From Guest Room to Hotel in 5 Minutes

Yay! My sister has finally arrived here in China! She'll be staying with us for a week, and then we'll travel around for about two weeks (more on that you'll find on July 12th).

She's not the first to stay with us, which you may have guessed after the Couchsurfing post, but she's of course one of our favorite guests. Guests in our house sleep in the guest room, and I do try to make them feel extra welcome and extra comfortable. One of the quick ways to do this is by dressing up the room with tiny extras that make it feel like a hotel.

Look through your house to see if you can find a nice basket or box. Anything that doesn't look too messy and can hold a few small items. 
Then, find something to fill the basket with. If you pick up the tiny bottles from hotels (I'm a sucker for tiny bottles), then put those in there. How about a pack of tissues, or a piece o soap? 
I also put a pillow on the bed and a pair of slippers for our guests to use (we don't allow shoes in the house, it's an Asian practice we've adopted for cleanliness reasons (outside-China is much dirtier than outside-Belgium or outside-US!).
Also add some mints to your basket, or put a piece of chocolate on the pillow.

Make sure the bed is made and looks neat. If there's a closet, try to open up some space and put a couple of spare coat hangers in there. 


And for the final touch ... put a guest book next to the bed, so that your guests can write how much they appreciated your effort. You deserve it!

Chances are, your guest(s) won't feel the need to use what you put out there, or at least not all of it. Still, it's nice for them to walk into a room that's so welcoming. It shows how much you want them to be there and to feel comfortable.

Any more tips on how to make guests feel extra welcome and extra comfortable?