We’ve discovered in our year-plus of wonderful pet sitting adventures, that a guest room is ideal, and would prefer not sleep in the home-owner’s personal bed.
However, it is not always clear whether there is a guest room.
Some summaries state specifically about a separate guest room or if you are using the master bedroom. But other summaries are not clear.
Sometimes you can tell in the photos that the bedroom looks regularly used and full of personal items. But other times the photo of the master bedroom is so immaculate and absent of personal items, that it can pass as a guest room, and no mention is made.
Wondering if sitters inquire about where they will sleep specifically in their application or video chat?
Also wondering if an improvement could be made by THS to include “guest room” as an amenity?
I’m with you on this issue. I don’t apply to sits in dense city centers (sensory overload), which helps me in that I pass by any studio or one-bedroom apartments. If a listing says 2-bedroom apt or house, I read the home description carefully because often the HO will say the second bedroom is being used for an office, studio, etc., inferring that the main bedroom is where the sitter will sleep. However, if I were very interested in applying but not sure what the setup will be, I would apply and ask straight up in my application where the sitter will be sleeping. Since the only way to contact the HO is by applying, we have no other choice.
After 14+ years of house sitting and 155+ sits across different countries, homes and lifestyles, we’ve found there’s enormous variety in sleeping arrangements - everything from dedicated guest suites to studio apartments where there’s realistically only one bed.
For us, the more important issue isn’t really whether it’s technically a “guest room” or the owner’s room … it’s clarity and comfort on both sides.
Some sitters strongly prefer a separate guest room for privacy, neutrality and not feeling like they’re temporarily inhabiting someone else’s personal space. Others are completely comfortable using the primary bedroom and simply see it as part of house sitting.
Likewise, some owners naturally prepare a guest room, while others may genuinely never consider the main bedroom an issue, especially in smaller homes, apartments or urban settings where space is limited.
Over time we’ve learned not to make assumptions from photos alone. An immaculate master bedroom can still be very lived-in, while a genuine guest room might not even appear in the listing photos.
We think the best approach is simply open, matter-of-fact communication during the application or video chat stage. It doesn’t need to sound demanding or awkward. Something as simple as “Just so we understand the setup properly, which room would the sitter be using?” usually resolves it easily.
One thing long-term sitting teaches you is adaptability. No two sits are the same, and that variety is part of what many of us enjoy about the experience.
I’d rather have a guest room, but will sleep fine in a master bedroom if that’s what’s available. A couple of times, even when the hosts had guest rooms, they offered me the master, because it had a nice view and/or nicer bathrooms.
To me, key problems would be if the mattress is too soft and hurt my back, or there’s a bunch of clutter.
My favorite kind of room/bed: When there’s a furry friend in it. That’s especially so when they start off skittish and you develop a bond. Sleeping with us is the most trusting a pet can be.
This is something we raise during the video call as my wife snores like a demented chainsaw and we need two rooms. We don’t mind if they include the master suite. If the listing looks like it can’t accommodate us we simply don’t apply.
I prefer a guest room and can usually tell from the photos and description. What I don’t assume though is that there will be hanging or wardrobe space as many guest rooms have no clothes space for the sitter - it is crammed packed with owners stuff.
I always ask for hanging and drawer space.
I am now becoming ever more picky and want an ensuite.
It is best to ask what the sitter’s accommodation is before confirming.
Don’t despair - Mr Itchyfeet was a terrible snorer and we used to ask for 2 rooms. He had a snoring app on his phone and realised that his snoring had greatly diminished, almost non existent. Makes life easier if booking hotels as only one room needed now
I brought up a similar topic some time back asking HO’s to please describe all the available sleeping options for sitters because of how often this info is left out entirely. So many sits simply say things like “cozy house near a lovely park and 5 min walk to a local coffee shop/bus stop” or whatever but never mentioning how many rooms/beds are available to sitters.
This is an issue for us as well as with age we, too, like @Oztravels, have become sleep incompatible in recent years (one snores and one moves constantly = no one sleeps well when together).
So we always have to ask about sleeping options but I do wish HO’s were more detailed in their home descriptions for this.
When I mentioned this in a thread I started, I got quite a bit of pushback from one or two HO’s who felt they did not owe sitters a description of the sleeping options in their home. And others suggested just asking - but my point is why waste anyone’s time? We won’t apply if there is not the possibility of using two rooms or two beds. I don’t understand why it would be so difficult to mention this in the “abut the home” portion of the listing.
Hmm, that’s a fresh angle from a sitter’s perspective for me. I’m a HO and we’ve never sat for anyone ourselves, so i don’t really know how it looks from the other side.
We don’t have a proper guest room, although it’s one of my dreams. It would require an actual expansion of the house that we’re just not ready for yet. As it looks right now, we have a guest bed in a room that we have to go through to reach our bedroom, and we can’t close the door because of our cat. There’s also a bunch of music instruments in that room, so it doesn’t scream “bedroom” to me, and i always feel so apologetic about it and offer the sitters to move into our bedroom after we leave (we invite people to come over the day before so we can get to know each other, introduce to our cat while we’re still there and show around), but so far the only sitters that have taken us up on that offer were a family that actually needed 2 beds.
In our home, it’s up to the guests to decide what would make them most comfortable. I think I may have written something along those lines in on our profile, or, if not there, then definitely in our guide.
But, to answer your question - no. So far, no one has actually asked about the exact sleeping situation. We’ve had 9 sitters from Trusted HS stay at our place.
And YES! We definitely need more filtering options - not just for sits, but also for sitters. I’m currently reaching out to sitters myself because of a last minute ghosting on the sitter side, and i can’t even filter out people travelling with children (our cat is afraid of children among many other things) - I can only check “travelling with partner” which excludes solo travellers and “families welcome”, although i see people travelling with children whether i have it checked or not.
If any topic is important to you then clearly state specifics in application and/or discuss directly in video call.
Such topics may vary a great deal by housesitter. And some Pet Parents have flexibility or struggle to perceive situation from housesitter perspective. Communication is the only way to progress.
By way of example, we apply for some listings and politely refer to potential use of pet parent vehicle during sit (e.g. rural location, dog walks, peak season). If Pet Parent reads such an application; determines that no vehicle is available; and declines our application then that seems an effective, efficient outcome. That said, some Pet Parents invite us to a call and express that they had not even considered use of vehicle - all good. Similar approach could likely work for guest bedroom.
Haven’t done a count but we probably wind up in no guest room situations at least half the time. The guest rooms have all been fabulous. Not a pull out in any of them!
We host as well. I can’t offer a guest room. What I can offer is a super comfortable queen firm memory foam mattress that we miss terribly when we travel. I do a bunch of things that make me feel better about this but I don’t know if sitters notice:
Designated guest linens
Designated guest mattress cover. (I used to wash the cover we use, but then I decided to get just an extra for guests.
Blankets washed for guests before and after we come back. (We live in NYC where there are shared laundry facilities, so I can use the big machines in the basement.)
Our “extra” bed is alas a pullout futon full size in the living room that I often fall asleep on. For one person it is very comfortable even if you don’t “unfold” it.
@loveandkitties Your arrangement is perfectly fine - there is no right or wrong, better or worse! The idea is finding matches for each party’s needs. If you are clear in your description as to the sleeping arrangements (both before and during the sit), this is all any of us can ask. This way your time is not lost nor the prospective applicants.
I think many of us would agree that sleep is a precious commodity and important to our mental and physical well being. Especially those of us who no longer have the pleasure of our youth…oh how I envy those who can “sleep anywhere”! What a gift!!
We have been incredibly fortunate (though we are very careful when applying) and managed to have 2 beds and even 2 bedrooms (sometimes ensuite) in many (not all) of our sits. Makes a huge difference in our ability to sleep and therefore have the best capacity to care for the home and pets. A sleep deprived sitter cannot be top of his/her game!
@Colin That’s both funny but also wonderful, I think! just the acceptance of each other’s quirks and willingness to work around the annoying bits in a relationship because love. I know, that’s slightly off-topic, I just felt endeared, so I wanted to share some positivity
and we need two rooms. We don’t mind if they include the master suite. If the listing looks like it can’t accommodate us we simply don’t apply.
just the acceptance of each other’s quirks and willingness to work around the annoying bits in a relationship because love. I know, that’s slightly off-topic, I just felt endeared, so I wanted to share some positivity 