To switch to miniature toiletries

[HolidayLetter]

I have always provided naice hand-soaps, shower gels etc in large (refillable) bottles, but have recently been toying with the idea of switching to hotel-style miniatures on the grounds that I was always very excited by miniature soaps in the olden days, when I went on holiday rather than providing them. However, I'm now thinking that this might irritate some guests on environmental grounds. AIBU to switch to miniatures?

I like the idea of slightly bigger bottles of luxury shower gel or body lotion that guests buy.
I love a miniature and use it all / take it home. However there is often only enough for two or three nights and often doesn't feel worth taking home sometimes. A bigger bottle at least gives guests a choice to use their own or something different.

Mini soaps aren't ok even if they aren't in plastic. It's still a massive waste to have to throw them out after theyve been used just a few times. I wouldn't want single use anything, not just plastic packaging.

Just recycle the plastic, it's not Greta Thunberg that's staying is it?

That’s a pretty lame attitude hell.

An Air-bloody-BNB host here and we re just changing from miniatures to refillables. We've already stopped with plastic bottles of water.

You'd make me happy. At home I'll do anything to be environmentally friendly, but when away, sharing potentially piddled-in toiletries with random strangers makes me feel icky.

I always bring my own wash kit as I am particular about shampoo/conditioner and don't like overly fragranced anything.

I expect mini toiletries. I think shared items are manky and mean and wouldn't touch them. Minis can come in recyclable plastics.

It had never crossed my mind that guests might piddle in the shower gel.

I put out one-person glass bedside carafes and glasses for water, Dogs. How have you solved the plastic water bottle problem?

They were discussing this on Jeremy Vine the other day. I think this is the episode: www.my5.tv/jeremy-vine/season-2020/episode-40

To save you some time... everyone hates the little miniatures!

I only like minis when I go away, I don’t like sharing toiletries.

Hey, what I do is I buy like massive 1-10L bottles of my toiletries and decant them into the smaller bottles - could that work? I’m a huge advocate for the environment so always bulk buy and then recycle or reuse the bottles after! :)

The very nice hotel I stayed at two weeks ago has switched to dispensers in the bathroom. I wouldn’t use them as I don’t care to share personal items with strangers.

I'd love to see a small notice to say all your toiletries, washing up liquid etc is sourced locally from a refill shop. With details of the shop name and location.
It gives a very 'luxury but home from home' feel.

I’ve always thé miniatures toiletries crap tbh.
Id rather have a good set of soap/shampoo in big bottles than crap soap in a small bottle.

I love the mini toiletries 😳 it’s a nice surprise to see which ones will be on offer. Although can see people’s points and I’d also be happy with dispensers ( with a lock so no one could contaminate them ). Another surprise is, which biscuits will be on offer ? 😂 best part of staying in a hotel

Wtf does naice mean?

Apart from the environmental aspect, isn't it more likely that guests will just take the miniatures when they leave? Even if they didn't use them while staying in your property.

I have an Air bloody bnb....room (suite) within our home, my guests are overwhelmingly single night stays. I do provide those little miniatures. I know people go on about single use etc but I feel that this is not how guests live all the time, staying away is an occasion, however most guests don’t use them, they bring their own stuff so the waste is minimal anyway but they are on offer as a backstop. Generally people use the soap (paper wrapped anyway) second most commonly used is the shower gel but even then less than half of guests use it. Other stuff is very rarely used. I like the fact they look nice if presented well, don’t get gunky being single use, I think large ones would get used rarely and so would start looking unclean, the minis often receive positive comments from guests. We get people coming to us as a cheap alternative to a hotel stay and it makes it special for them. I may re think this if I was hosting a different style accomodation. Solid cleansing /shampoo bars might be a gold alternative for holiday let’s with longer rental periods where the budget would allow

Bottles of shampoo with piss in them, and remelted bars of soap with added pubes. Umm, locally sourced if the far better idea

Plexie - I only once had a guest take the Mini toiletries rather than use them (I know because they get left for me to dispose of ) and that’s in literally 100s of guests. After the majority of stays I just replace the soap, and occasionally one or two other items. If I used big bottles it would take forever to get through them and we are in a hard water area making keeping stuff looking nice quite hard work

I remember being thrilled by the little toiletries when I first stayed in hotels, and taking the extra ones home! But for decades now I've been taking my own with me -- a bonus is that I know it's cruelty-free. A couple of years ago I switched to using soap at home instead of shower gel, to cut down on plastic. But I do still take shower gel when travelling.

I used to get so excited when there were the little bottles of shampoo etc in hotels I stayed in, possibly quite sadly I have kept them all and washed after use now I can't afford or have time to go travelling they hold happy memories and I have them in the study. I realise that's a bit hoard-ery so appreciate I am likely the minority. I did start taking my own though as I found what works for me. Could you either install a dispenser in the shower and refill, or have it as opt in or out on the booking form? Most people would probably not want to pay a few £££ extra, but those who want to can. I do sometimes forget to take handsoap though, so perhaps a bar of soap or something refillable would be nice at a minimum?

If you got nice bottle dispensers you could get big bottles to refill from

www.ethicalsuperstore.com does Faith in Nature which is nice

Refillable all the way. I always comment in reviews now where more sustainable things are included. I don't use little miniatures at all