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?

I don't think I have ever left anything in a hotel as I rarely have anything I don't want to take back home with me and if I'm somewhere with a tipping culture I'll just leave a tip.

However if I'm anywhere self-catering I will leave any unopened items we don't want in the fridge/on the counter on the assumption that cleaners may want them or can bin if they don't.

I used to work as a rep for Tui, many moons ago and maybe things have changed but the housekeeping used to collect the toiletries AND sanitary items. They (and me) regularly helped ourselves to the stash.

In the past I’ve given toiletries to the holiday reps as one of them told me she hardly had time to go shopping on changeover days……she was very grateful, even for half a bottle of shampoo, shower gel etc.

Forgot to mention, seconding @NewsdeskJC that all the shops and even supermarkets in hotel areas (eg Chelsea, South Ken, Mayfair in London for our hotel branches) are invariably obscenely overpriced, and staff have to shop there on a daily/weekly basis. I was financially ok renting and living in Zone 1, but this was way beyond that.

I have an airbnb and it breaks my heart what people throw out Fresh fruits and veg. I love when people just leave the food in the fridge and the things there is nothing wrong with them me the maid/cleaner will happily take them into the house wash them and eat them. There is so much waste in the world. I love those half bottles of shampoo, deodorant etc. if you can’t take them home please people don’t bin them.

It's not considered offensive if the hotel is in a developing country. For some people, that may be the only access to decent quality toiletries they have as their limited money simply can't stretch to anything like that.

I offer them to other guests.
I always leave a glass of small change with a thank you note, my DM used to leave the small change too.

I'm not a regular hotel stayer so don't really have any experience of what I'd do, but it's irritating that people aren't reading the OP properly - she said UNused shampoo and toiletries, not half emptied.

A friend used to manage & clean some rental villas on behalf of the owners.
She never had to buy toiletries, fruit +veg & some other food for 8 months of the year. And a large amount of clothing went to the charity shops.

I have a Sri Lankan connection and I know one of the things that is regularly sent are sanitary products - at times not even available and if so hugely expensive. I just did a check and this packet is roughly about a pound BUT when tied to local wages it is the equivalent of someone here on a 2000 pound a month salary paying 160 POUNDS for it.

Huh? What country are we taking about here, 'cos I've never done, seen or experienced this in UK, Europe or the US in over fifly years...

We leave cash but we will also leave other things sometimes. Depends where you are. Toiletries are really expensive in parts of the Caribbean - so yes, they'll be disappointed on Antigua if you dont.

In the Gambia our old reading glasses were much valued. At a posh African safari ranch I left English books, nothing else.

Is this in the UK? When me and mum went to Cuba we took extra stuff for the maids because there are shortages of things like sanitary products. Some people would post on the hotel groups what the maids needed. We also took colouring books and crayons for their children

Why not just leave them standing by the bin and the cleaner can make up their own mind? Kind of a half way house.

I’ve never heard of this being a thing but if it was I’d leave them along with a note.

I worked (briefly) as a hotel receptionist in the UK and frankly it put me off touching anything that people leave behind.

In Turkey we stayed at the same resort a few times when the kids were little. The general rule was look for the pasty kid on the last day and give them your pool toys/inflatables. On our third year the cleaner recognised us and asked very politely if they could have any inflatables, toiletries etc we wouldn't be taking back. We were very happy to oblige. They did ask that we wrote a note explaining we were happy to give them so they weren't accused of stealing as they had searches every day on leaving the resort.

I've been to Cape Verde a couple of times, and always left things for the maids to take. It's very poor, and toiletries, pain killers and sanitary products are very expensive as everything has to be imported.

The second time I went, I took extra specifically for them.

I remember giving the maid a tip of around £20 at the end of the holiday, and she cried because it was the equivalent of a month's wages.

We made friends with a barman in Turkey once ( still in touch occasionally almost 25 years on). He told us to leave any opened toiletries, as they weren’t paid much and they were very grateful. He also asked if I had any paperbacks as his sister was studying English and books in English were very expensive. I left him a heap of them (pre kindle days) and you would have thought I had given him a million quid! We also tipped him, and when we got home sent him an old mobile phone, as he said they were totally unaffordable for him, he sent me a beautiful thank you card. So I don’t get the posters that are horrified by leaving stuff, when people don’t earn much they are often very happy to get stuff like this. And if they don’t want it, the bin is right there.

No, never heard of that. I just leave a tip where that's the done thing.

This is such a good idea. I always leave a tip as a one off in the room before checking out.

Exactly. A dd working in Ethiopia used regularly to take back a suitcase of still good but no longer wanted e.g. men’s shirts, and all sorts. They were all very happily received. Returning once for their orthodox Christmas (6th Jan) she took really nice soap for the women, since the only affordable stuff locally wasn’t at all nice, and not cheap either.

Returning once to Haiti she took a whole large suitcase full of 2nd hand children’s shoes, given by friends and family, for the many children who couldn’t go to school because they had no shoes. Might add that at check in she told BA staff what was in the case, and they waived the hefty excess baggage charge.

Some MNers evidently have absolutely no idea.

Morocco is a middle income country with a healthy economy, it doesn't have large swathes of the population so poor they are desperate for half empty toiletries. You encountered someone either exceptionally poor or very polite. It's definitely not an example of somewhere with a desperate population grateful for every scrap!

Tunisia is a much poorer country so I can't comment on that.

I take very short business trips around the world and try not to check luggage, so will buy shower gel, shampoo etc in Boots after security at the airport. As I use very little of it and can’t take it home, I will leave it for staff on the desk with a tip. Throwing away just feels really wasteful.

When travelling to countries where the staff are likely to be living in relative poverty, I’ve never left used items but I have deliberately packed things with the intention of giving them away e.g unopened perfume, children’s clothes and shoes. I usually suggest they either keep or pass on to someone who will appreciate. This would be in addition to a tip.
I don’t think I’d feel it was ever appropriate to leave used toiletries for someone.

Would you be happy to be tipped a half empty bottle of shampoo then? The issue is not everyone is going to appreciate it and some will be insulted by it.