The saga over mini-toiletries in hotel rooms has been going on for years. It started when hotels decided to do away with the little bottles in favor of bulk dispensers. Marriott was supposed to eliminate all of the small-sized shampoo and conditioners by the end of 2020. Of course, that timetable was thrown on its head and while not forgotten, the deadline hasn’t been updated for several years.
In the meantime, several local governments (city and state) have started to look at forcing hotels to move to bulk containers for the negative environmental impact of the small containers. New York State has set a date of January 1, 2024, when hotels with more than 50 rooms have to switch to bulk toiletries.
I bring this up because of an unusual setup in one of our recent hotel stays. At a Residence Inn in Manhattan, these were the toiletries in our bathroom.
- Pharmacopia shampoo
- O2 Oxygen body wash & body lotion
- Eco Amenities conditioner
- a generic brand cleansing bar
I can’t figure it out. Pharmacopia is a brand you’ll find at Hyatt properties. The O2 Oxygen brand and EcoAmenities are generic brands sold by hotel suppliers and the soap is something I’d expect to find at a roadside Comfort Inn or an independent hotel.
Is this due to supply chain issues and the hotel can’t get the usual brands? If so, has anyone else seen this recently? I alternately wondered if maybe the hotel was getting ready to go to bulk containers and didn’t want to put in a large order.
Whatever the reason, it was strange (and you better believe I took that shampoo home with me).
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5 comments
The Ritz Orlando has issues too! They don’t offer asprey ones anymore
Using up old stock. Just because a hotel is a Marriott brand doesn’t mean the franchise owner doesn’t have other brands like Hyatt. Another piece of trivia is that many of the companies that make small bottles of shampoo for hotels also have government contracts to supply them for jails and prisons.
I’m not a fan of bulk toiletries as I cannot know their ingredients, sanitation of room containers and tampering of contents. It may be a green move for the planet but humans may suffer unforeseen ills in the process. I used a hotel product that had Ylang Ylang in it—turned out I had a big allergic reaction that lasted days. Ylang Ylang smells so good but how would a user know it is an evergreen. I’m allergic to evergreens among other things. I bring my own now but wish airlines would relax their toiletries policies.
Yes, the supply chain is creating issues for hotels like any other industry. It doesnt help there are so few companies to work with and items are brand specific. So you’re left with what you can get your hands on regardless of the brand, location, or luxury level. It has nothing to do with switching away from single used items as hotels are told to order until a change is stocked and ready to go live-which clearly wasnt happening when the pandemic started.
Since many hotels are either managed or owned by large companies other than the hotel brand itself, they share many products across the brands. Especially when one property has run out of a certain supply. I have seen numerous sharing between Hyatts and IHG properties. Generally I find that US hotels have crappy toiletries. But in overseas properties, I usually find much higher branded products and those we take home. I would rate the Japanese hotels the highest. With properties offering Thann, Harnn, Aesop, Hermes, L’Occitane, Ferragamo and Le Labo (which is an American brand). When we see those brands, we start stockpiling at the beginning of the stay.