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Hot on the heels of IHG, Marriott recently announced that it would also be scrapping single-use toiletries from its hotels:
“Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced that it’s expanding an initiative to replace tiny, single-use toiletry bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel in guestroom showers with larger, pump-topped bottles.
To date, the company has already rolled out larger bottles at about 1,000 properties in North America, and now expects most of its other hotels to make the switch by December 2020.
When fully implemented across the globe, Marriott International’s expanded toiletry program is expected to prevent about 500 million tiny bottles annually from going to landfills; that’s about 1.7 million pounds of plastic, a 30 percent annual reduction from current amenity plastic usage.”
CEO, Arne Sorensen, had this to say about the change:
“This is our second global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics in just over a year, which underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact. It’s a huge priority for us…Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels.”
Bottom line
What do you think about this new trend of removing single-use toiletries? Would it potentially influence which hotel company you choose to stay with (positively or negatively), or do you just not really care that much either way?
Let us know in the comments!
Honestly? I hate it , and will actively give my business to hotel groups and keep single use. And before everyone goes all Greta on me, I get the environmental argument, but sadly as much as the change is pitched at this, we’re not stupid. We all know full well this is a cost saving exercise dressed up . Same with “can we change your sheets less”, and “please use your towels for a month if poss.. Until stupid airline liquid bans are lifted, those of us who try to travel light or HLO can depend on these items. I wouldn’t mind so much if the products were upgraded, but i dont see full size Molton Brown products being anchored to a Hilton shower near you, any time soon!
Slightly different topic but I do have a cranky “do hotels actually intend to give you those points for forgoeing cleaning” post in me…
Apart from SPG back in the day, I’ve never actually received the points I’m supposed to receive…
I have no issue providing the same quality is maintained.
I have been to first class lounges with good quality wall mounted or large shower gels bottles.
But I do agree with Gordon S that if they are expecting us to pay same amounts and give bad toiletries to make a profit, customers will not be happy.
Good point re airport lounges – I doubt many people would be upset by the multi-use Aesop ones in Cathay’s First Class lounges. Unfortunately, I won’t hold out too much hope of seeing one of those next time at a Holiday Inn or whatever.
I stayed in a voco recently they had aveda products, yet I also stayed in a holiday inn express and they had random stuff that stank of coconut. Both £80 a night.
Bravo! Finally seeing action going green! after all, most of those products are chemical-laden toxins, so saving up on the unnecessary packaging pollution plus disposal of unwanted unused stuff.
I have stayed at a number of Kimptons where they have used full sized bottles of a decent quality. Aman resorts have been doing this for a while and they have really good quality products. They get around the walkies issue by having a price tag on them; and aman has pottery storage so you can’t take it with you.
Equally I have stayed at a number of Intercontinental’s that had god knows what shampoo in their generic white plastic bottles (even Thalasso.)
Brands need to take control as Kimpton / Aman have done to protect their standards, otherwise this process will likely backfire and end up causing more emissions as our luggage gets heavier.
from what i know all those single bottle soaps and things.people put them in they bag when they leave and they have many.one chap on GMB said he always takes the freebies and now he has a suit case full.some of the hotels now put bigger refill bottles as a previous comment said.in long run i think that maybe better in cost for the hotel and don,t blame them.i have taken those small bottles if i needed one for the next stage of the trip but if i don,t need i leave them behind.same goes for a towell how many hotels lose them as well
I wouldn’t mind if the toiletries provided by hotels were of some quality and environmentally friendly, but for the most part, they are not. The smell of some of these cheap, bulk-produced products is nauseating, and personally I shudder when I see the same bottle containing the same all-purpose product at the bathroom sink and in the shower–there’s no escaping it. I carry my own bar of quality soap for this reason, and as environmentally friendly shampoo can also be purchased in solid blocks, that will also be my own choice for future hotel stays.
The outcome may be a financial saving for the hotel company and the impact of saving a few plastic bottles compared to the rest of the junk mankind generates may be insignificant, but it is a step in the right direction.
I hate them! They are unhygienic and always broken. In the shower they grow mould and bacteria and you can never get the product out.
I fully agree on the plastic waste but the slightly bigger bottles are STILL SINGLE USE PLASTIC! This is nonsense. There are now environmentally friendly alternatives available such as non plastic sachets, and many emerging new sustainable materials for packaging.
Come on Marriott! Get creative nor cheapskate!