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?

I work in a hotel, the signage in the bathrooms say we have sanitary products but technically we don't. The company chooses not to order them, so instead us girls bring supplies in from our own pocket. We don't mind, it's nice when someone needs them and we've got the goods!

My period once arrived at the end of a 24 hour flight. I hadn't had it in over 2 years! Hotels particularly 4* should have that sort of stuff sorted. They always seam to have sanpro disposal bags.

I don’t! I’ve often had to buy some when I’ve been out if I’ve come on earlier than expected. I’m usually pretty regular, so it’s unusual.

you can get boxes of 2 sanitary towels I've seen them in baskets in toilets and where I live you can order them for free,

anyway it wouldn't do a hotel any harm to have a free box in the bathroom for this very emergency it makes better guest experience than a sewing kit that people usually stick in the luggage and never use.

They absolutely should be able to supply emergency sanpro. Definitely submit a comment form.

The PP's suggestion of concealer, though, is daft. What colour do you suggest they supply?

Thank you for the reminder. I am nearly 10 months period free (I'm 53) and have nearly forgotten to think about protection. I am going to a conference in India next week so will add mooncup etc to my not yet written packing list.

Was coming on to say something very similar to this. They'll leave a sewing kit and a shower cap in your bathroom but you have to limp out with a wad of loo roll between your legs to get a pad?

This happened to me last year at a conference. All the vending machines in their public toilets were out of order too. And apparently a company comes round to fill them so they didn't have any stock themselves.

In the end a lovely cleaning lady was able to rustle a couple of pads up for me from another staff member.

Once I woke up in a very posh hotel and it looked like a murder scene. The maid could not have been more kind. I had stripped the bed but there was lots of damage. We had a new mattress when we returned. I did think I could have actually got away with murder if I had been able to dispose of a body!

I mean a couple of pads in the bathroom really isn't too much to ask is it ? Maybe the hotel suppliers can get on to it with branding the package with Hotel name can't cost as much as a sewing kit and at least there is a chance it will be used,

I’m actually so shocked that they didn’t. I would assume most hotels at that level do have an emergency supply behind the desk, and they’re the anomaly.

Has anyone ever used the sewing kit? I put the shower cap over my shoes in my bag. 🤷‍♀️

Missing the entire point of the post but struggling to get my head round them having a wedding guest basket with them in. Surely bride and groom don't say can you provide a basket of sanitary items

Anyway it's not unreasonable to expect a hotel to be able to provide you with a couple of pads or tampons until you can get to a shop

It’s something I always have in every bag, suitcase also has them and my locker at work. I can normally predict when it’s coming but there are times where it’s helpful to have a stash of items with you.

That’s incredibly generous of you & your colleagues @Macandcheeese - but terrible that your employers are exploiting you like that. It doesn’t matter if it’s only a small outlay, they should be paying! I hope you explain when you hand the stuff over - I’d want to know if I’d used something hotel staff had bought themselves when the company was saying they provide it.

More generally, you’d think providing a couple of pads/tampons in bathrooms &/or having them available at reception/in vending machines wouldn’t be a huge deal. But seemingly it is 🤦‍♀️

If you actually read my posts you would see that I mentioned emergencies being an exception. Nice try though.

I have never once forgotten to carry sanitary protection in my life. Or toothpaste etc. It's just a matter of being organised.

It might help some people to have a travel bag already packed with all of these things in it to grab when they go somewhere. Then you have everything. Not difficult. Perhaps if you are disorganised you need to figure out a way to not be. Lists, reminders etc. The tools are available. Stop expecting others to bail you out and take some personal responsibility.

First I had to repeatedly explain what I was looking for to the chap at reception- sanitary products, ladies sanitary products, tampax/tampons

How odd. Did he not understand?

Stop expecting others to bail you out and take some personal responsibility.

😂😂😂😂😂🤦‍♀️🤣

Perhaps if you are disorganised you need to figure out a way to not be. Lists, reminders etc. The tools are available.

Do not have any sort of unexpected thing happen. Or forget anything.

The tools are available .

🤣🤣🤣🤣👌🏼

Poor men though, forgetting their razors.

I was about to say no it's unreasonable to expect that they keep these things on hand. But I saw the mention of shaving kit and thought, yes, why would they do that for men and provide nothing for a woman in an emergency?! Men shaving is not an emergency! If they're only providing toothpaste or items that both sexes can use, fair enough. But they're providing shaving kit and no sanitary pads etc? YANBU in this case!

I think the fact that most places that serve the public provide these things is recognition that things get forgotten, and that people find themselves in unexpected situations (travel plans break down, clothes get damaged, bags get lost).

I do not expect anyone to bail me out, but I don't think it's unreasonable that services are willing and able to help if thing do get forgotten.

We're not talking about in the work place, where you e.g. might regularly forget your laptop charger and expect colleagues to lend theirs, or regularly losing your phone or keys.

YANBU to expect them to have sanitary products when they have shaving kits for men

YABU to say ‘poor guy’. Men who are squeamish about periods need to get the fuck over themselves.

I never use the hotel as an emergency supplier because their products won’t be allergen safe, but I just always assumed that if they had shaving kits they would have tampons and pads. Just from a practical perspective, if a female guest is caught short on supplies in the night, it’s the hotel that has to deal with the laundry the next day.