Hotel housekeeping should keep a supply of sanitary products.

[HappyDaze23]

I’m at a nice hotel (4*) on a work trip. Mix of mostly corporate and a few holiday clients. Got up for a wee in the night and was surprised to find I’d started my period a few days early and of course I hadn’t packed my moon cup. As I don’t use tampons I’m out of the habit of carrying spares.

I checked the hotel room info: ‘housekeeping are here to provide for your every comfort’. If you need a shaving or dental kit etc and a few things were listed. So I called them. First I had to repeatedly explain what I was looking for to the chap at reception- sanitary products, ladies sanitary products, tampax/tampons and then suggested that he asked a female colleague as they would explain. The poor guy then called back to explain they don’t typically have any but they did have some left over from a wedding guest basket that I could have. He brought them up and of course I really appreciated him doing that but AIBU to think that if they can produce a shaving kit (for a man, I think we can reasonably assume) then really they should consider having tampons/towels available for when a female guest has an emergency?

Perhaps you’re the first person it’s happened to. I always took something with me, even if I wasn’t expecting to come on.

I'm the woman who always has them, until I need them and somehow they are not in my handbag! I totally agree with you.

It wouldn't be an expectation as such (perhaps that's female conditioning to expect to not be considered), but if they can provide emergency shaving kits then it seems odd that they don't have emergency sanitary products. It's obviously a hotel run by men, for men!

Assuming you're just talking about this specific hotel then YANBU. I've stayed in plenty that have sanitary products available to request, and a couple that actually had a little sanitary pack of towel / couple of tampons in the hotel bathroom as standard already.

I've always been able to at least buy some sanitary products if caught short att a hotel. So agree they should have some option for women

@CheeseWisely yes this hotels and others of a similar standard - I don’t think it’s unreasonable!

I mean, god forbid a man can’t shave, but stuff a woman whose period has arrived several days early!

YANBU. I've had this happen before when travelling with DD, in a weird location far from any shops. It's so annoying. I've also stayed in special "women-friendly" rooms in business hotels, which have ironing boards and a small bottle of Prosecco (ffs) but still no sanpro.

Not quite the same but I stayed at a hotel once and somehow forgot my toothbrush! Went down to reception as again it stated on the info that they kept similar items there if needed but no toothbrushes or paste!
I honestly think it's just not on their radar.

If they can provide other products such as the ones you’ve listed, then yes I think sanitary products should be included.

I thought the idea of supplying at some places had more to do with poverty , I don't think anyone in a hotel would be in this position as most women have tampons whatever in their bag all the time . It is odd though they do supply shave kits .

I think if they can supply shaving kits then they're unreasonable to not supply female specific products like sanitary products. However, that said, I always l, always carry tampons and towels in my handbag, regardless of time of month.

“and was surprised to find I’d started my period a few days early and of course I hadn’t packed my moon cup.”

Of course? That’s one sheltered menstrual life you’ve led 🤣 I’ve had 45 flipping years of always having something with me “just in case”.

I would expect a hotel to have supplies though, yes. But I’d also expect you to always have supplies too.

I've always thought that hotels need to update their kits to include
SanPro
A condom
A tiny tube of concealer
Mini toothbrush/toothpaste

Also why don't they have multi country adaptors left in their rooms as standard?

Also so many hotels have switched to the big wall mounted bottles so you can't take home supplies anymore, but many have also stopped providing conditioner

Yes I think if they have emergency shaving stuff they should have emergency sanitary products.

Oh also one nights supply of contact lens solution and a case would be good

Ridiculous.

It's happened to me before at a conference.

Had to get a cab in the night to go looking for some at a nearby per trip station.

If men needed them this simply wouldn't be the case!

Stayed in a couple of holiday lets before Covid.

Sanitary products in the joint bathroom at one

Other property not fancy just in Devon - all 3 rooms had en-suites - everyone had sanitary products in the en-suite. This was run by a single man in later years. If he can do it so can hotels. Also boxes of tissues everywhere, one the bedroom, one in the en-suite. It wasn't an expensive place either

I’m not sure I expect a hotel to provide stuff for me, other than soap and shower gel maybe which seems pretty standard.

That said, I stayed at a hotel last week that had a notice in the bathroom of all the things they could provide if you’d forgotten them, and it did include sanitary towels/tampons.

Most women have sanpro almost all the time, when they need it, just like most people remember to pack their toothpaste.

But in a big hotel that one in a thousand unforeseen crisis (either a completely unexpected bleed or a randomly much worse than expected bleed, or a packing/bag loss cockup, or having to stay for longer than you planned and packed for) will happen to one of their female guests on a pretty regular basis.

Went to a budget hotel years ago and one of my dd started her period, I used tampons so was no good. I called reception and a gentleman answered, he explained they didn't have any, so I said no to worry. With in half a hour he brought up a selection of different sizes and some with wing and a big bar of chocolate for her as his mum said chocolate helps. I was so grateful I nearly cried.
Not that this helps just sharing my experience

That's so sweet!!!!!

Completely agree op! And a tampon is much cheaper than a shave kit, so it seems incredibly unreasonable to not cater for women too!

I've had this on an overnight stay and my period arrived much earlier than expected. I'd been to an event and arrived back at the hotel around 11.30pm on a Sunday night when I discovered it. Hotel had a list of other toiletries they could supply including shaving stuff, but that didn't include san pro. There wasn't a machine in the bar toilets and no shops open anywhere nearby.

Had to make do with a wad of toilet roll but didn't sleep well as I was paranoid about leaking onto the sheets. Had to rush out early the next morning and buy something when the shops opened.

I would definitely expect them to have some. They have free ones in the toilets of a lot of bars and restaurants now, I’m surprised a hotel wouldn’t stock them.

I wouldn’t say the shaving kits were exclusively for men though. A lot of women shave, me included!

I have had these things in a hotel room that are complimentary to take away

Toothbrush & toothpaste
Shower cap
Soap
Shower gel, body lotion
Sewing kit
Shoe shine kit
Cotton buds
Make up removal kit
Insect repellant kit
Fresh fruit
Razors
Comb
Chocolate
Tissues
Shoe horn

Teas, coffees, biscuits, milk, sugar
Fruit juice, soft drinks
Water
Wine, alcohol
Free book about local places or things of interest
Sweets
Cake
Flowers

However, sanitary disposal bags, but no sanitary products

I have stayed in lots of hotels, in various countries all over the world

Some hotels do offer guests, things that you may have forgotten to buy at reception & this sometimes includes sanitary products. The most recent hotel that I stayed in offered this service.