hotel shampoo and soap
 

My wife and I have been disagreeing about this topic and so I wanted to ask other readers what they think... when staying at a 4 star or 5 star hotel, is it acceptable to take the little bottles of shampoo and the various soaps provided in your room on a daily basis? We recently stayed at a 5 star hotel and loved the shampoo, conditioner, soap and body lotion and she wanted to take our supply each day (we stayed for 5 days), insisting that the hotel expects you to do this and that they consider it a gift with your room each day. I was skeptical and think that a hotel does not expect everyone to pocket their toiletries... any thoughts out there? Any employees or managers care to shed some light on this topic?

I usually take the opportunity to try the samples unless I know its a brand I don;t like. And if I especially like them I take any leftover samples for my travel bag. That's why they're there.

I'm with your wife on this one.


P.S If you like the stuff, make sure that you put it in your bag every day or else they won't replace it!

I'm with the wife and I agree with jamierin...if you like the stuff, stowe it away so they will leave you more.

As a guest, I've always figured that the samples are part of the room charge that they are there for the taking.
Since they usually last for more than one day, I use the opened ones and generally pocket the unused ones. The way I see it is that is a good advertisment for Aveda - or whoever - and the more time I have to try the product the more likely I am to buy it in the future.

Now, flowers in the room I would consider a gift - not toiletries

P.S

I'd leave the flowers!

This morning my mom won bingo at her "nursing home". She was given a gift bag. I looked in -- tiny bottles of shampoos and conditioner marked Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Hilton. There were two miniture bars of Cashmere Bouquet too. Obviously you're not alone in taking your daily samples, but I thought this was a clever use of "recycling".

I usually take the shampoo and conditioner, but I make soap so I leave that behind. Hotel soap is no where near as good as my own handmade soap!

Patrick

My Husband has a co-worker who collects the samples throughout the year and at her Christmas party hands them out in cute gift bags to friends/family who love the tradition.
Personally I put them en-masse in a nice bag in our guest room so if any of our visitors are short of toiletries they can help themselves.

I collect the soap and use it as hand soap at home. And, others are right, if you don't put the soap away the housekeeper usually won't give new ones.

My mom collects them for homeless and abused women shelters.

Grasshopper beat me to the punch. These items are very welcome at shelters.
And, yes, you can take these amenities with a clear conscience.Yep, ronjrich, your wife is right on this one.

The educational institution that I am affiliated with collects soaps and shampoos for the women's prison and local shelter. And every now and again they come in handy at home when someone forgets to go shopping!

Ok, ronjrich
the latest vote (including your wife) is 10-1, Not sure about Patricks' take on this. So, the question is do you give in? And, Will you allow her in the future to take toiletries without making her feel guilty?

I wait until the housecleaning staff isn't looking, and take from the cart a whole bunch of shampoo, soap, pens, notepads, TV guides, as well as rolls of toilet paper! :D

Nah, just kidding. I do take the shampoo/conditioner if it's one that I like. For example, the ginger-shampoo at Westins? Absolutely.

ronjrich, I need your reluctance to take the shampoo and soap to rub off on my husband. He travels a lot, and can't leave anything behind. We recently moved to another house which resulted in my begging him to please not bring anymore home when I had to box all those litle items. I called homeless shelters, Ronald McDonald House, etc., but they all said they also were overloaded. I have now taken another approach with him--I'm going to throw them away. We are 65 and have enough soap for another 65 years! Anyone with another solution? Owa

We always took samples home for our neigbors who are not able to travel but love all those little things. You should see an expression on the face of 6 year old when she received a small bag of samples after each of our trips. She created some kind of games and played with them for weeks. She knows where each sample comes from and asked questions about these places. The biggest joy to us was to answer her questions about Africa when she was only four year old and then we had to show her on a map where Kenya and Seychelles are located. Two years ago we got her a giant map for her room and now she has every place marked where all samples come from. So these little samples could be a great educational tool as well. At least for that special little girl in the Adirondacks who told us that one day she will go to all the places we traveled to and bring her own shampoo and soap.

Owa, be creative. Please find a place or a person who is going to appreciate these items. How about someone who runs a day care center and uses soaps for kids to wash their hands. How about giving them to a school bus driver who will give them to kids on the way out. I would check school policy first. But I know one driver who gave kids hard candies. These are just two ideas but if you read all the above posts you get more.

ron, technically you are right, "The hotel does not expect everyone to pocket their toiletries." BUT the toiletries in your room are yours to use as you wish; they are not something the hotel is going to recycle, like the towels. So I must agree with the consensus: Take them if you have any use for them at all.

I admit, I do take them daily if it is a brand/scent that I like...I ended up with several bars from a hotel in Jamaica (the soap was English) and now when I use it I am reminded of the trip...

For Owa:

In my community, items are collected
by the local bugle for our boys overseas.

I also volunteer @ a thrift shop & we
package 'em up (shampoo, conditoner, body & face lotion & cute individual soaps, etc.) in Saran-type decorated paper w/a ribbon & tag
w/a very nominal price for those less
fortunate who can then purchase a
"indulge-me package".

Wildflower, Thanks for your encouragement to not throw because I don't think my husband will change his habits.
I was very interested in you mentioning Kenya and the Seychelles. We lived in Kenya for a year, and have taken students there for their January break. We also have been to the Seychelles. In my opinion, some of the most beautiful, deserted beaches in the world. Owa

I keep some in our guest bathroom incase guests forget something. I also keep a stash of new toothbrushes, razors, etc. in there. I have been to friends homes where they had that and it has proved useful.

Since you can only use so much for that purpose though, the rest gets donated to a shelter. Sometimes the school will do a collection for that same thing.

I also use them in my guest bathroom at home. The guests love having all the different samples to try. I have a big basket filled with collected goodies from our travels. I have noticed that some of MY guests "collect" them to take home as well. :)

Ooooh, now *that's* naughty!

LOL What goes around comes around. :D

Wildflower, you have some wonderful ideas, and I've noticed that the little girls just LOVE them as well.

Actually, most times I forget to take them, but my granddaughters love them- and the Crisis Center does also, so I try to remember the good ones. On my recent cruise I never took the Euclyptus products and there were 4 or 5 of them every day. I just totally forgot and they were bummed. But I did get them Jamaican wraparounds for their birthdays -that were a big hit.

They aren't gifts or samples, YOU PAY for them. While the bathroom amenities aren't itemized on your bill, they are included in the price of your room.

I take home or throw any opened ones away to be sure that the next guest doesn't get my leftovers. It happened to me once that I got someone else 1/2 used bottle of shampoo and it grossed me out.

When I stayed at the Kingsmill Resort, they had the most abundant variety of toiletries I had ever seen - all from their spa including louffah type scrubbie thingies. I liked the stuff so much I scoffed all the small bottles every day and bought big bottles at the gift store.

I admit it -- I usually take the stuff daily if I like it. My guest bathroom has baskets full of these amenities and I just wish some of my guests would take a few home with them.

A cautionary tale: I once spent the night at the home of an acquaintance whose husband was a pilot. He traveled constantly and had lots of layovers. In my room there was a curious round basket, about 4 feet high. When I peeked under the lid, the whole thing was filled with shampoo and hand lotion samples!

There's a great chain of hotels in the UK called Malmaison where they put full-size (ie same size you would buy in a store) bottles of toiletries in the room.......and leave a notice that you should take them when you leave. They are really nice products from a specialist maker.

Wednesday, I agree with you about the scents reminding me of the trip.

We stayed in a Wyndham in Galveston for three days where my daughter got married. Everytime I use the lotion it takes me back to a wonderful occasion.

I wish I had pocketed more because my little bottle is about empty.

"Author: rkkwan
Date: 03/31/2005, 11:25 pm
Message: I wait until the housecleaning staff isn't looking, and take from the cart a whole bunch of shampoo, soap, pens, notepads, "
LOL. I travel with a friend who REALLY DOES THIS!! She is over 50 and has always done this. She thinks it's a riot! I do agree with your wife. I always put the daily restocking of shampoo, soap, etc. away so we can get more. I belong to an organization who then gives these to a Ronal McDonal House. The families who stay there while their children are being treated in local hospitals really appreciate them.

I will happily collect mine in the future and donate them. Great idea.

In the past I have used the shampoo for hand laundry in the sink. And collected the soaps to save, if I liked the brand.

But the ideas above are much better. And as far as the original question I think it is fine to collect whatever is left out for you, to do with what you like... it ain't the mini bar in the frig after all (thankfully).

Oh lordy, Suze, can you imagine the price for the soap or shampoo if it was like the mini bar!?

Pocket the toiletries each and every day if you wish. They're included in the room rate, for heavens sake. And, if you find them particularly appealing, the maid with the cart in the hall will likely hand you a huge supply to add to your "collection" upon request.

At most hotels, if you open anything, a replacement is automatically provided. (Though, the opened container may be removed.)

I happen to be hugely allergic to most hotel-supplied toiletries, but sometimes I do find the containers appealing for future travels. So, I just dump the contents into the sink, stash the containers in a bag, and get new ones that day after housekeeping has done the room.

Those toiletries are included in your room rate, whether you like them or use them or not.

Those tiny containers, if you enjoy the products, are fabulous for future travels, or for enjoying back home. And, since they truly are included, daily, in the tariff for your visit, there is no reason, no reason, whatsoever, not to toss them in your bags, with daily replacements for doing likewise.

Alright... well I appreciate all of the feedback received on this topic, and it is quite clear who in my household won this argument. I admit defeat and will most definitely be grabbing the soaps and shampoos on our future trips!

Not only do I take the samples (and reuse them like mms does once I return home), but one time I liked the samples so much that I called the front desk to ask where I could buy some more. The clerk told me he would check and call me back with an answer. In a few minutes, someone appeard at my door with an enormous bag of more samples! I tried to pay him but he refused (only took a tip). The funny thing is that it was so many samples that we STILL have some leftover and that trip was over 3 years ago!

One poster above reminded me another things I do... those little bottles themselves are of value for future traveling. Empty 'travel size' containers you can buy at the drug store are way too big. So I keep the best sizes and shapes from hotels, fill them with my own shampoo, conditioner, etc. for the next trip.

:D

This turned out to be a GREAT thread... how fun!

It has been an interesting thread. I usually will bring my own (large) soap & shampoo, but if I don't, I take what's left of the shampoo when I leave, as they certainly aren't going to reuse it.

While hotels aren't suprised that many take the amenities each day, I disagree that the hotel expects you to, or that the amenities are paid for. I have been at hotels where the shampoo was in a small packet, similar to catsup packs at a fastfood joint. Hotels provide the amenities to help make my stay at their hotel a bit more comfortable, not my life at home. Would anyone wear a raincoat to a buffet & fill their pockets with soup, "since I already paid for it"?

Now one confession (yes, I can be hypocritical) ... when I stay at a Red Roof Inn, they leave small packs of tissue, rather than a full size box as most hotels do. While I'd never use more "kleenex" than I really needed in the room (and usually use T.P. anyway), I do pocket those small pocket-sized packs when I leave "the Roof", whether I used it or not. I don't understand why RR is so stingy with nose-tissues; I don't think anyone steals that, do they??