Yes, you've got some good points OliveOyl about taking care of your own responsibilities etc., and yes, I agree that we are completely responsible for bringing whatever we'll need on a trip. I guess one of my beefs is that it has been a 'custom' in the hotel industry for so long now that I guess we expect it. As far as quality goes I just think it would be nice if we're paying $$$ for a room which includes clean surroundings, a telephone, maybe a data-port, and a comfortable bed that nice bath products just add to the ambience and experience that we bring away with us from our stay there in my humble opinion.

Many nicer hotels carry Aveda products -- these are my favorites. I use Aveda in my everyday life, so it's nice to see it in a hotel; most hotel shampoos are too harsh. I wish more hotels would offer body wash instead of bar soap -- it's so bad for your skin!

"Travelisfun" - you're right those L'Occitane products are wonderful! The company is on the internet at http://www.loccitane.com (you can buy products on the website) and they have several stores in the US check the website, there are some in Chicago, NYC, etc.

I never used Aveda until a few years ago when the hotel in Montreal provided the soaps and body wash. I don't use the moisturizers or shampoos but the Rosemary soap and body wash are great! I would never have known if I hadn't stayed at a hotel that provided them.<BR>I seem to remember, a long time ago, hotels supplied little bitty bars of Dove or Ivory soaps or something generic. It was soap and did what soap was supposed to do. But hotels used to cost under $100 a night also.<BR> Now if you are staying in a $150-$300 a night hotel room, that is very luxurious, doesn't it make sense that the soaps/lotions/potions be as luxurious? <BR>Some people don't see any sense in dataports either, not everybody travels with a computer..everyone needs soap though. <BR>It is just the way things are now-I think it would be great if I didn't have to pack blower, toothpaste, lotions,etc that just weigh down my bag. I would love it if I could buy clothes wherever I travel and not have to pack at all! :)

I guess everyone looks for different things in a hotel. I always bring my own toiletries, but if the products provided look interesting, I'll try them. <BR><BR>My husband (who normally uses whatever shampoo I put in the shower) has carried his own shampoo ever since staying at a place with peach bath and body works shampoo - said he felt way TOO fragrant all day.

Yes, I remember those days too - the teeny tiny bar of Ivory or Camay, but you're absolutely right - in those days we weren't paying $$$ per night.

L'occitane at the Ritz and Roger&amp;Gallet<BR>(my fave!) at Sofitel. Funny story----my hubby always made fun of me----&quot;she's got to stay at the Ritz or she's not happy&quot;. A bit of an exaggeration---but yea, I want a nice place. He could give a rip-----except for the time we had no reservations and had to stay at some little $29 a nite truck-stop motel, and he comes out of the bathroom saying, &quot;geez, you don't even get any shampoo here!!!&quot;. Duh. What a wuss!! :)

Howard, I've found that if a hotel will pay that much attention to the bathroom amenities, they are sticklers for detail in other areas. So yes, I will base my stay on the bathroom amenities. Spa properties have wonderful amenities. When I stayed at the Venitian, all of their stuff was Canyon Ranch.

I always take my own with me as well but if something looks interesting in a hotel I'll give it a try. The ONLY hotel products I have then sought out when I got home were the Hermes products provided at Eden Rock Hotel on St. Barths. Not too floral and not too masculine but just right. I hit the local Sephora when I got home and stocked up. They are great.

Monte Carlo in Las Vegas provides nice Gilchrist &amp; Soames bath products, and they also sell larger sizes in their gift shop.

Arlene,<BR>As Scarlett has already said, most cities have Aveda shops, but another option is to just find an Aveda salon/day spa or any other salon that uses Aveda products ( they will be listed in the Yellow Pages) and purchase your products from them.<BR>

The last time I was in Atlanta our hotel had generic stuff but while in the Origins store I mentioned that how tired I was and how I just wanted to go back to the hotel and take a bath. The salesclerk gave me tons of samples of their ginger fragrance. I had bubble bath and shower gel and shampoo and lotion. It was great.

now this may sound unusual, but...<BR><BR>aladdin hotel in vegas has eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner and bath gel. we keep them in our guest bath and we've had people ask if they sell them outside the hotel, which they do. call the aladdin and they'll transfer you to the company that sells the stuff.

I think that's a wonderful idea for the Monte Carlo hotel to sell larger sizes of their bath products - I'm familiar with the Nicholas and Soames and they are very nice. I wonder if many hotels do the same thing - sell larger sizes for at-home use? Has anyone tried the Molton Brown products - they have them at the Iroquois Hotel in NYC.

On the same note - why don't toothpaste companies provide samples to hotels? Sometimes toothpaste seems like just one extra thing to have to deal with. I hate running out mid-vacation and it's sometimes a hassle to find travel-size tubes.<BR><BR>Toothpaste companies are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity.

Las Ventanas in San Jose del Cabo, BC Mexico. <BR><BR>I believe they make some of their own and purchase others from Europe. Wonderful smell and texture, not overwhelming at all. They also come in wonderful glass containers.

Well, I would never select a hotel or chain based upon the &quot;really nice soaps&quot;. Once you've found the &quot;really nice&quot; stuff, is it far more economical to buy and bring your own in travel sized containers than pay the different in room rates. It's sort of like picking a hotel that has terry bathrobes you'll never bother using.<BR><BR>And, I used to restict myself to hotels with mini-bars and in-room coffee pots. (We hate powdered &quot;cream&quot;.) Now, if we're driving, we bring our own coffee pot and mini-fridge. Especially, since many of the &quot;better&quot; chains are converting to infra-red mini-bars.

Maison Arabe in Marracech, Morocco was small, but luxurious. Marble throughout with a cove brick ceiling. Nice lighting. High end toletries. Maid service 2x daily. Beautiful presentation. Casa de Carmona in Carmona (near Seville) was also luxurious and very spacious. We had a suite which included a sleeping loft w/sleigh bed. The bathroom was the size of a small bedroom with double pedestal sinks, plush linens, high quality toiletries, a built in glass-doored closet, separate shower with large &quot;Rain&quot;-type shower head, and an extra long, deep claw-foot tub that 2 could easily soak in.Le Sirenuse in Positano had the best toiletries, but the bathroom itself was just slightly above average. Oh. I just realized I was in the U.S. forum and not Europe! OK, then Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara was very plush, The Grand Californian at Disney's California Adventure had a very nice double sink area(the bath tub/toilet area was standard), Bellagio in Vegas was nice(marble, separate shower/bath, and deep soaking tub), but did not have any counter space, but a very large room if you can believe that. I rememebr our bathroom at the Westin in Washington D.C. was good. Same with the Hyatt at the Aventine in La Jolla, CA. Both had some extra niceties like premium plush towels, wicker basket hampers, and obiously professional &quot;Designer&quot; interiors. Overall, I think the middle to high end hotel rooms in the U.S. are pretty standard. Even when they are nice they seem pretty standard, or close to it. More corporate feeling. I find the high end bathrooms in Europe tend to be a bit variable and more interesting, and usually more plush with more toiletries (usually includes slippers, robe, sewing kit, shoe shine cloth or sponge, cotton balls &amp; swabs, among the standard items). More like staying in someone's grand, private home. Some boutique hotels in the U.S. are doing this now, and a few chains like W.

Just to comment on the effect very nice toiletries in a hotel room can have -- we stayed in one of my favorite hotels of all time, the Grand Hotel Villa Balbi on the Mediterranean coast of Italy with a gorgeous view of the blue Med out our window, filled with tiny sailboats bobbing in the water. The hotel provided a basket filled with ginger-scented lotions, bubble bath, etc. Not sample sizes either but full sizes. I found room in my suitcase to bring them home and savored them for so long afterward, always bringing me back to that lovely room with a view.

It sounds like there's lots of bathers out there that enjoy their tub time at the hotel with some good quality products. One good point that someone mentioned was that a shower-gel might be appropriate for those who aren't 'soakers'. I love the big 'soaking' tubs that some hotels have - and the jacuzzis of course - you feel so pampered and relaxed after a busy day of sight-seeing - particularly with some good quality soaps and lotions. I think hotels should pay more attention to these details since so many of us obviously enjoy them!