Bathroom Miniatures: Is This the End?
With the big players in the hospitality industry making the move, and guest expectations changing, is this the end of the single-use miniatures and should your hotel be making the change too?
For years, hotel visitors have loved the mini fancy shampoos, but the reality is that over 200m miniature bottles are being dumped in landfill each year, and with guest expectations dramatically changing and today’s consumer becoming much more eco-conscious, there needs to be a better way.
Low-cost chains have long been making the switch to bulk dispensers and multipurpose products that promise to do multiple jobs (ie shampoo and condition), but upmarket chains are now following the trend.
Earlier this year, InterContinental Hotels Group announced they plan to transition their entire hotel portfolio to bulk-size bathroom amenities by the end of 2021, eliminating the current use of 200 million bathroom miniatures every year.
Following IHG’s footsteps, Marriott also announced they’ll be eliminating single-use toiletry bottles across their hotels worldwide. The hospitality giant has already rolled out pump-topped bottles in some of their hotels, that can contain the same amount of product as 12 smaller bottles, and expects the overwhelming majority of its entire portfolio to switch over by December 2020.
What’s more, legislators in California have banned miniature bathroom bottles, prohibiting hotels from providing shampoo, hair conditioner or bath soap in plastic containers that are intended to be non reusable and have less than a 6-ounce capacity.
Today’s guests are looking for hotels to make changes that positively impact the environment without sacrificing the quality of the service and experience they expect, meaning it’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly. As different types of hotels across the globe begin to shun miniatures and California is hoping to ban them all together, this is the time to make sure your hotel is acting and keeping up with the trends.
