Best mattress for a guest room 2024 − 6 tested options for every sleep style

The best mattress for a guest room should suit every sleep style. You never know who you'll have to stay: whether they sleep on their stomach, back or side; whether they run hot or cold; whether they prefer a firm foundation or a softer surface. In short, you're shopping for the most versatile mattress you can find.

There's no need to spend thousands of dollars on a mattress that only gets used for a few nights a couple of times a year. The best mattress for a guest room should balance comfort and convenience with low cost. I've combed through our back catalog of reviews to bring you six affordable options and not one of them costs more than $1,000 for a Queen. When you shop the Cyber Monday mattress sales, you could save up to another $100 on the best mattress for a guest room.

As H&G's resident sleep writer, I lead a team of expert testers in the search to find the world's best mattress. Out of the 30 mattresses we've reviewed, these six offer the best balance of versatility and affordability. In this buying guide, you'll find plush memory foam models, supportive hybrids, and breathable latex beds, each of which is tested for pressure relief, thermoregulation, motion isolation, and edge support. The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress ticks all of those boxes, which is why it sits in pole position, but you might find that another mattress is a better fit for your guest bedroom.

Best mattress for a guest room 2024 − 6 tested options at a glance

Below, you'll find a bite-size summary of each mattress. I've outlined what it costs, who it suits, and the most important pros and cons. If you want to learn more about a particular mattress, keep scrolling or hit 'read more below' to skip to that section. There, you'll find all the need-to-know specs, including mattress depth and firmness, along with in-depth information from our expert testers. Don't worry if you come across some terms you don't understand: just cross-reference against my mattress jargon buster.

The best mattress for a guest room overall

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The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is suitable for all sleep positions. There's just enough give to cushion the hips, necks, knees, and shoulders of side sleepers and more than sufficient support for the spine. The memory foam fill offers excellent pressure relief to ease the aches and pains of your guests, who might have traveled some distance to stay with you.

Our expert tester, Casey Clark, suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that extends all over her body. 'The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress didn't cure my condition, but it certainly relieved the symptoms,' she says. 'I need a mattress that's firm enough to support my body but soft enough to be comfortable. I think the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress hits the sweet spot. When I lay on my back, I felt like my body was in perfect alignment.'

Even the best mattress isn't perfect, and the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress has a few minor faults. The edge support leaves something to be desired: Casey found it hard to sit on the side of the bed without bracing her feet against the floor to keep herself from slipping. 'While this mattress was cooler than others I've had in the past, I did still wake up sweaty most nights,' says Casey. You could always pick up one of the best cooling mattress toppers or pads to help your guests sleep more comfortably. If you're really worried about the heat, I suggest you shop for a cooling mattress, such as the Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress.

The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is technically listed at $1,099 for a Queen, but according to my price tracker, it's almost always on sale for $649. You can save that extra cash or put it towards the rest of the guest room: the best bed sheets to dress the bed, for example.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Casey Clark

Casey is a freelance reviewer, whose work features in ELLE, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. As someone who lives with chronic pain and a heat intolerance, Casey needs a mattress with excellent pressure relief and cooling properties. Read the full review: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

The best affordable mattress for a guest room

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This is the best affordable mattress for your guest room. The Siena Memory Foam Mattress retails for $799 for a Queen, but it's almost always on sale for just $399. That's about as low as I would spend on a memory foam mattress and still expect to get a decent bed at the end of it.

Our expert tester, Tonya Pendleton, started testing the Siena Memory Foam Mattress off the back of an older bed, which was soft and sagging. She wanted something more supportive so that she could lie on her back without feeling as though she were sinking into the mattress. 'On a firmness scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the Siena Memory Foam Mattress a 6.5 or a 7,' says Tonya. 'That should feel firm enough for back and stomach sleepers but not too firm for side sleepers, and just right for a guest bed'.

This isn't just any memory foam mattress: it's a gel memory foam mattress, pumped full of a cooling infusion to dissipate heat and wick moisture. 'I tested this mattress through the spring into the start of summer and found it kept my temperature regulated,' says Tonya. 'Still, if you suffer from night sweats or hot flashes, I suggest you pair your bed with a set of the best cooling sheets.'

Tonya likes almost everything about this bed, but the edge support leaves a lot to be desired. That's par for the course with memory foam, says Tonya: 'the squishiness of the center extends around the sides'. Still, for this price, I think I could forgive a lack of edge support and just be careful getting out of bed.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Tonya Pendleton

Tonya is a freelance writer and reviewer, whose work features in The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Source, and more. As a back sleeper, Tonya needs a mattress to support her spine and stop her neck and shoulders from sinking. Read the full review: Siena Memory Foam Mattress

The best hybrid mattress for a guest room

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A hybrid mattress combines all the best bits of memory foam and innerspring technology. You get plush comfort, firm support, and enhanced airflow to suit all your sleep needs.

Unlike a lot of the mattresses on this list, the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress has excellent edge support. That's thanks to a heavy-duty gauge edge shield, which is just a row of thicker spring coils around the sides of the mattress. That's good news for stomach sleepers, like me, who tend to lie on the side of the bed.

The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid retails for $1,332 for a Queen, but again, I never see it actually selling at that price. Most of the time, you can get it for just $665 and still get a 365-night sleep trial, as well as a lifetime warranty to protect your purchase.

Our expert tester, Camryn Rabideau, could only find one major flaw with the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress and that's the motion isolation. 'I share a bed with my partner, as well as our 60-pound dog, and I could feel it whenever they rolled and wriggled in the night,' Camryn complains. 'I put that down to the spring coils in a hybrid mattress, which can create a lot of bounce.' The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress boasts much better motion isolation.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn is a freelance writer and reviewer whose work features in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and more. Camryn needs a mattress with excellent motion isolation so she can sleep comfortably with her partner. Read the full review: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress

The best memory foam mattress for a guest room

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The biggest problem with memory foam is that it tends to trap heat: all that dense foam leaves little to no room for air to flow. The Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress solves this problem with a gel infusion. Cooling Cooper and green tea work to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and block odors, so that you and your mattress can stay fresh.

Camryn started testing the Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress right off the back of the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress. It's fair to say that they got off to a rocky start. Camryn says, 'It took a full 10 days for the foam to soften and begin to contour to my curves. There's medium-firm support, which is what Zinus claims to offer, and then there's straight-up inflexibility.'

By the end of the testing period, though, Camryn had learned to love the Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress and she could really see a difference in motion isolation. 'Memory foam is made to absorb movement,' Camryn explains, 'so I couldn't feel it when my partner and our puppy tossed and turned on the other side of the bed'.

One practical point: the Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress incorporates fiberglass as a fire retardant. This shouldn't pose too much of a problem unless you remove the mattress cover: that's when the shards could irritate your eyes, skin, and lungs.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn is a freelance writer and product reviewer whose work features in Martha Stewart, Consumer Reports, Insider, and more. Since she shares a bed with her pet and her partner, Camryn needs a mattress with excellent motion isolation. Read the full review: Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress

The best box mattress for a guest room

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Expert tester Jamie Davis Smith says the Nolah Original Mattress is the best box mattress on the market, offering comfort and convenience at a low cost. Although it's one of the more expensive mattresses in this buying guide, it's almost always listed for less, and you can get a Queen for $942.

'The Nolah Original Mattress feels plush up top, with more solid foam down below,' says Jamie. 'I felt I could sink through the first few inches of foam, really relaxing into the mattress, and still feel supported. Good news for side sleepers: the Nolah Original Mattress feels extra flexible around the shoulders, so you shouldn't wake up with a stiff neck.'

Jamie tends to sleep hot, especially over summer. 'That's why I'm so glad Nolah fills their mattress with AirFoam. It's a special type of memory foam, strategically perforated to boost breathability, then wrapped in a cooling cover. I tested the Nolah Original mattress through the summer and still managed to sleep cool.'

The only problem with beds-in-a-box is how long they take to inflate and the odor they emit while they're at it. You get that unpleasant mattress off-gassing smell with the Nolah Original Mattress, though it should dissipate with a day or two.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Jamie Davis Smith

Jamie is a freelance writer and reviewer. One of our more prolific product testers, she's reviewed three mattresses and two toppers, including the Nolah Mattress Topper. As a hot sleeper, Jamie needs to find breathable foam to keep her cool and contour to her curves. Read the full review: Nolah Original Mattress

Nolah Original Mattress | Was $1,449, now $942 at Nolah

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The best organic mattress for a guest room

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Your average organic mattress costs several thousands of dollars. For a lot of us, that's simply unaffordable, however much we might want to shop sustainably. The Earthfoam Organic Mattress caters for buyers on a budget who want to go organic: it's only $999 for a Queen.

Founded upon Dunlop latex for durability, filled with Talalay latex for breathability, and topped with organic wool and cotton for a bit of plush comfort, the Earthfoam Organic Mattress supports all sleep styles. I'd especially recommend it for hot sleepers and anyone who appreciates a softer surface.

The Earthfoam Organic Mattress comes in two comfort levels: Medium and Firm. Our expert tester, Alex Frost, went for the former but wishes she'd gone with the latter for enhanced support. 'This mattress is a true medium,' she says. 'If you're looking for sturdy spinal support, I recommend you switch to the Firmer feel.'

Like any latex mattress, the Earthfoam Organic Mattress feels springy and responsive. That makes it easier to get into and out of bed, and it helps with body contouring, but it doesn't bode well for motion isolation. Alex found that she could feel it whenever her husband rolled over beside her in bed. Still, for a $999 price tag, she's inclined to forgive this fault.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Alex Frost

Alex is a freelance writer and reviewer. She's our most prolific mattress tester, with eight reviews under her belt. As a stomach sleeper, Alex needs a mattress with plenty of support to stop her back from arching. Read the full review: Earthfoam Organic Mattress

Earthfoam Organic Mattress | $999.00 at Earthfoam

I can't emphasize enough what a great price this is for an organic mattress.

Best mattress for a guest room 2024 – Side by side

Best mattress for a guest room 2024 − Honorable mentions

Over the years, our expert team has tested more than 30 mattresses. My top six represents our most versatile and affordable mattresses to suit the widest range of sleepers. Still, I wanted to shout out two more mattresses that performed well in our tests that might meet your needs.

• SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress: 'This memory foam mattress is flippable, with a plush side as well as a firmer side,' explains expert tester Alex Frost. 'When you rotate the mattress, you switch between a softer and firmer feel on either side of the bed. It's the perfect solution for people like me and my husband, who share a bed, but not a sleep style. When my hip pain flares up, I sleep on the softer quadrant to relieve some pressure. When my back starts to ache, I move to the firmer quadrant for more structured sleep. When you have guests to stay, you can lift and flip their mattress until you reach their ideal firmness and feel.' The SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress was in the running for this buying guide, but it was pipped to the post for cooling comfort by the Zinus.
• Helix Midnight Hybrid Mattress: expert tester Jamie Davis Smith shares a bed with her husband. 'In the past, we've struggled to find a mattress that meets both of our needs, but the Helix Midnight Hybrid Mattress feels just right for the two of us. On a firmness scale from 1 to 10, I'd give this mattress a 6.5 or 7. It's soft enough to relieve the pressure from my hips but soft enough to stop my back from arching when I sleep on my stomach. My partner says the body contouring of the memory foam has helped to ease his back pain.' The Helix Midnight Hybrid Mattress was a contender for this buying guide, but it's let down by a lack of edge support.

How we test mattresses

Our mattress testing team comprises dozens of expert testers across America. Together, we represent a wide range of ages, sleep styles, and body types. Read through our back catalog of reviews you should be able to find someone who sleeps like you. We test each mattress for a minimum of 30 nights in our own homes to give you the most accurate indication of long-term performance.

We assess each mattress against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. To assess pressure relief, we lie on the mattress and flip between our back, our side, and our stomach, noting how comfortable the mattress feels in each position. To assess thermoregulation, we sleep through heatwaves and cold snaps, making note of any times we wake up in a sweat. Where possible, we assign hot sleepers to test cooling mattresses.

To assess motion isolation, we fill a glass with water and set it in the center of the mattress. Then, we take a weight, place it on the mattress cover, and move it incrementally closer to the glass. The more the glass moves, and the more water spills, the worse the motion isolation, and the less suitable the mattress for couples and light sleepers. To assess edge support, we sit on the side of the mattress and measure how far we fall. The further we fall, the worse the edge support, and the harder it is to get into and out of bed.

We like to compare our findings against verified customer reviews to pick out recurring pros and cons. We also consider all the practical parts of buying a mattress, from the length of the sleep trial to the extent of the mattress warranty. Finally, we bring it all back to the price to help you determine value for money. To learn more about how we test mattresses, consult our expert guide.

How to choose the best mattress for a guest room

Sleep styles

It's common consensus among mattress testers and medical professionals that the best mattress firmness for most people is medium-firm. That's soft enough to cushion your hips, knees, and shoulders, but firm enough to keep your spine straight. A medium-firm mattress would make a safe middle ground for your guest room.

Mattress types

There are four major mattress types. Which you buy for your guest bedroom depends on your values and your budget.

An innerspring mattress features a metal coil base layer, topped with a wool and/or cotton comfort layer. This is the firmest mattress type, so it's great for back and stomach sleepers to maintain spinal alignment. All the gaps between the coils boost breathability, so an innerspring is also a good option for hot sleepers. If you sleep on your side, you'll likely need something softer for pressure relief.

A memory foam mattress features a high-density foam base layer for support, topped with a lower-density foam comfort layer for pressure relief. Memory foam is made to absorb movement, so it's a good option for anyone who shares a bed with a pet or partner. Earlier iterations of memory foam weren't so good for hot sleepers, as the dense foam used to trap heat. Modern memory foam mattresses tend to feature gel memory foam to dissipate heat and block odors.

A hybrid mattress combines the body contouring and pressure relief of memory foam with the support and airflow of an innerspring. Bringing the best of both worlds, a hybrid mattress should support all sleep styles. The problem is that this marriage of materials makes a heavy mattress, which proves difficult to lift, flip, or rotate. A hybrid mattress also tends to be more expensive.

A latex mattress might feature Dunlop latex, which feels solid and supportive, and/or Talalay latex, which feels springy and responsive. Latex features an open-cell structure to boost breathability, so it's great for hot sleepers, as well as eco-conscious shoppers. The time and energy that goes into harvesting natural latex means that a latex mattress is often more expensive, but it should be ultra-durable: it could last you as long as 20 years, if you take good care of it.

Cost per use

The mattress in your guest room might only be used a few times a year. In order to get the most value for your money, it makes more sense to opt for the best affordable mattress and miss out on some specialist features than it does to buy the best luxury mattress that lies empty most of the year.

FAQs

Is Cyber Monday a good time to buy a mattress?

Yes. Mattress prices tend to stay pretty static over the holiday weekend from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. I've spent hours every day checking mattress prices, and I'm yet to see any discounts get deeper. With that said, the prices haven't gone up yet, either. In my opinion as a shopping writer and a sales hunter, Cyber Monday is still a good time to buy a mattress, and you won't find prices this low until Presidents' Day.

Is memory foam good for a guest bed?

Yes: memory foam is made to mold to the shape of each body it supports, reacting to your unique size and temperature. It's great for pressure relief and promotes proper spinal alignment. Still, if your guests are used to sleeping on firmer beds, it might take them a few nights to get used to the softer surface of memory foam.

Should a guest room have a full or queen bed?

It depends on the size of your space. If your guest room is on the smaller side (10' x 12' or below), then I suggest you invest in a Full bed. If you're working with a larger room, a Queen might make more of the space. Double-check the dimensions against our mattress size chart. Of course, if your guest room doubles as a home office or living space, then you could always consider the best sleeper sofa for versatility.

Once you've bought the best mattress for a guest room, it's important to take good care of it. I recommend you pick up the best mattress protector to guard against sweat, spills, and stains and elongate the life of your mattress.

If you're buying on a budget, and you're looking to save even more money on a mattress, then I suggest you shop the mattress sales. There, you'll find deep discounts on big brands, including Saatva, Nectar, and Tempur.