Is this unhygienic?!

[loislaneloves]

I have an Airbnb on my property. It’s basically a tiny home at the bottom of our large garden with an amazing view. Most people come for the weekend by train and I don’t want people to spend their holiday shopping for stuff like coffee, tea, milk or having to cram suitcases full of toiletries or beach towels so I provide all of those. I also provide a little evening snack (crisps usually) some wine to watch the sun set on the deck with and fruit from the garden and a croissant and jam for breakfast. People love it and I make it quite clear on my ads that these things are provided.
Just got a review from a couple who stayed with us a few days ago. They gave us a good review but took one star off and in her private message to me she said ‘We loved our stay with you but we weren’t very happy that the toiletries are in big shared bottles rather than individual use. This is obviously very unhygienic (we don’t know who has used them!!) so we had to make the trip to buy some for ourselves which was an expense and effort we weren’t expecting’.
To be clear I offer Aesop Shower Gel, Shampoo and Conditioner in the shower and Aesop Hand Wash by the sink in 500ml bottles. They get replaced when empty which is usually about every 10 months
AIBU to think this is not unhygienic?!

Even if I wash my hands, I still have to touch the door on the way out. They normally open inwards in my area, so have to be pulled.

Could you say why, without the answer being "Because I have severe germ-related OCD"? Because if that is the answer then it's not something the OP should be penalised for in reviews of her accommodation.

FWIW I have slight OCD with germs and still think this is utterly ridiculous.

Since when was soap unhygienic?

No. She's being a prissy pearl clutcher. Unless she thinks a previous guest would go out of their way to spit/pee in them there's no risk to things like this that's any greater than being in contact with humans period.

Also, what magical properties do people think little bottles have that means they cannot be refused and refilled in exactly the same way large ones are? If you object to communal large bottle of shampoo, why would communal small bottles be better?

Shared use pump bottles are normal in hotels nowadays, not universal but widely offered. The 4* hotel where I stayed in central London last week had them. I also prefer them to individual bottles which are wasteful. You really can't please everyone. Shrug and move on.

To be honest I don't fully trust a place with 100% 5 star reviews. I prefer a 4.8 star, read the 4 star review and think "so everything else really must have perfect and this wanker only moaned about the shampoo bottle which doesn't bother me" and book.

It’s not unhygienic as long as nobody has tampered with them and deposited any kind of other fluids in them is my immediate thought.

She's being ridiculous. What on earth is "unhygienic" about big pump bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and handwash?

I hope she always closes the lavatory lid before she flushes. Now, not doing that is unhygienic.

I think you'll find this was a change that came ina few years ago; (was it in the EU?); it was considered wasteful for hotels to provide all those little individual bottles.
They ALL now provide large bottles - sometimes attached to the wall.
This is now the norm

@loislaneloves OP, this woman was ridiculous. Large dispensers are definitely the way to go for sustainability reasons. There is nothing unhygenic about using any kind of liquid from a dispenser - even a bar of soap is ok in my book - it's literally there to remove germs FFS. Maybe you could pre-empt nonsense of that kind by putting up a little note in the bathroom explaining your reasons - environmental one being the most important? Everything you've described is completely fine for any normal human being without some incredibly rare immune disorder!

She’s being an entitled twat.

Don't know how people like this get through life tbh. She must be extremely hard work. Don't give it another thought, OP; your place sounds lovely!

By that context then, is it unhygienic to use a public toilet where the soap is in a dispenser over the wash basins ?? FFS, some people are so precious!
OP, I’d suggest that you tweak your promotion material to state ‘ toiletries are provided but these are not single use packaging, we do this to prevent waste and keep our costs down’. Also consider naming the brand. Good luck with your enterprise, it sounds a lovely place to stay. 💐

Just two things, OP:

1. Review is ridiculous.
2. Can I come and stay at your Airbnb? It sounds amazing.

😁

Surely people aren't so bored on their holiday that they take time to wank/ spit/ shit into toiletry bottled the owner has fixed to the wall. That would be an impressive level of commitment.

They left a really nice public review, no reference to the offending toiletries but gave us 4 stars for cleanliness. The message she sent was part of the private message you can send when you finalise a review and no one else can read it.
Now I’ve thought about it that makes it worse as it would have clarified to other readers why they thought it reasonable to drop a star so now it just makes it seem if the place was dirty in some way

So you've got tap poop on your sleeve, washing your hands is only an 'if', and then you get your hands/sleeve dirty again as you open the door? So the soap dispenser and it's cleanliness doesn't really factor in to the equation either way. 🤷🏻

I would put it out of your mind completely..Most short stay hotel places now have big refillable bottles of shampoo, liquid soap etc screwed to the wall. What's the big deal ? You put it on your skin and then you wash it off. No point getting your knickers in a knot about this.

I think you can ask her to remove the review (if within 30 days). If you explain it would be better to have no review at all than one that negatively impacts your otherwise 5 star rating given its a very subjective issue. Surely anyone with an ounce of reason would happily remove the review. You could also say you appreciate her messaging privately but, in actual fact, it would have been better if her reasoning were public so others can judge the batshittery for themselves

Poop germs are everywhere. I'm not generally afraid of germs, I just don't want them on my hands.

I believe you can reply to reviews?

She's being silly. It's perfectly normal and not unhygenic to use hand wash, shower gel, shampoo etc from dispensers in all sorts of settings. Small bottles are very wasteful.

It's different from something like a pot of moisturiser where you dip your finger in. I assume you are not providing stuff like that.

Maybe make sure you are providing pump dispensers which minimise contact with the neck/inside of the bottle? And have photos of you nice dispensers on your airbnb listing so people know what to expect (in case they are weirdly fussy)

I wouldn’t use the shampoo and conditioner because I use specific ones. I’d happily use the hand gel (how does she manage in public toilets?!) and shower gel though.
She’s being a knob.

Why? They are literally pouring it out. Doesn't impact what is inside the bottle?

When you go to a cafe and pull out the chair to sit down there will be a million poop germs on the back part you have just touched from all the people ( men) who didnt washed their hands after having a poo. You should use your sleeve technique there too.