Guest Bed And Guest Mattresses Buying Guide

Are you looking to find the best guest bed and mattress combination for when friends and family stay over? Take a look at our guide below for all of our top tips to ensure all your guests get a great night’s sleep.

Choosing the right guest bed and mattress

Whether you’ve just bought your first home, or you and your partner have invested in a bigger house for your growing family, we’ve all been in a scenario where friends and family have needed to stay over.

But even the most wonderful of evenings can be dimmed by a bad night’s sleep, so it’s important to pick out a guest bed and mattress combination that will prevent this from happening.

But what options do your guests have? An airbed on the floor or a fold-out sofa bed? Perhaps a spacious spare bedroom with a comfortable double bed? Or maybe even a triple bunk bed that’s big enough for three?

If you’re not sure what guest bed to buy for when you have people staying over, don’t worry, our guide has you covered. From the different guest bed options available to the right mattress to suit all sleepers, we touch on it all below.

What is a guest bed?

A guest bed is literally just that – it’s a bed that you have for guests to sleep in. It can be anything from a cosy single bed to a spacious double mattress, or even a pull-out sofa bed tucked away in a corner for just this purpose, whatever suits you best for when friends and relatives pop round for a long weekend or more.

How much should you spend on a guest mattress?

First things first, before you start looking at what sort of guest bed to buy, you need to consider three things – how often you have guests staying round, how much space you have for a guest bed, and what is your maximum spending budget.

Starting with the first two points raised, how often you have guests staying over and the space you have available is perhaps the key determining factor in what sort of guest bed you should buy.

For example, there isn't much point in buying a fancy ottoman bed and mattress combo for visitors if you only have people round once a year. Meanwhile, if you have your parents staying once a month, then a single bed in a large and empty room isn’t exactly going to cut it either.

Therefore, you should take your time to think about the likelihood of someone staying over regularly and then buy the sort of bed that feels appropriate for this and will comfortably fit in the space you have available in your home.

As for budget, you probably don’t need to spend as much on your guest mattress as you would your own since it will be slept on less frequently and will generally last longer than your mattress would. Of course, if you plan to have guests staying over often, you might consider choosing a more long-wearing mattress as an investment.

What type of guest beds are available?

As you can imagine, beds for guest rooms come in all shapes and sizes, from simple folding beds to multi-drawer divans. Take a look at our recommendations below to see if any of them take your fancy:

Divan beds

Divan beds are ideal if your guest bedroom is used frequently by family and friends. Their divan drawers give you plenty of additional space to store bedding and other objects that you may keep in the spare room and you can fit any kind of mattress onto a divan bed (as long as it’s the correct size).

Here at MattressNextDay, we even provide divan bed and mattress combo sets, so you can complete your guest room in one go rather than searching for a bedframe and mattress separately.

Folding beds

Folding beds, also known as ‘Z-beds’, are much less common than standard guest bed frames. However, what they miss out in luxury they more than make up for in space-saving measures, making them perfect for anyone with a small home.

Strong and reasonably comfortable, foldable beds are an ideal convenience option if you rarely have guests round, though we’d recommend buying from a high-quality brand to ensure maximum longevity.

Our range of Jay-Be folding beds are some of the most popular folding beds on the market and can be used for hosting guests in a hurry or even for camping trips. They're incredibly versatile and comfortable, with some styles even having a fold-out headboard!

Sofa beds

Once again, if space is at a premium, then buying a sofa bed is a great option. Plus, it doubles up as a second piece of furniture when guests aren’t present. Forming a mattress out of its cushions and foam, sofa beds create an instant mattress to sleep on, saving you money on buying an entire guest bed set up.

Naturally, once your guests go home, you can instantly fold it back up and use it as a sofa again. This makes it an ideal choice if you have a small apartment but still want to provide a comfortable night’s sleep for your guests.

The best space-saving guest bed options

Generally speaking, guest bedrooms tend to be smaller than the average home bedroom and beds tend to be the largest piece of furniture in them. However, if you're limited in space in your guest room or need a guest bed to easily pop up in your living room, there are plenty of options available to suit you.

Small double beds

The best space-saving bed option if you want to provide your guests with a traditional bed set-up for their stay, small double beds have plenty of benefits:

• While small, a small double bed and mattress can still comfortably sleep two adults.
• Their smaller size makes them perfect for narrower bedrooms.
• Small double beds are suitable for guest bedrooms that will be used as a bedroom year-round.

Single beds

The next step down from a small double bed, a single bed is an excellent choice if you tend to only have a single guest round at a time:

• Single beds are ideal for smaller rooms and can be pushed against a wall allowing for more floor space for additional furniture.
• Single beds are best for households where no more than one guest will be staying at one time.
• Small beds can used alongside a folding bed to accommodate more guests.

Sofa beds

As we’ve already mentioned, sofa beds offer you a great middle-ground for a comfortable night’s sleep if you have limited space:

• Sofa beds are ideal for particularly small bedrooms or for adding a bed to the living room should you lack a spare bedroom.
• Sofa beds can be used as a normal sofa when guests aren't staying.
• Sofa beds allow the room to be used as an office, gym, or second sitting room when the bed isn't folded out.
• Sofa beds give guests a comfortable place to sit and relax when staying for a long period.

Folding bed (Z-bed)

The ultimate space-saving option, folding beds are ideal if you have no room for any permanent bed structure:

• Fold-out beds can be used in a spare room of any size or a living room, provided there is space to place them.
• Folding beds are easy to pack down and store away when guests go home thanks to their narrow size.
• Fold-out beds are often more comfortable than other store-away beds, like air beds or foam mattresses.
• Folding beds are usually available in both single and double-bed options.

The best full guest bedroom bed options

While the above options we’ve mentioned are ideal if you lack sufficient space in your home for a full bed, if you do have a functioning spare room that you want to dedicate as your guest room, then the following beds are going to be your best option:

Divan beds & Ottoman beds

Starting off with the most common form of full-time guest beds, divan and Ottoman beds come with a whole host of benefits:

• Divan beds are perfect for spare rooms that need extra hidden storage space.
• Both beds provide storage options in the form of both under-the-bed drawers and under-mattress storage.
• Both beds give guests a space to store their belongings when staying.
• Divans and Ottomans are perfect for rooms that will be used as a bedroom year-round.
• Both options are available in single, double, and king-size options.

Triple sleeper beds

As the name implies, a triple sleeper bed is a great option if you need to sleep multiple guests in one room:

• Triple sleeper beds are ideal for small guest rooms that need to accommodate up to three people at a time.
• Bunk beds of this kind are perfect for hosting guests with children and ideal for sleepovers!
• Triple sleeper beds are available with a small double on the bottom and a single on the top to accommodate a couple and a child.
• You can add two triple sleepers to a larger spare bedroom to sleep up to six guests at a time.

Trundle beds

Finally, a trundle bed is an excellent choice if you want a dual bed combo while still saving on space:

• Trundle beds are a great space-saving solution to having two separate single beds in a room.
• Trundle beds are perfect for guests who would like separate beds when staying - a very popular choice for children.
• They're also an excellent choice for your kid's bed, offering an easily accessible bed for a friend staying the night.

What are the best guest mattresses?

For the most part, when it comes to settling on the sort of guest mattress you want in your spare room, your best bet is to opt for a mattress that falls into the medium category of firmness so that it suits almost any sleeper.

However, there are different options when it comes to the type of mattress available, including memory foam mattresses, hybrid mattresses, and pocketed spring mattresses.

Take a look at our recommendations for each mattress type below:

Pocketed springs: The Silentnight 2000 Mirapocket Luxury Mattress

The Silentnight 2000 Mirapocket Luxury Mattress is a top-quality medium-firm mattress that offers exceptional luxury and comfort.

• 2000 individually pocketed Mirapocket springs for total support and comfort
• Reinforced edges so a larger, more stable sleeping area
• Single-sided so it’s easy to care for with no need to flip and turn
• No roll together so it’s ideal for couples

Shop now

Hybrid: SleepSoul Wish 3000 Series Pocket Cool Gel Mattress

One of our best-selling mattresses, the SleepSoul Wish 3000 Series Pocket Cool Gel Mattress is a premium quality hybrid mattress at a budget price. On top of the spring core are layers of memory foam and a generous CoolGel foam layer. This creates a cooler, more comfortable sleeping environment.

• Medium firm firmness rating suitable for most sleepers, but with added orthopaedic support
• CoolGel foam layer regulates your body temperature for a fresher night’s sleep
• Individually pocketed springs in the core prevent rolling together and provide support
• 30cm deep and easy to maintain, with no need to turn

Shop now

Silentnight 7 Zone Memory Foam Mattress

The Silentnight 7 Zone Memory Foam Mattress is a medium firm mattress with two incredible types of memory foam to support your guests' entire body. 7-zone foam support targets precise pressure relief to seven key areas of the body. It also has a removable, breathable cover that can easily be machine washed between stays. It's also hypoallergenic, which not only helps if your guests are prone to allergies, but prevents the build-up of bacteria more generally for a cleaner sleeping environment.

• A medium firm tension is suitable for most types of sleepers, from young adults to heavier guests
• Memory foam moulds to the shape of your body for greater support and cushioned comfort
• Lightweight and easy to handle, with no need to flip and turn
• Hypoallergenic fibres prevent dust and mites for a healthier sleeping environment
• Removable cover can be machine washed for easy cleaning between guests

Shop now

Choose your new guest bed with MattressNextDay

Not sure which of these incredible mattresses is right for you? Our product experts have put together plenty of helpful guides to advise you on your purchase. For example, why not check out our favourite memory foam mattresses if you're particularly looking for a 'sink in' feeling as you get into bed?

On top of this, you can also read our Mattress Buying Guide for helpful tips and tricks for choosing a new mattress. And for help making your guest room as fancy as possible, why not read our guide on how to make your guest bedroom feel hotel-worthy?