That will be the backup if I can't find another option that works. I actually already have an air mattress and it's what I used for guests before I had the second bed. I'm hoping to find a way to keep the mattress from the bed though since it's so much more comfortable than an air mattress.

I think air mattresses have stepped up their game.

Here are a few... and you can read customer reviews for these, and others, on Amazon, etc.

https://reviews.chicagotribune.com/bed-and-bath/mattresses/best-air-mattresses?

#1 Donate to a family in need.
#2 change your bed to a trundle style
#3 stack you mattresses if you can reach and not too high
#4 get a pull out twin chair
#5 upholster as a headboard with some creative designing like adding side wings that are removable

Does it fit underneath the bed in your bedroom? We have a twin mattress underneath another twin bed for overflow guests. It slides out when needed, and disappears when not.

Buy a double bed frame and make it resemble a sofa, not a bed.

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/latitude-run-dual-use-full-size-upholstered-platform-daybed-multi-functional-seating-and-sleeping-for-home-living-and-guest-spaces-warm-beige-w120244434.html

How the heck can anyone sit on a sofa that deep? Maybe if they're 7 feet tall?

You have a ONE bedroom and the one bedroom you have is for you, yes?. This is why God made hotels, : )

JMO, but I will never understand the urge ,( unless a visiting kid or grand kid) to plop any other guest into the middle of a living space unless absolutely no other option. It might be because I would not and do not stay in a circumstance like that, unless a storm of such incredible magnitude would prevent me leaving.

It's a privacy,, bath, ALL issue. As I said jmo..

A full size bed is not comfort for a couple, and a "single" can sleep on a sofa if the stay is incredibly important. ............and hopefully just as short as is possible: )

We slept on a good air mattress for 3 weeks when we sold our house and were leaving for Europe before going to the new house not a big deal. I think storing the mattress under your bed is the best if you insist on keeping it

Don't bother with a Murphy bed. I also don't think a deep mattress will fit in it.

If housing a guest is that important, then the best solution is to get rid of the mattress and have a good sofa bed.

Braxton Culler makes a nice sofa bed. My parents got one a few months ago ... it replaced a murphy bed I had told them not to buy! They ordered the sofa online, but I was able to find a local furniture store in my area to test it out and see if it was comfortable.

Thank you all for the suggestions! I think finding a way to fit the mattress under my bed is probably my best option. @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC did you get a special bed frame to allow the extra mattress to fit under your bed?

Just bought an air mattress about 2 months ago. It was quite comfortable for our guest to sleep on and is easily stored when not in use.

I had a lot of family staying over July 4th and ran out of beds. I bough these airbeds from King Koil and they are much nicer than my much older ones. If you get the 20" height your guests don't have to sleep down on floor level.

I bought from Amazon as they had a quicker delivery time than the manufacturer.

@lisateee, no I didn't even consider having an extra mattress under the bed until I was faced with one after my son came home from college with it. It just happened to fit.

However, I also have 2 King Koil air mattresses as chispa describes above. I think they are a better alternative than a permanent mattress under the bed.

Keep in mind that if you choose the mattress under the bed option, you need to figure out where you are going to place it for your guest. Mine is in a bunk room reserved for kids, where it just gets pulled out and the kids all sleep together in the same room. I wouldn't want it in my primary bedroom and have to have my guests sleep in my room.

You can look into a Murphy bed cabinet. This one for example is available on Amazon for $430.

Air mattresses are more comfortable than most sofa beds and a lot cheaper. A futon couch tends to be more comfortable than a fold-out couch. The thing about air mattresses is that they tend to spring leaks over time. We were staying at our son's on an old air mattress and it sprung a slow leak. But we went out and bought a new one, which was cheaper than a hotel room.

Since you said you have a lot of space, one option is to prop the mattress against the wall, and hang a curtain in front of it.

Advantage: readily accessible, no risk of leaks

Disadvantage: loss of wall space

I have always stored things like out of season clothes in tubs under the bed - I would hate to lose that space to a mattress, if I had any other choice.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It’s too bad there isn’t a better way to store the mattress. The guests I’m planning for are my 65 year old parents so not ideal for them to be sleeping on an air mattress for a week (and I don’t want to give up my bed and sleep on an air mattress either). We don’t mind having the mattress in the living room or bedroom when it’s in use, it’s worth that to not gave to pay for a hotel!

Get a convertible sofa, then. I had a good one, with a queen-sized sealy posturepedic mattress. I had it in an apt LR. Guests were very comfortable.

My 88 & 89 year old parents used the King Koil air mattresses for 2 nights when we had the house full of family. They gave up "their" guest bedroom to my niece, her DH and 2 kids+baby. They said the beds were pretty good to sleep in for a few days. I bought two twins and placed them next to each other to make a king. We have a large media room with plenty of room once we moved the coffee table to the side.

Murphy bed setups are not a Shangri-La, btw. I had one in my very first place. Pulling them down and lifting them up is not fun. Motorized would be the only way to go, especially for regular use. But if the space is tight, they just do not make any sense. My apt in Los Angeles was fairly spacious; so fortunately, at least I didn't have to move furniture around to pull the bed down.

If you have to/want to keep the mattress - just store it under your bed, with a mattress protector on it- such as these mattress bags:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mattress+bags&channelId=500&clpRedir=Y&plpRedirect=mhFallback

If you need to/want to conceal the mattress more, a bed skirt would easily do that.

To me, storing the mattress under the bed is a simple thing. But who is going to drag the full-sized mattress around? You have to take that into consideration. If you have someone who can do that, then you are set.

Ok... I have an idea. And, I should have thought of it earlier this evening, because this pic caught my eye and I saved it. I love the peacock screen.

I created a couple of visuals to show the concept.

You could put the mattress behind the sofa, and cover it with a folding screen or two.

Or... put the mattress anywhere - and cover it with screens.

Screens can be tres chic. Coco Chanel loved screens, and used them extensively.

"It’s too bad there isn’t a better way to store the mattress. The guests I’m planning for are my 65 year old parents so not ideal for them to be sleeping on an air mattress for a week (and I don’t want to give up my bed and sleep on an air mattress either)."

Just give your bed to the parents, and you get to be low down on the floor., or on an air mattress you can deflate leaving room for all of you to move around.............because you are not 65...and it's a lot more IDEAL situation for you to be uncomfortable, than the parents: ) sorry for........truth. Or you shack up with friends and give them the apartment for a week

One thing to keep in mind if you use an air mattress: you need to insulate the sleeper from the cold air below. Unlike a regular mattress, where your body heat warms the surface below, the air in the mattress never warms up. I have a couple of old wool blankets that I put under the sheet when I use an air mattress, otherwise I'll freeze (voice of experience!)

I am in my 60’s I could probably get down on the floor to sleep. But I am not sure I could get back up.

Thank you @freedomplace1 I like the screens idea!