You know that feeling when you check into a great hotel after a long trip?
The bed feels unreal. The shower feels like a spa. The lighting feels calm. Everything looks clean, intentional, and effortless.
Then you come home… and your space feels a little meh.
That exact problem came up in a recent Hire It Done episode with Veronica Simmons of Simmons+Co Design, a Principal Interior Designer and Licensed Builder based in Commerce Township. She said it straight: a lot of homeowners travel for work, stay in beautiful hotels, then come home and think, “My house is like… ugh.” So they ask for a remodel that brings that “hospitality” feeling into everyday life.
And honestly? That’s not being fancy. That’s being practical.
Because your home shouldn’t just be where you sleep, it should help you recover.
Your Home Should Feel Like a Reset Button (Not a Second Job)
If you’re like most homeowners in Southeast Michigan, your day already runs hot. Work stress. Commute stress. Kids. Schedules. Winter weather. A never-ending list of “we should really fix that.”
So when you finally walk through your front door, you don’t want your home to add more noise.
Adam nailed it on the episode: after a long day, you want to come home, be in a “Zen,” and be able to say, “Ah, home.”
That’s the goal of “vacation feeling” design. It’s not about showing off. It’s about designing your space so your nervous system can finally unclench.
Why You Only Feel That Way on Vacation (And How to Change That)
Veronica said something that should stick with you:
“All the things that make you feel good when you’re on vacation… why is it just vacation or when you are traveling? You want to feel that way when you’re at home.” (Hire It Done, around 00:31:14)
The reason vacation feels better isn’t magic. It’s environment.
Hotels intentionally control the stuff you feel every day:
- lighting that flatters and calms
- uncluttered surfaces
- comfortable materials
- a bathroom that feels like a spa
- a bedroom that feels like sleep is the only job
You can recreate that at home without turning your house into a showroom. You just need to focus on the right areas and stop treating design like “decorating.”
Start With the Two Spaces That Control Your Mood the Most
If you want the biggest impact, don’t start with the areas you show guests. Start with the areas you experience daily.
1) Your Primary Bathroom: Turn Your Shower Into a De-Stress Ritual
This is where the “hotel feeling” becomes real.
Veronica said she gets this request a lot: clients travel, love the shower experience on vacation, then come home and feel disappointed. So they want their bathroom to feel like “hospitality.” (Hire It Done, around 00:30:18)
And here’s the upgrade that keeps coming up: steam showers.
She said they’ve had “several spa discussions” and that a steam shower is popular because people want that end-of-day de-stress. (Hire It Done, around 00:31:30)
If you want your bathroom to feel like a hotel, focus on the experience, not the trend. That often means:
- Better lighting (so you don’t feel like you’re in a gas station bathroom at 6 a.m.)
- A shower layout that feels open and intentional
- Materials that feel calm, not busy
- Storage that keeps counters clean
- Comfort upgrades that make the space feel like a reward
You don’t need a million-dollar spa. You need fewer daily friction points.
2) Your Bedroom: Make It Feel Like Sleep Comes First
This is the part most homeowners skip because it’s “only for us.”
But Veronica specifically pushed back on that mindset. She said people often prioritize kitchens over primary baths, and she has to “fight with people” to invest in the spaces they actually live in. She even shared that when she moved into her own house, the bedroom was the first thing she did because she wanted it to look nice—she’s in there every day. (Hire It Done, around 00:12:26)
If you want your home to become a reset button, the bedroom has to support that.
Not with clutter. Not with “we’ll fix it later.”
With comfort. With calm.
The “Hospitality” Mindset: Why This Isn’t Just a Trend
Adam said it out loud: he loves hotels. The fluffy beds, the feeling of it all. He even joked about getting hotel-style soap dispensers on the wall.
That’s funny, but it’s also revealing.
When you love the feeling of a hotel, you’re not loving the price tag. You’re loving the simplicity.
Hotels remove the chaos:
- no clutter piles
- no random furniture that doesn’t match
- no “we’ll deal with it later”
- no broken drawers
- no weird lighting
So if you want that same feeling at home, you don’t just buy a new vanity and call it done.
You make your home easier to live in.
The Real “Vacation Feeling” Formula: Calm, Control, and Comfort
If you want to plan your remodel around this idea, aim for these three outcomes:
Calm: Remove visual noise
You don’t need a minimalist house. You need a house that doesn’t visually stress you out.
That might mean better built-in storage, fewer competing finishes, and cleaner lines. Veronica and Adam even talked about how trends are moving toward softer shapes—curves, less harsh lines, fewer sharp edges. (Hire It Done, around 00:24:59–00:25:32)
The takeaway isn’t “make everything curved.” The takeaway is: people crave softer environments.
Control: Stop letting your house run you
When your home feels out of control, you never fully rest.
Hotel-like design gives you control through systems:
- places for things to live
- lighting zones that match different moods
- better layout flow so you don’t feel cramped
- finishes that feel cohesive instead of chaotic
Comfort: Upgrade the parts your body actually feels
Comfort isn’t just “looks nice.”
Comfort is:
- a shower that feels good at the end of the day
- bedding that actually supports sleep
- a room temperature that doesn’t swing wildly
- sound dampening, rugs, and soft materials that lower stress
Your body keeps score. Your home should help, not hurt.
Don’t Let Your Remodel Become a Stress Factory
Here’s where homeowners get stuck: you want a relaxing home, but the remodel process itself can be stressful.
Veronica called remodeling a “relationship” that takes “months and months and months,” and she urged homeowners to meet companies sooner rather than later, find the right fit, and set realistic timelines and budgets. (Hire It Done, around 00:06:01–00:07:07)
She also said something that protects you from heartbreak: stuff will happen on every job. The key is communication and expectation-setting before you walk into the site and panic. (Hire It Done, around 00:51:53–00:53:04)
So if you’re going to remodel for “vacation feeling,” make sure the process doesn’t destroy the very peace you’re trying to create.
A few practical moves that help:
- Choose a team you actually trust, because you’re going to be with them for a while
- Ask how they handle updates (Veronica mentioned weekly updates and walkthroughs)
- Plan early, because design and product lead times can stretch out (she talked about design taking around two months, product taking two months on a good day—sometimes longer)
- Don’t demo key spaces too early if product isn’t in hand (she prefers having product at the warehouse before heavy demo)
You’re not being picky. You’re protecting your life while your home is under construction.
What to Ask a Pro If You Want That “Hotel-at-Home” Feel
If you hire a designer or design-build team, you’ll get better results when you ask experience-based questions.
Try these:
- “How do you make a bathroom feel like a hotel without it looking cold?”
- “What changes give the biggest daily comfort boost?”
- “How do you design lighting so the house feels calmer at night?”
- “What’s the simplest way to reduce visual clutter in this space?”
- “If I want a spa-feeling shower, what construction details matter most?”
You’re not asking for a Pinterest board. You’re asking for a lifestyle upgrade.
Bottom Line: Your Home Should Make You Feel Better, Not Just Look Better
The best line from the episode is still the simplest:
You shouldn’t only feel good on vacation. You should feel good at home.
If you live in Southeast Michigan, winter is long. Days get dark early. Work stays busy. That’s exactly why your home matters more than ever.
You don’t need to renovate for attention.
You renovate so that when you walk through your front door, you finally feel it:
Ah. Home.
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