Do you take the bottles of shampoo from hotels?

[daffodyle]

Staying in a hotel that has great amenities, that are actually really expensive as a brand. Obviously I “use” a whole mini bottle of shampoo and conditioner every day... aka it goes in the suitcase. I can’t be the only one?

I do if they smell really nice, or if I've started one out of necessity (having forgotten my own) because I know it'll just get chucked anyway if I don't. I leave the others though, and would never take loo rolls etc as that's just weird.

It depends on the brand. Some hotel toiletries can be seriously nasty. Cowshed, Aesop, ESPA and L’occitane are lovely and I always take some home with me.

No...but not because of any moral compass, I don’t really want them. I prefer my own products.

Yes - all the time if it's good stuff. And coffee sachets!

Miniature ones-yes.

Yes, I pay for them, so why shouldn't I.

If it is a product I like then yes - but more often than not it isn't so I don't bother.

My dad used to travel a lot when we were little for work and he'd always bring back a haul of shower caps, sewing kits, matches, show shiner, little bottles of shampoo etc. Plus biscuits. We loved the hotel treasure!

*Shoe shiner

I do, stayed at a hotel in Ipswich that had Anatomicals stuff, which is hard to find in shops now.

That said, stayed at one in Edinburgh a few years ago, everything was Molton Brown so I had the lot. The next time we went back, maybe a year or two later there were signs in the bathroom saying to get fresh toiletries you had to leave the empty bottles in the bathroom and housekeeping would replace them or you had to take them to reception.

No - they never look as though they'd be any good for my hair. If I've used the hand soap, I take it with me afterwards to save it being thrown away.

I do have about 30 disposable comb and toothbrush sets somewhere from a long stint I had in a hotel for work reasons years ago. I kept them at the time because I thought they might come in useful for holidays, but I can never remember where I've stashed them. If I ever find them I'll see if there's a local charity that could use them.

I always take my own products but bring home the hotel free shower gel, soap and shampoo and donate them to a local homeless shelter. They are very grateful and get lots from peoples holidays.

Yes, but only if they're if decent quality. I then put them in our guest shower room. Or I use them for weekends away if I'm not staying in a nice hotel or for swimming.

The hotel DH stays at regularly has a Nespresso machine in the room. He is under orders not to drink any but bring the stash home!

Yes I take anything I think I'll use as you have obviously paid for it. Real budget hotels do pump on the wall stuff now which is fair enough and it when I use the better quality stuff I took from the last hotel

I don’t think hotels in general are worried about you using the ‘calculated in the room rate toiletries’ it is pretty expected. Also things like slippers once you’ve used them they are not suitable for onward deployment - so it’s more environmentally friendly for you to take and use. I do remember reading an article about some kind of radio frequency tracking dots being secreted on bigger ticket things starting at towel level onwards ... and the culprits being quite surprising. People who hire expensive security details then nick a trackable towel really need to have a word with themselves !

A hotel we stayed at in Dubai had full size molten brown products, I cleared them out daily

Well ... yes though I've noticed lately they don't top up automatically if you only stay two nights as they know they have left enough

Also whilst we ruminate security there are some places in the world where pickpockets etc are trained to literally trained to sniff out who’s worth the effort of “tickling” ( Hotel toiletries aroma ) or worse full on mugging. Sometimes it pays to use your own stuff. Use the five star stuff when you get home to remind you of the trip.

I work for a big multinational and our office collects the hotel freebies to give to the local homeless shelter. I always feel really guilty if I actually need to use something!

I used to travel a lot within the UK for work and had a massive haul of toiletries as I cleared out every hotel. Quite useful as I ended up having various “last minute trip” bags stashed everywhere and I could stick the toiletries in there.

I always mournfully look at the hotel toiletries when i’ve Only taken carry on as I rarely have space to take them back now! About to go somewhere with main baggage and am looking forward to my plunder

I've found that nicer hotels have full size bottles of product which you can buy or pay for if you take them with you. The stuff in the little bottles is usually crap compared to what I use myself so I don't bother taking them.

Love this thread! The hotel we stayed in abroad for our wedding had Molten Brown! To quote a pp we harvested that shit!

Thanks to the poster who linked hygiene banks, I'll be looking one up.

Happymummy would you consider doing so now and donating?

If it’s really posh stuff I do, otherwise I don’t bother.

Yes, I do. I travel a lot for work so I save the little bottles from nicer hotels to use when I’m staying in budget hotels which don’t have them. I wouldn’t take anything like flannels or slippers though!

For those who don’t use the free toiletries, would you not take them and donate them to a homeless shelter or food bank?