Turn the Bedroom Into Your Hotel Retreat

There is nothing like the feeling of staying in a hotel (well, anything 4 stars and above). It is clean and tidy, there are snacks available, TV on tap, fluffy towel, bathrobes, lovely smelly things in the bathroom and stylish décor. The bed is always professionally made, crisp, clean and comfy and best of all, you can have food brought to you.

This is why we can pay anything up to several hundred pounds a night. Simple luxury.

The problem is that aside from an occasional special night or holiday, most of us cannot afford to experience this sort of luxury regularly. But making a few changes to your bedroom at home can offer some of these things. Yes the kids are still down the hall and last nights dishes will still be there in the morning – but it is possible to pretend, even if only for a short while.

Remove everything you don't need

This means taking a look around your room and removing everything which is not “hotely”. So the laundry basket, the kids toys, the piles of ironing and the cups under the bed all have to go. Get cleaning and make your room sparkle. Ensure it smells fresh and clean. All clothes should be hidden in drawers and wardrobes.

Change the arrangement of the furniture

We all know the standard hotel layout. If your room is large enough try to have the bed in the middle, a small seating area and the TV in front of the bed. If possible a desk and chair would set things off nicely.

Start bringing in new things

Think of all those wonderful things which make a hotel room special.

• There is always a nice flower arrangement or plant.
• Bedside lamps and at least one free standing lamp near the seating area.
• Set up a bathroom sanctuary as well (even better if you have an ensuite). You'll need new white towels, small bottles of shower gels and shampoos, glass dishes of cotton balls and a box of tissues.
• Invest in new white bathrobes and expect to lounge about in them whenever you are in the room.
• Either an interesting art print or one feature wall with an unusual wallpaper. This wall tends to be behind the bed.
• Set up a decent sized TV with a DVD player for those romantic movies you will be sharing with your other half.

The bed

This is the most important part of the whole room. No one expects you to invest in a new bed, but mattress toppers can give the illusion of a soft, deep mattress without having to splash out. 100% Egyptian cotton sheets are a must and they have to be perfectly ironed. Add a plain white duvet cover (again 100% Egyptian cotton) and a fluffy duvet. Invest in lots of pillows of all different sizes and shapes. The more the better. Finally lay a patterned quilt over the end of the bed. In reality this always gets kicked off, but it does pull the room together.

Finally arrange a night when you won't be disturbed. Order a pizza or chinese and spend an entire evening and half the next day lounging about in your “hotel” bedroom. You will probably have to make your own cooked breakfast though – but they are never as nice as you think they are going to be anyway!