separates a thoughtful spare room from a merely tidy one, it is the bedside table. Clear the clutter and give your guest three things within arm's reach. First, a lamp they can switch on and off without leaving the bed — a warm white bulb rather than a harsh daylight one, with a switch that is easy to find in the dark. Second, a glass of water, ideally with a small carafe so they can top it up themselves in the night. Third, a flat surface for a phone, glasses, a book and a watch.

If there is no room for a proper table, a wall shelf or a small stool will do, as long as it is stable. And if the room has only an overhead light, a plug-in night light near the door costs very little and stops anyone stumbling on the way to the loo.

A small tray of essentials

This is the detail guests remember. A tray on the bedside table says you thought about them before they arrived. Keep it modest — one that is too full looks like a hotel minibar and takes up all the space.

• A mug, tea bags, coffee sachets, sugar and a small bottle of water. A spare kettle in the room is a lovely touch.
• A few biscuits or a small bar of chocolate.
• Tissues, hand cream and lip balm.
• A spare phone charger that fits most devices.
• A new toothbrush and travel-size toothpaste, in case something was forgotten.
• A handwritten card with the wifi password and a rough idea of breakfast times.

Add a folded towel at the end of the bed, so nobody has to ask. A dark towel alongside a light one is a kind thought for anyone wearing make-up.

Get the temperature, light and noise right

Comfort is often about the things a guest would feel awkward complaining about. Think about the room at eleven at night rather than at two in the afternoon. Is there a draught under the door? A boiler or a busy road outside? A street lamp shining through thin curtains?

A few inexpensive fixes cover most of it: a draught excluder, a blackout blind, a fan for summer. In winter, a hot water bottle slipped between the sheets half an hour before bedtime is one of the kindest things you can do, and it costs almost nothing. Leave the radiator on a low setting rather than a high one — guests can always add a layer, but they cannot remove the heat.

The last five minutes before they arrive

Before the doorbell rings, do a quick walk-through as if you were the guest. Open the door and look at what they will see first: a made bed, a clear surface, a lamp within reach and a tray that says welcome. Check the bin is empty, the towels are dry and nothing personal of yours is left on display.

Then leave the room alone. A spare room does not need to look styled or perfect; it needs to feel as though someone expected you and is glad you came. That is the whole trick, and it takes about twenty minutes.