We just wrote about Hotels Doing Good yesterday, but you know the saying: When it rains, it pours goodwill! Today brings us word of another good cause, one that begins in your hotel bathroom. Specifically, with your soap. Perhaps you pay that bar of soap no mind, or maybe you (cough, cough) try to use just one bar and pilfer the other for your own bathroom. Regardless, if you leave a used bar of soap behind, it gets thrown out by housekeeping once you check out.

Not any more. Enter the Global Soap Project, an initiative started by Derreck Kayongo, a former refugee from Uganda, who first came to the U.S. 15 years ago. ]]> MsRebecca 2009-10-08T08:48:56-05:00 33.8505840 -84.363606 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/26/175650/060 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/forgotitEPIC.jpg" class="top"><p> As more and more airlines start charging more and more <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/tag/checked baggage fees">money to check passenger bags</a>, the chances that you forgot to pack some very-necessary toiletries into that quart-sized plastic bag to stuff into your carry-on suitcase, so you can avoid the ridiculous $20 fees, are probably going to increase as well. <p>That's why we're loving the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Epic+Hotel+-+A+Kimpton+Hotel/ian/274046"><b>EPIC Hotel's</b></a> "Forgot It? We Got It!" list of complimentary and for sale toiletry items. What's free? Toothbrush, toothpaste, fashion tape, straightening irons, humidifiers, some other female products and a new quart-sized plastic bag for the flight home. <p>What's for sale? $2 tweezers, $2 nail polish remover wipes, $4 contact lens solution and $3 deodorant. For anyone juliana 2009-08-26T18:01:36-05:00 25.7720607 -80.187436 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/7/8/135535/3338 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/westintoiletries2.jpg" class="top"><p> It's no secret that we love talking about hotel toiletries here at HotelChatter, but we have to admit we're pretty set in our ways. We like Kiehl's, Fresh and Red Flower toiletries (in that order) &#151; and we're willing to risk a 3oz violation at the TSA checkpoint for these babies too.<p> So when a batch of the new <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/7/2/15628/65748/hotels/Westin_s_New_Heavenly_Bath_Amenities_Now_Available"><b>Westin Heavenly Bath</b></a> toiletries arrived on our doorstep, we thought we'd give them a try. But we weren't going to hog them to ourselves. We were on our way to Palm Springs and we thought we'd pack them with us so our friends could try them out too &#151; a sort of unofficial focus group, if you juliana 2009-07-13T16:37:04-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/7/9/113536/1241 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/coopersquare_books.jpg" class="top"><p> Hotels have gone gaga for <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/hotel%20bookshelves">books</a> &#151; but have the guests? We checked in with the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Cooper+Square+Hotel/local/247"><b>Cooper Square Hotel&#146;s</b></a> librarian (aka head of sales, marketing and special events), <b>Sandra Ardito</b>, to find out.<p><p>&#147;It&#146;s been incredible,&#148; Ardito tells us. &#147;We've had some guests that have purchased up to $1,000 worth of books in the library.&#148; <p>Obviously, there are cheaper places to buy books (without the $245 a night cover charge), but the Coop <i>is</i> doing it all for a good cause. The books are sourced from NYC charity <a href="http://www.housingworks.org/">Housing Works</a> (which does work to combat AIDS and homelessness), and proceeds go back to the organization.<p> For cheapskates, there&#146;s a loaner system: the books are branded MsRebecca 2009-07-09T13:23:26-05:00 40.7276970 -73.991194 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/