Guests: Couple versus Single

[Harold75]

Greetings fellow hosts!
 I would love to get your comments and advice.

I am a humble Canadian host, who lives on-site in my home. I offer solo travellers a private bedroom (with single bed, desk and clothes drawers) and private bathroom.

The  private bedroom is about 175 square feet of space (not including the bedroom closet).

A few guests suggested I offer the private bedroom for a couple; remove the single bed (measuring 39" x 75 "), and put in a double bed (measuring 54" x 75").

To do so, I would have to remove the clothes drawers and get creative in the closet!

Would the end result  be too limiting, too cramped?  

As a host, do you tend to get more guest as couples  versus  singles?   

Again, your comments and advice would be greatly appreciated!  

Thank you! 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Harold75 not sure if it is different in Canada but we have a double bed in a huge room (because a double bed it what was spare when we set up on a shoestring) and no one has ever complained about the size of it.

We host almost entirely couples.

I do agree that couples are more likely to spend time in the kitchen.

[Harold75]

Thanks @Mike-And-Helen0

I find your observation that guest have not complained about the size of the bed interesting.  From what I have gathered so far, that seems to be issue.  No complaints?  You are fortunate given you host almost entirely couples.  

Good note about couples spending more time in the kitchen.   

[Mike-And-Helen0]

Not one complaint about the bed. 50 + sets of guests.

[Harold75]

@Mike-And-Helen0   50 plus sets of guests, no complaints about the double bed? Impressive!  How do you do that?   Pure luck?  Or do you point it out to your guests?   

[Helen427]

hello @Harold75 

How about experimenting with shifting the current bed & furniture out & put a double or queen bed you have in your property in it and try it in different positions to see what it looks like?

Doorways are always a challenge especially the way they open.

Would the chest of drawers fit sideways in the wardrobe?

Or would it be too small an area to place suitcases/backpacks etc?

Guests do like to have somewhere to place there items, including toiletries even when staying for a day or a week they do not always use the bathroom facilities for them.

I personally wouldn't bother with a Luggage rack as they are not practical for other uses, whereas a desk is.

If you rearrange the room, is the mirror attached or separate from the chest of drawers?

They can add another dimension to the size of a room if hung on the wall itself.

Would it work better to have the drawers on the wall where the door is?

And the bed facing towards the window?

Which way has the better view and natural light?

On the surface I'd assume it's too small a room for a double or queen bed, or 2 singles together.

A King single may work and some guests don't have an issue with them if they like to cosy up.

Perhaps add a pot plant on the shelves and a picture on the wall to make it more homely.

All the best

[Harold75]

Greetings @Helen0 and thanks your comments.

Experimenting with the setup is an excellent suggestion.   

Door placement  and how the door swings is a consideration. 

Also the heating, air return vents and electrical outlets locations; cannot forget those! 

Chest of drawers: the consensus is that guests do not use it enough to justify it staying in the room.  However,  as you rightly point out, they need to put their toiletries somewhere.  And that somewhere is on top of the chest of drawers! 

The mirror can be detached. It can hang on the wall itself.   That is a good point you raise about the mirror.  Indeed, perhaps another mirror or three,  can create a sense of more space.  

Luggage rack versus Desk:  Agreed.  Desk wins!   My guests need a desk.  It is not a want, they need. 

A picture on the wall is an excellent suggestion , thank you.   

[Helen427]

@Harold75 @Sarah977 @Sandra856 @Pete69 

@Kevin1322

@Harold75if you don't want to spend to much often you can pick up good and as new, sometimes brand new beds  at garage sales, charity shops, or on  second hand Trading sites online - we have a site called Trade Me here in NZ -

Do you have what we call trundle beds where one part of it sits under the other but can be converted into a same level Double bed?

There's a variety of them available here, maybe you have the same there.

If you got one of those then you could cater for both longer term guests who perhaps are in your location for a course or longer term holiday & on their own who may enjoy a little more space & for couples who are probably shorter term.

Agreed, power points are very important to access and you don't want guests having accidents tripping over cords!

Would it work to have a lamp installed above the bed on the wall?

Or to shift where the table is and have it alongside the window?

Or would that take up too much space with the chair?

My guest room is on the small side & I have one of those wire baskets for clothes in the wardrobe, and a shelf.

I also have a wooden tiered pot plant stand beside the bed so guest have somewhere for their water, phone, books etc - guests all love it and the fact it's not included in my photos is greeted with delight.

My guests do tend to use the drawer in the bathroom for their toiletries & there's only me to contend with so they have free uninhibited access to the bathroom to put on make up if they want.

Most importantly @Harold75 , remember Rome was not built in a day and to do things as and when your budget permits - you can find bargins in amazing places - those bargins also are part of our stories and looking after our environment!!

[Sandra856]

@Helen427 Yes, I love secondhand and always look to see if I can find whatever I'm looking for secondhand before I buy new. Much better for the environment and the wallet!

[Helen427]

#MeToo @Sandra856 , nice to have another thing in common.

Most of my furniture was either given to me or sourced at the time when we had street collections of unwanted property or by chance someone had randomly put something out they didn't want.

I've a great Rocking chair that was left on the street that my former neighbours, young Pacific Island children, used to fight over who would sit on it.

As soon as I was home or up and the door was open they used to come in to my home whether I wanted them there or not  as they loved it - cheeky rascals they were/ are.

My guests enjoy it when they have the chance to use it.

I often wonder about who the person was and what their life was like and their stories  who had it before me.

I've a couple of Danish made chairs that are super comfy that a lady who has long since passed on gave to me when she got new ones - perfect to curl up in as well as sit on.

Personally I like real wood not this other stuff that is what is termed modern & so often pressed bits of what I'd call offcuts & shavings!!!

[Sandra856]

Wonderful story with the rocking chair and the kids @Helen427 🙂

I also like you, prefer furniture with history and great craftmanship (I think it is the name of it?). I don't host fulltime as my home is simple to small and I would become nuts :-). But I have all of my things in my living room like clothes, toiletries as it would be to much work to remove my personal belongins from the bedroom when I'm hosting. I want my living room to feel like a living room so I need clever storage. I bought a closet made of wood from Ikea, secondhand 2 month ago. I paid 300 kr and it costs 2300 kr. It's in perfect condition - so a great buy 🙂 I picked it up on a huge bike all by myself and biked through the city with it :-). I'm gonna paint it the exact same color as the walls - so it "disappears".. haha. Or at least I hope it will :-). 

[Pete69]

Just never pay more than $100 for any used mattress, even if it's a top of the line one.  I once bought a used mattress that normally sold for $3,000.  Thought I was getting a great deal. By the time I got it home I realized that it reeked of "apartment smell". To this day I don't know exactly what it was. It wasn't cigarettes. It wasn't body odor. But I literally had to let it sit out in the wind for 2 months before it was usable.

[Rachel177]

@Harold75 most people prefer a double or queen size bed even when travelling as a single so it might be worth investing in a larger bed. 

The private room that I host has a double bed but most of my guests are solo travellers & to be honest I prefer hosting them to couples. I have hosted some lovely couples who have been great to talk to & spent a lot of time out exploring. But I've also found that some couples tend to take over all of the shared spaces in the house & almost make me feel like an interloper in my own home.

I worked out that my pricing for couples was only slightly more expensive that a double room in a hostel, so I was attracting budget guests who wanted some space to hang out. And they invariably gave me lower ratings, particularly for value which I found so frustrating. Since I've increased the price further for 2 guests (its an extra $30/night) and no longer get that type of guests. Definitely do your research on pricing for 2 guests if you want to avoid the budget travellers.

And most of my guests don't unpack, they may hang things in the wardrobe but leave most things in suitcases. Any work they do on a laptop is either on their bed or they use the dining room table which I'm fine with.

[Harold75]

@Rachel177
Thanks for taking the time to share your comments.

Is it worth? Sometimes is not just about money, right?

I found it interesting that you prefer dealing with solo travellers. And I appreciate your idea to research pricing in regards to couples.

Couples taking over shared space: this appears to be a common response. I am glad you pointed this out.

[Laura2592]

@Harold75  have you thought about doing a double loft bed? They are often used in small spaces. You can have a desk or seating area under it. Just a thought...though you may alienate travelers who can't climb a ladder. 

Otherwise I'd get abed with storage underneath (double size) and remove the chest of drawers and probably the desk. Find some floating shelves for night stands to save on space. Also some bright art above the bed will dress up the room especially if it has colors that reflect the bedding. 

[Harold75]

@Laura2592  Thanks for your reply.  Interesting idea of yours about the loft bed.  But you point out the cons of it.  I  believe I would alienate travelers with mobility issues. 

Underneath  bed storage   Interesting idea!  Thanks for the tip! 

Chest of drawers   Agree, not needed!  Bye-Bye!   

Desk   Guests use it for work and snacking.  

Artwork above bed Good point ...less of a prison wall look!