The end of small bottles in hotel rooms

Major hotel chains are removing the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body gel from their rooms. The tiny bottles, common in many business hotels bathrooms, are being replaced by large bottles with pumps attached to the wall.

The InterContinental Hotels and Marriott International in the U.S. are the frontrunners in the trend. Although large bottles are somewhat cheaper, the decision to get rid of the small bottles is not necessarily part of a cost-cutting operation.

First of all, using larger, multi-use bottles is more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for guests to call the front desk for toiletries. The third reason comes from housekeeping and maintenance department managers, that argue that small caps can fall down drains and back up plumbing.

TravelandLeisure reports that until now, programs like Clean the World partner with hotels to collect old, unused toiletry supplies and redistribute them to those in need; it has redistributed over 41 million bars of soap since 2009.

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