When family and friends come to visit, you might want them to stay at your home, rather than renting a room at a hotel. Having a place for them to sleep can let your loved ones save money and allow you to maximize the amount of time you spend together.
Reasons to Have a Guest Bedroom
If friends and relatives often come to visit and have to spend a lot of money on hotels, or if they don’t come as often as they would like or keep their visits brief due to budget constraints, having a guest bedroom in your house might make sense. It will allow your loved ones to save money and let you enjoy more quality time with them.
Downsides of a Dedicated Guest Bedroom
If you don’t have guests on a regular basis, a guest bedroom will go unused most of the time. Even if the room sits empty, it will cost you. The area will have to be heated or cooled, which will add to your utility bills. You’ll also have to vacuum, dust and perform other routine maintenance.
Having a guest room available at all times can have unintended consequences. If they don’t have to worry about hotel costs, family and friends might visit more often, and they might make their visits longer. Even when people have good relationships, things can get strained if guests visit frequently or stay for long periods.
Benefits of Having a Multifunctional Space
It might be better to put the room to another use. For example, it could be an ideal location for a home office, family room, playroom, or gym. If you use the area for another purpose most of the time, you’ll still be able to use it to host guests. You can get a sofa bed so family and friends will have a place to sleep when they come to visit, or you can move some furniture aside and set up an inflatable air mattress. Another option is to install a space-saving Murphy bed. It’s concealed in a wall and pulled out when needed.
Figure Out What’s Right for You
Think about how often overnight guests come to visit in a typical year. If people rarely visit from out of town, having a dedicated guest bedroom probably won’t make sense for your family. You’ll be better off using the space for a different purpose and designing it so that it can be modified to host guests as needed.
