Everything You Need for Hosting Overnight Guests for the Holidays

I’m partial to this pillow; I’ve owned multiple sets for many years. The Beckham Luxury Linens Hotel Collection pillow has a 100 percent cotton cover and a filling of 100 percent polyester gel-fiber. The manufacturer claims that the materials in the Beckham pillow keep it cool. It aced our test for breathability and also scored top marks for resiliency, which means it will hold its shape well over time. Plus, at about $40 for a two-pack, it’s a good value. (Make sure to use the on-page coupon for the best price.)

For more options: Best Pillows

Sweet dreams are made of cozy sheets. You’re going to experience quite a bit of wrinkling with these 700-thread-count cotton sheets from Member’s Mark, but if you don’t mind pulling out the steamer before your guests arrive, you have a winner with this set. Testers noted that this set feels soft and that you can expect a great fit with very little shrinkage, even after a year of washing. The fitted sheet is printed with directional markings so that you know which way to position it over your mattress.

For more options: Best Sheets

These Gracie Oaks curtains were impressive in our tests. Both the darkest color (warm black) and the lightest (porcelain white) completely blocked a beam of light from a powerful flashlight. The panels also offer good insulation against the blazing heat of the summer sun and winter drafts. You can attach a curtain rod through a pole pocket or tabs, sturdily stitched flat to the edge; there’s a hook belt, too. A few drawbacks: These heavy curtains look and feel more like a buttery faux suede than a plush luxe velvet, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Also, the curtains are sold as a single panel instead of in pairs, so you may need to buy two, paying double the price shown here. You can choose from more than two dozen colors, depending on where you shop. 

Viscosoft’s gel-infused memory foam topper is reasonably plush but still has a medium to medium-firm feel, based on my experience lying on it. It earns first-rate marks for support and convenience. But this topper envelops the body more than the top choice in our tests, scoring on the warmer side for heat retention. Our lab data suggests that those who sleep hot are likely to feel that difference. Additional features include corner straps to help keep it in place and a removable machine-washable rayon cover. The topper can also be flipped and rotated, though it weighs 27 pounds (among the heaviest of hose we tested), so you might need a helper. Viscosoft offers a full refund up to 90 days after purchase if you’re not satisfied with your topper. It’s also backed by a five-year warranty from the date of original purchase. 

The Viscosoft is available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, short queen, king, California king, and short king sizes.

For more options: Best Mattress Toppers

You don’t have to pay triple digits for a great air mattress, and the 17-inch-high Hi-Loft from Simmons Beautyrest proves that. It’s a little more than half the cost of the most expensive air mattress in our ratings, and it performs better than pricier models in our tests. During the initial inflation in our convenience tests, we found that it took about 3 minutes to reach full firmness; it took 4 minutes to let all that air out. It snags high scores in our deflection test, meaning this is an easier mattress to get up from. The Simmons comes with a storage bag, and it folds down to 6x12x17 inches, which is on the smaller end of those we tested.

For more options: Best and Worst Air Mattresses

The ultrasonic Babymoov Hygro (+), designed for small rooms of around 215 square feet, is top-rated for a reason: It shines in every one of CR’s tests. It’s easy to use, according to our evaluators, and emits enough moisture to sufficiently humidify a room. Features include a night-light that cycles through a rainbow of colors, automatic shutoff when the tank is empty, and a timer, as well as the option to diffuse aromas. One drawback: The 58-inch cord is on the short side.

For more options: Best Humidifiers

A good night’s sleep can go a long way when you’re spending a lot of time with family and friends. Priced below $250, the Best Price Mattress 12” Signature Green Tea scores well on nearly every one of our tests. We found its support to be excellent for petite side sleepers and very good for average side sleepers, but only so-so for large and tall side sleepers. It also lands a top-tier durability rating, and it has a firmness rating of 4. But the mattress earns only middling marks for stabilization, meaning a sleeper’s jostling might bother a partner. CR doesn’t have enough data yet to rate Best Price’s comfort and owner satisfaction based on CR’s surveys.

For more options: Best Budget Mattresses

Treat your guests to the spalike feel of an oversized towel. Brooklinen Super-Plush bath towels are perfect for anyone who likes a towel as big as a blanket after their shower. These oversized towels are a whopping 53 inches long and 28 inches wide. They were also the most absorbent in our evaluation but took the longest time to dry. There are lots of color options to choose from.

The Rusk W8less is a great, no-frills option you can stash in the bathroom for guests. It’s lightweight, gets nice and hot, and, unlike some hair dryers, doesn’t smoke and singe your hair. The W8less has three heat settings, two speed settings, and a cool shot. It comes with a concentrator nozzle, an internal ion generator, plus a ceramic and tourmaline-infused grill to fight frizz. 

For more options: Best Hair Dryers

The Cuisinart Coffee on Demand DCC-3000, a great option for caffeinating a lot of people, is a self-serve coffee maker, meaning it forgoes a carafe and lets you fill a mug straight from its heated reservoir. Guests can brew a fresh cup on demand—and no one gets stuck with the dregs that have been sitting on the warmer all morning.

This model does well in our tests, and Cuisinart self-serve machines receive top marks for owner satisfaction. Features include a removable reservoir, a permanent filter, a water filter, a cleaning indicator, auto-shutoff, programming, and a small-batch setting.

For more options: Best Drip Coffee Makers

The Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is a fantastic grinder and one of the lower-priced models that does well in our tests. It receives strong scores in our grind performance tests, making it a good choice for any brew method you want to use. It also scores well for convenience, thanks to its clearly marked and easy-to-use controls. Our testers found it extremely easy to clean, too, because it has a removable hopper. It features 15 grind settings, a 12-ounce bean hopper (one of the largest in our tests), an auto-stop feature, and a timer.

For more options: Best and Worst Burr Coffee Grinders

The Ninja 2-in-1 Double Oven DCT401 earns high to top-tier scores in nearly all of our lab tests. It stands out for its unique design (it’s two separate ovens in one), how easy it is to use, and how well it bakes and toasts. It’s the fastest-toasting large oven model at the top of CR’s ratings, making it a great choice if you’re often turning out big batches of toast for a crowd. The one area where this 1,800-watt model falls slightly short is in reheating, where it receives just a middling score. Still, a temperature range of 100° F to 450° F, a digital display, an air-frying function, and the capacity to cook a whole chicken make this Ninja a pretty solid pick.

For more options: Best Toaster Ovens

This beast of a waffle maker weighs 15 pounds—double the weight of any other we tested—and takes up the most countertop real estate, too, measuring a foot wide and 16 inches deep. But that size comes in handy when you’re feeding a crowd. The Breville BWM640XL’s large grid can fit twice the batter of a standard round iron, which means a full batch of piping hot waffles in half the time. This model aces our tests, including earning top marks for even browning. It sounds an alert when waffles are done and is one of only two models we tested with a countdown timer. Another bonus: It comes with a batter cup, so you can pour the perfect amount of batter every time without wasteful overflow.

For more options: Best Waffle Makers

Cook up a batch of French toast to feed a crowd with a trusty sheet pan. The Nordic Ware Naturals Baker’s Half Sheet pan earns a lot of accolades, and we like it, too. Cooking evenness earns top marks. But it takes a little elbow grease to clean. As with the other aluminum pans, scouring powder removes soil marks left on its surface.

For more options: Best Sheet Pans

The 6-quart Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700BSS has a pressure-cook feature and aces our test in that mode. But it’s also one of the best in our ratings at slow cooking, earning an excellent rating. Our beef stew turned out tender and ready to eat in 5 hours, and chili was tender and delicious in 7 hours. Steaming is top-notch because this 1,100-watt cooker doesn’t use pressure for that mode. (Unlike other models, the lid on this Breville doesn’t lock during steaming, so you can avoid overcooking.) The ceramic nonstick coating is a cinch to clean and didn’t show any scratches after testing.

For more options: Best Multi-Cookers

The 7-cup Cuisinart PerfecTemp CPK-17 boils about as fast as most of the kettles we tested, but it’s pricey compared with the competition. That said, this stainless kettle has six preset temperature settings for making different types of tea or French-press coffee—whatever your guests like—and it has a three-year warranty. It did well in our convenience tests; you’ll have no trouble reading the markings.

For more options: Best Electric Kettles

No one wants them, but spills are bound to happen when you’re hosting guests. Be ready for cleanup anywhere in the house with a portable carpet cleaner. The Shark StainStriker PX201 is fairly convenient, partly because it’s one of the lightest portable carpet cleaners in our ratings, at 9 pounds empty and 12 pounds with a full tank of cleaning solution. It’s the best-performing portable model in our tests, cleaning pretty well and drying excellently. It was also one of the quieter models we’ve tested—and these aren’t exactly quiet machines. The 0.3-gallon solution tank lets you clean about 11 square feet. It comes with three hose attachments—a crevice tool, a pet tool, and a hose rinse head—and its 57-inch-long hose gives you good reach into tricky spaces.

The Lasko AW315 is adept at both heating a room and directing heat at one person, earning top scores on both tests. Its slim profile sets it apart from many space heaters, and it has a small footprint, so you can put it almost anywhere. It gets strong scores in our fire safety and hot-surface tests, meaning it’s not likely to ignite nearby fabrics and stays relatively cool to the touch. This model comes with a remote, so you don’t even have to move from the couch to control the heat. But it lacks a tip-over safety switch, which some other highly rated space heaters have.

For more options: Best Space Heaters

Need some extra space to keep drinks cold? The Danby DAR044A4BDD-6 is one of the best mini fridges you can buy. It lacks a freezer compartment, but it performs well in our tests on other counts, offering exceptional refrigerator performance and great energy efficiency (at least compared with other mini fridges). It’s not the quietest mini fridge on the market, though, falling in the middle of the pack in our noise test. This Danby fridge is 33 inches tall, 21 inches wide, and 21 inches deep, with a usable storage capacity of 3.1 cubic feet based on our measurements. It features both an interior light and a can dispenser for soda, beer, etc.

For more options: Best Mini Fridges

Whether you need to keep visiting tots safe or furry friends from ransacking the kitchen, it’s helpful to have safety gates on hand. This baby gate is made of a mesh material rather than vertical bars so that it can retract fully to one side of the doorframe. Unrolling it is easy, too: Just press a button and slide the latch to the open position. It did extremely well in our tests for security and installation, and we found it reasonably convenient to use. It measures 33 inches in height and can fit openings up to 55 inches wide.