The UK’s Most Common Type of Guest Bed

Posted by Lauren Jaques - Senior Buyer, Frames and Furniture on 18th Aug 2022

The UK’s Most Common Type of Guest Bed

We’ve all had less than favourable encounters with guest beds. From lumpy old mattresses to air beds that deflate during the night, sometimes staying over at someone’s house isn’t as fun as it should be.

However, not all beds are created equal. These days, guest beds come in various styles, shapes, sizes, and comfort levels, so you should never have to endure an uncomfortable sleepover again.

But we were curious to find out which type of bed people in the UK typically offer to guests. Are we providing a luxurious night’s sleep in a plush super king bed or simply throwing a few cushions and blankets on the floor?

We surveyed over 1000 people across the UK to find out. Here’s what we discovered.

How often do you have guests stay over?

Sleepovers are something we usually view as exciting when we’re younger. The chance to stay up all night chatting to your friends or watching TV together into the early hours creates memories you’ll cherish forever. But as we get older, hosting guests overnight can sometimes feel like more of a chore than a pleasure. Figuring out where your guests will stay and what they’ll sleep on can be tricky, especially if space is an issue.

Our survey results reveal that if you’re younger, you’re much more likely to have overnight guests. 12% of adults we surveyed aged between 16 and 24 said they typically have someone stay over at their home once a week, compared to just over 1% of adults aged 55 and over (a). Almost 50% of adults aged 55 or over said they never have guests stay over at their home (b).

Crashing at a friend’s house after a night out or organising spontaneous sleepovers can dwindle as we get older and spending a night away from your own comfy bed can become more difficult. But sleepovers are not completely a thing of the past – our survey results show that on average, most Brits tend to have someone stay overnight at their home at least once a month (c), with family members being the most common type of guest, closely followed by friends (d).

Which type of guest bed is the most popular?

Having a bed readily available for guests can give you peace of mind that you’ll always be able to accommodate those last-minute visitors. But what type of bed should you get?

Although numerous beds, such as sofa beds and air beds, have been intentionally designed for guests, our survey revealed that 48% of people still typically provide a regular bed to overnight visitors (e) rather than a temporary alternative.

Amongst adults aged 55 and over, providing guests with a proper bed proved most popular, with 73% saying they offer this type of bed over any other sort (f). Only 7% said they would offer a sofa bed, and only 2% would provide a folding bed (g) to overnight guests.

We found there to be much more variety in the type of guest bed offered by younger adults, with the most popular being sofa beds, followed by air beds and folding beds (h).

When we’re younger, finding the space to accommodate a regular bed for guests can be more challenging. However, as we age and children flee the nest, this can often result in spare rooms, which are easily transformed into permanent guest rooms.

How do you feel about temporary beds?

Our survey results indicate a possible North-South divide regarding the popularity of temporary guest beds.

Sofa beds were much more prevalent in Greater London, with over 23% of people saying a sofa bed was the most common type of bed they offer to guests (i), compared to just over 5% of people living in the Northwest (j).

Folding beds were also much less popular in the North, with 0% of respondents from the Northwest of England saying they offer a foldaway bed for guests (k), compared to over 10% of people in Greater London (l).

House sizes could be a factor here as London homes tend to have a much smaller floor space than homes further North (1), making space-saving guest beds, such as folding and sofa beds, a more suitable option.

Sofa beds are a fantastic option if you want the flexibility to use the guest bed for another purpose. For example, the Duet 2 in 1 sofa bed splits into two separate reclining chairs, so you can have additional seating in your home when you’re not using it as a guest bed. Alternatively, the Cameo sofa bed would look great in a home office and comes in a range of contemporary colours to suit any interior.

Duet 2-in-1 Sofa Bed

Duet 2-in-1 Sofa Bed

Cameo 2 Seater Sofa Bed

What about when kids sleep over?

Although 10% of parents we surveyed said their children’s friends were the most frequent type of overnight guest (m), trundle beds and bunk beds (which are both great bed options for kids) were two of the least popular types of guest bed (n).

Instead of spending time and energy blowing up an air bed, trundle and bunk beds offer a permanent and much easier way to accommodate your kid’s friends whenever they fancy a sleepover.

Trundles look like regular beds but have space underneath to store a mattress that you can quickly and easily pull out to provide a spare bed when you need it and conveniently hide it away when you don’t.

The Hip Hop 3 in 1 Wooden Bed Frame is a great choice for sleepovers, with a pull-out guest bed on castors, which can be raised to the height of the main bed frame to make two single beds, or pushed together to make a super king size bed!

Hip Hop 3-in-1 Wooden Bed Frame

Hip Hop 3 in 1 Wooden Bed Frame

Alternatively, bunk beds are timeless and offer a simple way to accommodate children’s friends without compromising bedroom space. The Stompa Meadow Compact Bunk Bed can even be reassembled into 2 single beds.

Stompa Meadow Compact Bunk Bed

Stompa Meadow Compact Bunk Bed

Whatever your guest bed needs, it’s important to find one that suits your budget, needs and lifestyle. Bensons for Beds have a wide range of guest beds, including an extensive selection of trundles, folding, and bunk beds. And if it’s a sofa bed you’re looking for, take a look at our handy sofa bed guide to help you choose the one that’s right for you.

SOURCES

a)16 of 134 people aged 16-24 answered ‘once a week’ when asked ‘On average, how often do you have guests stay over at your home, if at all?’ compared to 7 of 381 aged 55+ who gave the same response.

b)188 of 381 people aged 55+ answered ‘never’ when asked ‘on average, how often do you have guests stay over at your home, if at all?’

c)Of the 1003 respondents surveyed, when asked ‘On average, how often do you have guests stay over at your home, if at all?’ the mean number of times per month was 1.92

d)302 of the 637 people surveyed answered ‘family members’ and 145 of 637 people surveyed answered ‘friends’ when asked ‘Which type of guest, if any, stays over at your home the most frequently?’

e)291 of 605 people surveyed answered ‘regular bed’ when asked ‘‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

f)Of the 180 respondents aged 55 and over, 133 answered ‘regular bed’, when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

g)Of the 180 respondents aged 55 and over, 14 answered ‘sofa bed’ and 5 answered ‘foldaway bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

h)Of the 233 people surveyed aged between 16 and 34, 40 answered ‘sofa beds’, 25 answered ‘air bed’ and 22 answered ‘foldaway bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?

i)23 of 98 people surveyed from Greater London answered, ‘sofa bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

j)4 of 69 people surveyed from Northwest England answered, ‘sofa bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

k)0 of 69 people surveyed from Northwest England answered, ‘foldaway bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

l)10 of 98 respondents living in Greater London answered, ‘foldaway bed’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’

m)46 of 423 people surveyed who said they were parents responded ‘children’s friends’ when asked ‘Which type of guest, if any, stays over at your home the most frequently?

n)18 of 410 people who are parents that were surveyed answered ‘trundle’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed, if any, do they typically sleep on?’ 25 of 410 people who are parents that were surveyed answered ‘bunk’ when asked ‘When you have these guests stay over, which type of bed if any, do they typically sleep on?’

REFERENCES

[1]  About the size of a London flat | National Statistical (ons.gov.uk)

authors profile
Lauren Jaques
Senior Buyer
Lauren has worked at Bensons for Beds for 1 12 years. Lauren is a real industry expert in the area of home furnishing and has buying skills in abundance combined with a keen eye for product detail and flair for design.
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