5 Toiletries We Wish All Hotels Included

September 28, 2010 at 1:44 PM | by juliana | Comments (7)

A mild case of hotel toiletry hoarding going on here.

We always pay close attention to the Hotel Toiletries during our hotel stays, judging everything from the brand (we're partial to Fresh, Kiehl's, Red Flower and Bulgari) to the scents, size, texture and effectiveness (does our hair look worse or just as good as before we checked-in?), all the way down to analyzing how easy it is to transport the toiletries in our suitcases (with the trends of full-size bottles and toiletry dispensers, this is becoming less doable.)

Yet sometimes none of these criteria matter when you find yourself in desperate need of a toothbrush and your only option is to head out into the streets to find a 24-hour convenience store because the hotel's night manager is not picking up the phone and can't deliver a spare toothbrush to you from housekeeping.

So in continuing with our hotel wish lists, here are 5 Toiletries We Wish All Hotels Included, in addition to their usual shampoo-shower gel-body lotion-bar soap combo. Now, we know that different hotels offer a different variety of toiletries but we're talking about a hotel standard here.

1. Comb: It happens. We forget to bring our combs and/or brushes with us from time to time so having a back-up in the hotel bathroom would be nice. While straightening our hair with a six-inch comb is not ideal, it's far better than Medusa-like knots.

2. Deodorant: Ditto on the arm freshener. Just a small roll-on or a spray bottle would do wonders for our forgetful, stinky pits.

3. Toothbrush: We know that most hotels carry toothbrush and/or toothpaste at the front desk and that if you forget to bring yours, you can always request one from the hotel. However, why make us request it? Just put a toothbrush out there next to the faucet. Of course, some hotel owners probably say the cost is prohibitive but you can use a cheapie brand. We're only going to use it one or two nights before we get back to our high-tech Sonic Care. And just think, it's another place to put the hotel logo!

4. Mouthwash: Mouthwash may seem like an extravagance, especially if a hotel has already given us a toothbrush and toothpaste. But we'd definitely use mouthwash more than a nail file or two cotton balls and a Q-tip. And while you never know who you might ~~bring back to your hotel room~~ run into in a hotel, at least you both would have nice, minty fresh breath.

5. Conditioner: Lately, we've noticed a disturbing trend--hotels are skimping on the conditioner. Typically, this happens more in the "value-oriented" brands but every so often we spy a shampoo and conditioner-in-one in a more upscale hotel. Hello, this is not the local gym. Conditioner is important to hair health! We demand a separate bottle!

In our recent memory, the one hotel that went above and beyond the call of toiletry duty was the Gallery Hotel in Barcelona which came equipped with all of the above. A close second was the Carlyle Hotel in New York which upon learning they forgot to stock our room entirely, delivered a goodie bag of Kiehl's toiletries complete with Kiehl's lip balm. Hotel Heaven indeed!

What are some other toiletries you think hotels should make staples in their offerings? Let us know in comments below!

Comments (7)

Return to » 5 Toiletries We Wish All Hotels Included

Completely agree with the conditioner!!! We need both and quit trying to pass that two-in-one off on us!!

CONTINUE THE CONDITIONER CRUSADE!

Since every hotel throws out one used soap cake per room per day, putting a hundred thousand cakes of soap in landfills--daily--how about wall dispensers for toiletries? Refill them as needed, and nothing is wasted.
TourguideStan

Kimpton Hotels have all those products in their Forget it, we've got it program!

I must say, that although hotels offer toilet paper, it would be nice if they used a soft and sturby kind instead. I'd gladly give up the box of tissues for softer paper.

I was TOTALLY all about the Bliss when I had my first W experience at the W New York in 2005. I continued to love it for all my W stays for years after that. I love the lemon sage smell - however, its been 5 years since that point I'm kind of hoping that the W will evolve to a new "flavor" of Bliss - because honestly - i'm a little tired of the lemon..... maybe Bergamot or Persimmon but something other than lemon. I'm sure they have a contract with Bliss so they might not be able to obtain different products, but at least change the scents up.

It is amazing that travellers always comment , that it would be nice to see a range of full personal care products with toiletries in their rooms. The problem is the Hotels themselves. As long as customers dont complain nothing will happen. The manufactuers nearly all provide amenities high and low end , a complete personal care range with their toilteries. The hotels , just dont purchase and you are the one predujuiced. USA is the worst as most customers are like sheep, they just follow the herd. Complain,complain At some boutique Hotels you will still find a complete range. The clever point of using the Green unbrella , is the hotel can cut costs even more while pretending that they are following a avenue of saving the environment. Does one think that by cutting the bathroom amenities , that the traveller is going to use less, more poeple resort to bring their half gallon dispensers with them . People who are on holiday , are not their to save the environment otherwise they would of stayed at home..

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