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A Guide to Turning Your Home into a Luxury Hotel

 A Guide to Turning Your Home into a Luxury HotelAfter a long day of playing tourist on vacation, your body is met by those sumptuous Egyptian cotton sheets and fluffy pillows that leave you wondering if the hotel staff would notice if you slipped one in your luggage. In the morning, you awake from a decadent sleep and pad your feet along the lush, thick-pile carpet into the spa bathroom. Oh! The full body jets in the glass shower awaken your senses, and the hand-milled lavender soap from France certainly smells delicious!

This is just a taste of what it’s like to stay in a luxury hotel, and most of us are willing to sink our hard-earned dollars into such an exquisite experience — after all, you are on vacation and you deserve it!

So why is it that when the trip is over and you enter the reality of your own home, you are greeted by an unmade bed, a cluttered living room, and a dirty bathroom? There is certainly no decadent morsel of chocolate awaiting you on the pillow.

Isn’t it worth it to experience even a small version of this luxury in our daily existence? No matter the budget, a lavish lifestyle can be achieved at home — it just takes a few small steps. First, we must remember that high-class hotels do not come cheap. A team of experienced designers are usually employed to deck the halls of expensive hotels, with that in mind, let’s see what we can accomplish on our own, and with our own budgets.

 A Guide to Turning Your Home into a Luxury Hotel

A lavish bedroom is a hotel must-have

The bed should take center stage when you are going for a luxe hotel style. Think of all the hotels that you have visited — the bedroom is always well-designed with matching bedding, pillows and curtains.

Start with a supportive mattress and then layer it in the luxury of plump down pillows, Egyptian cotton sheets (buy the highest thread count that you can afford), and a down comforter.

The bed should be fit for a King or Queen (or both) and outfitted with a plush headboard that you can lay your head against. Everything in a hotel is carefully planned out and the design is meticulous. The bedroom always has two side tables and side lamps, a desk, a couple of cozy chairs with quaint side tables, a gorgeous armoire for clothing, and usually a television that is well-hidden inside a beautiful armoire or cabinet.

Essentially, the bedroom is the one room that you should not skimp on. Sadly, it is the room that most homeowners ignore since guests don’t see it. Give yourself the gift of luxury with a bedroom that you deserve to wake up in each morning, and don’t forget that little chocolate on the pillow.

Replicate a spa bathroom in your home

Moving from the bedroom into the bathroom, you should enter an equally serene and posh decor. Think of the best hotel that you have ever stayed — what amenities did the bathroom have?

You probably found a glass-enclosed walk-in shower with full-body jets and an equally strong shower head. There was of course a jacuzzi tub, and a double set of deep sinks with large mirrors that were lit by glitzy wall sconces, and there was a lavish offering of soaps and scents galore. Let’s not forget the towels that were plush as puffy clouds, and the bathrobe made of supreme-quality cotton.

The best hotels will also have heated towel racks and heated marble or tile flooring. Some of these items may be above your price point, but attaining a lavish hotel-like bathroom can be as simple as a pretty shower curtain, a few plush towels and some scented candles.

Dim the lights, run a bath filled with bubbles and pretend that you are in paradise. Don’t forget to hang the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door.

Recreation is key in a luxury hotel

It may not be affordable to add a luxury indoor swimming pool and sauna room, but we can still try to mimic the recreational style of a luxury hotel.

All hotels obviously have a pool, sauna, games room and gym. If budget is not a concern, then consider adding an in-home sauna, gaming room or lap pool. You could also add a hot tub to the garden, so you can take your relaxation outside throughout the year. Portable Tubs HQ created an inflatable hot tub and portable hot tubs buyers guide, so you can take the hard work out of hot tub shopping! This would be the ultimate way to unwind at the end of a hard day!

If this is not possible, then consider simply creating a home gym. It can be as simple as a treadmill that is well-positioned in front of a TV. Add a small bar fridge with water and a rack for towels — voila, you have your own hotel-style workout room.

You could also create a spa space where you can unwind or do yoga stretches. Choose a dark corner of your home where it is quiet. Add candles, a cozy floor pillow, and a soft mat or rug for stretching or meditating.

Play some zen music and escape life’s hectic pace — you will surely feel like you have escaped into a spa hotel.

 A Guide to Turning Your Home into a Luxury Hotel

Add flowers and greenery in every room of your home

Flowers and greenery are a key element to add to all of your hotel-like rooms. Elegant, aromatic arrangements can be found in every room of a high-end hotel.

Scent is one of our most powerful senses, so when entering a hotel lobby, we smell the lush flowers before we even see them. However, it can be daunting and expensive to try and always maintain a home full of fresh-cut floral bouquets.

On a budget, you can still easily attain this green aesthetic by simply adding some houseplants. Orchids are elegant, gorgeous and they continue to bloom in cycles. A large palm plant can make a huge impact when placed in an entryway inside a chinoiserie-style urn.

If your thumb is far from green and the thought of houseplants sends you running, then consider adding other natural elements to your home. A vase filled with spindly twigs, or a bowl filled with acorns, river stones or glass, are all wonderful ways to bring a touch of life to your home.

Adding elements of nature into every room of your home is a sure-fire way to luxe-up your lifestyle.

Make the entryway a statement

Think of the last hotel that you walked into. What did you first see? Of course, you were surrounded by an amazing lobby that was filled with orchids (or some other exotic flower arrangement), glitzy mirrors, well-arranged seating areas, dim lighting, and fabulous artwork.

How can you create all this in the small entryway of your own home? It’s actually pretty simple. You just need to guide your visitor’s eyes to a certain niche or centerpiece that will welcome them into your home and speak to the rest of the homes style.

It’s best to start with a small entryway table. Whether it be marble, wood or shiny lacquer, the entryway table can be your starting point. If you have room, a large round table makes a dramatic statement when floated in the middle of an entry.

Then add to this table: a pretty lamp, a bowl to contain a few collected knick knacks, some books or other things that appeal to your tastes, and of course, a pretty flower arrangement (no fake flowers aloud). If the table is against the wall, then place a statement mirror or piece of art above the table (a starburst mirror works well here). You are almost done! Now, if there is room, add a plump chair that guests can sit in when taking on and off their shoes.

Invest in well-designed curtains

Curtains, draperies, and blinds are something a lot of us homeowners overlook. We slap on some wooden blinds for privacy and wipe our hands of the nasty job of window coverings (or we resort to buying some cheap pre-made curtains at a local chain store).

There is a good reason for this trend— custom draperies are expensive and hard to find. Unless you are a seamstress, then making gorgeous pinch-pleated drapery panels is not easy. Along with the bedroom, window coverings are another place where you should put your money where your mouth is. It is obvious when draperies are done on a budget, and it can ruin the look of your luxury home.

If you don’t know how to sew, then consider hiring someone who is willing to work within your budget. It’s always best to buy the fabric on your own and then have a seamstress work with that, as they tend to charge an overhead on their fabrics.

Pick fabrics that suit your tastes and the rest of your decor. To maintain the luxury look, think silks, damasks, and linen for your fabric choices. Don’t forget to add blackout curtains in all the bedrooms, as every hotel offers them.