- A made bed should look clean and untouched.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
A made bed includes three basic components: a sheet to cover the entire mattress; a covered pillow near the headboard; and a second sheet spread flat across the bed with the upper fourth of the sheet pulled down away from the headboard. All linen should be clean and wrinkle-free. And both sheets should be pulled tight across the bed so that if you smooth your hand across the bed lightly it will not wrinkle. - Additional pillows, sheets and shams accent and highlight the room design.Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
Beyond the three requirements, different hosts arrange their made beds their own ways -- and you can, too. For example, if you are making the bed with blankets, you can tuck the upper end of the blanket in the folded part of the flat sheet or fold the blanket and leave it across the foot of the bed. Other popular variations include adding a bed skirt, covering the sleeping pillow with the flat sheet or folding a towel into a unique shape and placing it at the foot of the bed with other toiletries. - Often a turned down bed has a mint or chocolate on the pillow.Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
While a made bed should look untouched, a turned down bed should look touchable. The purpose of turning down a bed is to make it inviting and easier to get under the covers. You can turn down the bed by folding the corner of the flat sheet down toward the center of the bed and laying the pillow flat. The folded sheet should form a neat triangle and expose the sheet that covers the mattress. The right side of the bed is usually turned down if the bed is a single. If the bed is built for two, turn down both sides so the tips of the flat sheet meet in the middle and form a large triangle pointing toward the headboard. Remove any unnecessary decorations such as pillows and rose petals so your guest can sleep comfortably without worrying about choking on a petal or drooling on your shams. Bear in mind that this is just the first part of a full turn-down service, which would include drawing the shades, dimming the lights and tidying up. - For all practical intents and purposes the only difference between a made bed and a turned down bed is a dog-eared sheet. But, hotels adopted the practice of making beds in the morning and turning them down at night because the pampering has a luxurious appeal and several practical benefits. In the morning, maids making beds can replace used linen and make the whole room look nicer by adding decorative pillows and sheets to the beds. And at night, they can remove unnecessary decor making it easier for the guest to get to bed. If you are determining the best way to make up the beds in your guest room, remember that the two styles are not completely interchangeable. Generally, it is inappropriate to turn down a bed in the morning or afternoon. Hotels that offer turn-down services usually fix beds between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Four- and five-star hotels offer turn down service.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
Like a cherry on an ice cream sundae, a turned down corner can be a pleasant luxury that makes your guest feel like they are receiving four-star service. On the other hand, the turn down can be unwelcome and unnecessary addition which makes them feel babied or forced to go to bed at a certain time. Some may consider it an intrusion or an outright invasion of privacy. When deciding whether to turn down or make a guest's bed, consider the personality of your guest, practicality and maintenance. If your guest prefers his privacy, make the bed once before he arrives and then leave him to his own devices. If your guest is coming late at night, don't inconvenience her with a bed full of petals and blankets.
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