Travel Tips

Travel Tip: How to Put Hotel Toiletries to Good Use

Malawi_MothersEver wonder what happens to those little bottles of shampoos and body wash in hotels? There’s no doubt that hotel toiletries can be wasteful, but there are some good things happening out there.

The good news is there’s a non-profit called Clean the World that actually collects semi-used toiletries. Those items are recycled and repurposed into hygiene kits for communities in need. Why? Because they can help prevent communicable diseases and infection.

The Global Soap Project is a similar program, collecting used bars of soap from hotels. They melt them down into new ones, and provide them to people in need.

Some hotels are now skipping the travel-sized bottles altogether. Brands like Four Points by Sheraton, Element, and Aloft hotels are all putting full-sized dispensers of soaps and shampoos in their bathrooms. Don’t worry, it’s hygienic.

But, if you can’t resist those little sample-sized bottles…don’t feel bad about taking them home with you. That’s what the hotels want. It’s a branding strategy—they’re hoping it makes you remember your trip and hopefully come back again.

For more information, visit the Hotels & Accommodations Archives.

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