Complimentary hotel toiletries .. no sanitary towels

[TwentySmackeroos]

I’m in a fancy hotel on my holidays (total beach/resort set-up; not corporate at this time of year) and the tray of free toiletries includes:
Shampoo
Conditioner
Shower gel
Bar of soap
Loofah/scrapy sponge thing
Make-up remover towelettes
Toothbrush/toothpaste set
Comb
Manicure set
Sewing kit
Shoe shine scuff fixer
Razor and shave balm

All the above have been replenished daily as used.

Meanwhile, a pack of panty liners retails in the hotel shop at €3.90. Tampax are €4.50.

Caught unawares (seven months into my first Mirena), I’ve been wadding loo roll and rinsing my bikini bottoms nightly. And obviously bought the panty liners when it became clear I needed to.

I’m a hotel middle-level manager (but no input into purchasing, in my role). Most guests here are parents under 45 with kids. There are loads of toilet facilities (spotless and well maintained) but no dispensing machines in any.

AIBU to think a sanitary towel or three in the toiletries tray is a reasonable expectation, when all other ‘immediate’ sanitary needs are?—and the shoe scuff fixer is not a pressing need IMO—

Yes, it’s not beyond the realms is it! San pro should be provided for emergencies, I also have Mirena and very rarely have a period but sometimes flying seems to bring it on.

I recently stayed in a hotel that seemed to offer everything going, even this works sleep spray, which was great as I use this at home but no san pro when I think about it.

I agree notasgreen - in fact find it a bit infantilising

I stayed in a “woman friendly” room at a big mid-range corporate hotel for a recent conference. It had an ironing board, a hairdryer and a teeny bottle of Prosecco . No Sanpro.

I’m normally biassed towards defending the reasoning behind the status quo, but in this case I think that Slate article has nailed it: there isn’t a logical reason, it’s just not provided because it’s never been provided, and because it doesn’t have “luxury” kudos. The only thing that would make it happen would be a publicity campaign aimed at creating the feeling that this is a woke and modern thing to do.

Re the poster who made the point about religion: doesn’t stop them putting in a mini bar, does it?

No condoms or lube were supplied either.

While I see that many women are "caught short", san pro is something I am never without..
Even though I am nearly over my menopause I have never been out the house without sanpro in my bag, and it would be an essential for travel for me.
I carry them for me, for my teenage daughter- just one of these things that I always have- tissues, plasters for cuts and grazes, paracetamol, a pen, a couple of tampons and a pad or two.

I thought everyone did this!

@Speakout

I’m currently pregnant... still carrying my spare tampons, pads and liners! 😂

Me too- it's 9 months since I had a period ( menopause) but I still don't leave home without them.
I have had to supply friends and family with emergency sanpro because I am known as the one who always carries it!

This has never occurred to me before.

And I speak as someone who always randomly and unexpectedly started my period whilst on holiday abroad.

Island in the Nile off Luxor. Yep. I have never been so thrilled to walk into a chemist that looked like an ancient apothecary and spot a box of tampax on the top shelf.

And I don't think it's infantilising to get Sanpro and period poverty into the mainstream.

Some religions would be offended by tampax or indeed sanpro

On that logic hotels shouldn't include minibars full of alcohol.

There is no reason why a couple of standard pads can be included in the hotel room packs or swapped in for one of the other items people rarely use.

it’s not up to the rest of society to subsidise them for us imo

Its not a subsidy, hotel provisions are part of the overall bill you pay, including all the other services and items which one individual may not use.

.

"There is no reason why a couple of standard pads can't be included in the hotel room packs"

Must learn to prof read.

I guess most hotels have a certain budget for freebies in their rooms, so have to prioritise.

There are loads of things that would be useful - earplugs, deodorant, shaving foam, hairbrush etc but they have to prioritise within their budget.

So I guess they choose stuff that will benefit the most people, or the stuff their experience shows will be most asked for at reception if they don't provide it.

Shower gel is useful to absolutely everyone, sanpro is useful to women, aged 15-50, for one week per month, who are not fussy about what brand/type they use.

But I do think it should be available on request at reception or at nominal cost from a dispenser or hotel shop.

I think Mumsnet is a parallel universe. I’ve travelled for business for 15 years and stay in lots of hotels and never once thought “hmm- it would be helpful if there were some tampax or towels here in this bathroom”. I just bring my own if I’m on my period. I’m sure if I was caught short and there were no shops nearby (!) I could ask reception or another woman to help me out. Moreover I think that generally the toiletries they provide are a massive waste. You always need soap to wash your hands for example, why don’t posh hotels have hand wash in a bottle as opposed to individually wrapped soaps that you have to unwrap and use for one night then it gets chucked. I think the majority of toiletries in hotels just get taken for novelty/freebies anyway. If hotel chains suddenly were maid to provide sanitary protection it would cost them thousands.

Why don't they provide condoms?

I agree. I’ve travelled a lot with work and a couple of times had to treck for ages to try to find a shop. Open at night. In a strange city that I didn’t know. I’m not easily spooked but at the same time it wasn’t massively safe.

Oh and yes I do generally carry them but am I the only person who has a couple stuck in the bottom of (every) bag that then come out their packet and sit around gathering grit? Towel I’d probably use anyway but tampon? Not so appealing!

Re cost, having a cheap pad would have saved hotels a fortune in toilet roll that I’ve used as makeshift pads until I can get somewhere!

I can honestly say that in my entire life I have never had an immediate need for a loofah

PML... and wondering what a loofah emergency might look like

This is a very good point actually. I'd never really thought about it before but it is odd that many other personal items are provided - particularly things which are multi use but never get used up, like soaps - yet never sanitary protection.

I don't think they should be MADE to provide anything but it does raise a question about why other items - including razors! - are often considered essential yet sanitary protection is not.

It can only be because periods are taboo - which is ridiculous in 2018.

It's probably because everyone can potentially use a bottle of shampoo or sewing kit, but sanitary products can only be used by women (and not all women, just those who aren't post-menopausal, pregnant, using contraception which stops periods or have had a hysterectomy) and even then, only for a third to a quarter of the time.

If hotels were to start supplying all this stuff they'd put prices up and a room would cost you more than 4 euros extra. Far more economical to suck it up with the cost in the hotel shop initially and find a supermarket.

totally agree with op. good idea to make the hotel aware.
a couple of pads would be soooo useful.

I was caught out on a ferry once. the check in desk had maternity type towels (for free) to tide me over until the shop opened.

I have a make up bag in my handbag and it always has a small emergency supply in.

Nobody seems to understand that "free" sanpro in rooms will just mean you pay £5 more for your room. So it's not free.

I work in a fairly nice hotel and we don't have them either, if a guest asks me I usually give them one or two from my personal stash to tide them over until the shops open. But they should be included in the kit for the bedroom, or available from behind reception I think, it's along the same lines as forgetting a toothbrush or toothpaste - it happens.

I think it's a really good point, and something I've never thought of before. If you forget your loofah or razor, it's not a huge problem, but forgetting sanpro can be.

I suspect it's a hang-over from when most business travellers were male. And the decision-making people in big hotel chains are probably all male too.

I've stayed in god knows how many hotels over the years. Of your list, here are the things I have NEVER found among the complimentary toiletries

Loofah/scrapy sponge thing
Make-up remover towelettes
Toothbrush/toothpaste set
Comb
Manicure set
Razor and shave balm

That's before we get on to sanitary towels.

If hotels were to start supplying all this stuff they'd put prices up and a room would cost you more than 4 euros extra. Far more economical to suck it up with the cost in the hotel shop initially and find a supermarket.

4 euros for a 20 p pad? Some markup right there.
I’ll swap you a shoe shine and raise you a shower cap. You save. I have what I need. Everyone’s a winner.

It’s the fact that other non-essentials are provided when a female essential isn’t.

And most hotels I’ve stayed in for work don’t have a hotel shop.

Loofah/scrapy sponge thing
Make-up remover towelettes
Toothbrush/toothpaste set
Comb
Manicure set
Razor and shave balm

I have been provided all of these. I’d say razors and manicure sets (or a single emery board) are pretty standard.