Phila Airport Parking Vacations

Guests are coming, and you want to make their stay truly special, so take a cue from those seasoned hospitality experts — innkeepers. Here is a quartet of ideas that will transform your home into a bed and breakfast.

The first step is to create a cozy guest room. At Casa Laguna Inn & Spa in Laguna Beach, California, guests enjoy a room with plenty of amenities, from the fluffy robes to the luxuriously made beds to the CD and DVD players. Your house might not be quite as opulent, but you can still top the bed with soft linens, fluffy comforters and plenty of good pillows. A basket of toiletries is a thoughtful touch, offering easily forgotten items such as toothpaste or hair spray. You can even include a selection of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs. A bouquet of fresh flowers will make your guests feel especially welcome.

The guest bath is another important spot to consider. Guests at Beazley House, a Napa inn with plenty of amenities, enjoy baths stocked with luxurious Turkish towels and specialty bath products, as well as practical items such as a hair dryer. While you don’t have to spend a fortune, keep your guest bath stocked with fresh shampoo, conditioner and maybe some bath salts or bubbles. Adding some interesting wall art or perhaps an antique glass for a toothbrush holder are other easy options that make a big impact.

Now that you have dealt with the “bed” portion of the equation, it’s time to create the perfect breakfast. You don’t have to be a gourmet cook to create a great breakfast. Simply setting a beautiful table will make the morning meal a special occasion. At the Fairthorne B&B, a charming Cape May, New Jersey inn, the staff sets the breakfast table with lovely tablecloths and fine china. You can even light some candles to really make the meal special. Following Fairthorne’s lead you could serve a breakfast beginning with home-baked muffins or coffee cake, followed by an entre. You could also add a fresh fruit course. If your guests are light eaters, set out a small buffet with fresh fruit, toasting breads and don’t forget gourmet coffee and selection of good teas.

If you really want to impress your guests, consider the opulent addition of an afternoon tea. At the Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts, inn guests are treated to a cream tea either in the dining room or on the patio. The special afternoon teas at this Cape Cod inn include a selection of gourmet teas, as well as freshly baked scones, cookies and cakes. For your in-home tea, consider using china and offering several kinds of loose teas. If time is a consideration, purchase some goodies from a local bakery. Other easy options include offering some freshly baked cookies with iced tea or lemonade or perhaps some wine and snacks in the early evenings.

For more ideas on how to transform your home into a bed & breakfast-style retreat, visit iLoveInns.com. You’ll find listings for 19,000 boutique hotels, country inns and B&Bs, as well as informative travel articles and even hundreds of innkeeper-tested recipes. If you are searching for a great, easy gift idea, iLoveInns offers printable gift certificates, which can be used at the inns in this article, as well as thousands more.