Upscale hotel toiletries too good to leave behind
Some of the miniature upscale hotel toiletries at hotels and resorts are so beautifully bottled, fabulously scented and downright seductive they seem to dare guests: Try me. See if you can resist taking me home!
Hotel partnerships
Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts partnered with Salvatore Ferragamo Parfums to place an exclusive line of Tuscan Soul amenity products in 22 of its hotels worldwide this year.
Mandarin Oriental Hotels in Boston, New York, Barcelona and Munich feature Red Flower organic products, known for their fresh scent as well as the company’s commitment to health and the environment. The popularity of Red Flower soared after it was initially launched at trendy Barney’s in New York.
Legendary Hermes was founded in Paris in 1837. Guests at any of the 10 Hotels Barriere properties in France (and one in Marrakech) receive a half-ounce gift bottle of the elegant Hermes fragrance, Un Jardin sur le Nil.
A complete personal travel kit awaits guests in W Hotels, with samples of Bliss signature lemon and sage products, such as Body Butter, Soapy Suds Body Wash, Body Bar, Fabulous Foaming Face, and a shampoo and conditioner duo. In the Fort Lauderdale W Hotel, a full-service Bliss spa and store are just off the lobby so guests can sample and purchase other products.
Some hotels, such as Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, select individual product lines for different properties. Owner Ty Warner personally selected Bulgari green tea toiletries for Rosewood’s Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 2.5-ounce plastic bottles of hair and body products conveniently conform to airline carry-on size regulations.
Upscale hotel toiletries: A win-win-win for hotels
How does all this luxury play out? A USA Today poll of more than 2,500 travelers found that 56 percent said they take toiletries home. And that’s a win-win-win for hotels, fragrance brands wanting notice, and travelers.
[This article was previously published in The Chicago Tribune.]
My philosophy is: When in doubt, take ’em all.
Offering those sample sized toiletries definitely pays off for many marketers, at least when it comes to me. I’m a sucker for them.
Sheryl, I love the idea of being able to try new products, myself!
We have to admit we loved this article, and it’s true that upscale amenities are definitely something we look for when we travel. Our favorite room amenities have been found at Four Seasons (L’Occitane) and Mandarin Oriental (Bvlgari). And yes, we took as many of them home with us as we could! You definitely feel pampered when you are provided with luxury amenities.
My favourite ones are the Aveda miniatures, I’m glad its not just me who has appreciation for tiny little bottles of toiletries.
On our recent trip to the Alps in France, we stayed at a nice (ish) hotel and they only put out a rubbish sachet of shower gel- not even a tiny bar of soap- I was pretty taken-aback, is that bad?
Wandering Albatross
Hi Helen,
I love the opportunity to try new products….but I think as more properties are becoming more ecologically minded and cutting back on costs, the little bottles may one day become collectibles 🙂
Irene
oooowwww, I love the environment but I also love those little bottles of decadence, they make me feel so pampered and well looked after. oh the moral dilemma!
Better packaging would be a good solution, but I bet that’ll cost more money and companies don’t seem to have a lot of that at the moment.
arh well, I suppose a warm comfortable bed is what truly matters 🙂