Do you leave things in hotel room after departure for the maids to take if they want them?

[helpmepleasewiththis]

I am due to leave for home after a weeks holiday and remember that my DM always used to do this. Things like unused shampoo, sanitary products etc. is this still a thing or would they find it insulting?

You obviously have little idea of what reality is like for many staff in these hotels in certain countries.

I've recently come back from a SE Asian country where people were so poor (and unwasteful) you'd see washed carrier bags being dried on balconies and fences. I left things like my older trainers/toiletries/t shirts in most hotel rooms with a note saying 'please keep if useful'.

sadly I accidentally left a very nice Chillys water bottle in one room. I hope the staff kept it and enjoyed it rather than binning it.

I've never heard of anyone really doing this, so seems odd to me unless you're in a very poor country. When we go to Greece and stay in an apartment, we usually buy a sun umbrella for the beach which we leave, but we always mention it at the desk so they know it's not broken/useless and they are always grateful for the the next family.

I stayed in an air b&b in a country with a huge wealth disparity. The woman who cleaned arrived before I left so I asked her if she knew anyone who'd want the baby toiletries and nappies we'd had to buy as we wouldn't be able to take them on the flight back. She was very keen. I don't think it was insulting to ask, I think it was practical. I framed it as not wanting to throw away perfectly good stuff and she could easily have said she didn't know anyone with a child had she not wanted to accept.

Probs wouldn't have just left them without speaking to her though. That would have felt like leaving her more mess.

Depends where you are - have done it before in Thailand but was asked to sign a receipt stating it was a gift so staff could prove it had been given to them. Otherwise anything left was thrown away

Nope, it's never ever occurred to me before. I've not actually heard of anyone else doing it either. Don't often stay in hotels to be honest but I will be making sure I leave a tip from now on

We recently stayed in apartments in Spain. Downstairs they had space for any toiletries shower gel/ shampoo etc that guest left because of flight restrictions on liquids. Actually I thought it was a great idea as there is a big switch towards less waste and reuse where possible

I've left unwanted shoes balanced on a waste bin to show that they have been left deliberately.

On a tour that ended in Cape Town, our Tour Manager asked for "leftovers" to be collected for distribution to those in need. This included unwashed clothing, which the hotel laundered.

Some of the places my MIL used to go to had boxes to put bottles of stuff in that future guests could take (Or I assume staff)
It saved people taking part filled bottles of sub creams etc on to the plane.

Yes I do depending on where I am. I often stay at a ski resort which has a mini kitchenette in the hotel room. I used to throw out opened boxes of cornflakes, bags of sugar, butter etc. until I asked the hotel staff (mostly young people in their 20s) if they wanted it. I was surprised by the response. Apparently the staff are all clambering about when someone leaves to see what they can salvage.

If I go to India etc. I always leave behind clothes and shoes that I am unlikely to wear again. I leave them on the floor next to the bin but not actually in the bin so that the staff can do whatever they want with them.

Never done it at all.

Absolutely I do. I do make sure they are left dry and clean bottles etc though so if they do want them it's easy for them but equally not too much of a faff for them to throw them away.
In cape Verde there was a shelf for unwanted toiletries if you had forgotten sun cream etc you might be able to get something there.

When I went to India the guide told us it would be appreciated if we left toiletries and the local children had our hotel toiletries, pens and school supplies.

It depends where I am and how long I'm staying for. I don't tip in the UK or for one or two nights but I do tip somewhere like the US (where it's obviously expected) or if it's been a longer stay.

I've done it on business trips when I've been given so many gifts by colleagues that I couldn't possibly bring them home. Things like packaged, sealed sweets and biscuits, unopened bottles of wine. I leave a note and tell them to take anything they want and dispose of the rest. Plus a bit of cash.

We leave unopened bits like coffee or biscuits in air bnbs and if they have bookshelves we will leave any books that we took and finished there. I wouldn’t leave opened stuff as it feels like you are leaving your leftovers that you can’t be bothered to bin.

We always tip.

I leave cash and any clothing/summer bags I wouldn't be using again. They can bin them if they want. I leave a thank you note too.

This thread should be studied by anthropologists, it's amazing.

Half the posters are appalled at the idea of an open bottle of shampoo being fit for anything but the bin. The other half live in the real world.

I usually ask the apartment neighbours if they want any of the toiletries/snacks/drinks on leaving day. If I haven’t seen anyone just leave these in a bag next to a tip for the cleaner.

These items are unopened or individually wrapped within multi-packs of course. I’d also wipe down and leave a half-full shampoo etc too.

I was a cleaner in a hotel when I was 17 and had no money. Even then I wouldn't have dreamed of taking someone's leftover toiletries.

In Cuba it would be appreciated as toiletries are expensive, so a tip for £5 would buy one small bottle of shampoo for example - so if you left a a fair bit it would be worth more in monetary value than leaving a cash tip

When we went to Cuba it was mentioned that the cleaning staff would appreciate any unwanted toiletries, although that was 20 years ago so not sure if it's still the case. We left all our remaining currency as well.

Never thought about it. If I was the staff I wouldn't take anything in case the guest had forgotten it and returned to retrieve it. Do you leave a note?

Er no. I think you may mean well but it probably doesn’t translate as you think it does. I just see as yet more crap that they will be expected to throw away. Take your shit with you or dispose of it yourself.

I've worked as a hotel cleaner when I was a student and also hate the word "maid".
Unless there was a note explicitly saying that an item was for the staff to take, I wouldn't have taken it, but put it in a lost and found.