Do Hotel Toiletries Influence Your Stay?

Everyone has a checklist of what they look for in a hotel, whether it's location, amenities such as a pool, bar or restaurant,a king size bed or even fluffy robes hanging in the wardrobe. For some people, one item on their hotel checklist is what toiletries the hotel provides. Believe it or not, there's some people that will travel far and wide for those little hotel luxuries and with hotels these days stocking even more luxurious products, paying a premium for a room with Elemis miniatures included doesn't seem so bad. 

There's something incredibly satisfying about walking into a hotel bathroom and seeing a line of luxury toiletries lined up on the porcelain sink. It's that small reminder that paying premium does sometimes pay off and that even though we shouldn't take them, those toiletries are a little gift to ourselves once we depart the serenity of the plush hotel suite and go back to our dull, far from luxurious lives.

Having stayed at many hotels over the years I admit I love seeking out the best hotel toiletries - I even go as far as Googling the products they stock before I visit and there's nothing more that I love while on holiday than coming back to my hotel room after a day of walking around the city than relaxing in a deep bath and pampering myself with products I probably spend less on at home. Do they define the hotels I pick? Not really, but it's a nice little bonus if they do stock nice toiletries. 

Why do people care so much about toiletries?

You have several different types of people - the Instagrammers who want to show off to their friends, those that love a 'freebie' or want to stock up on travel size products and those generally who enjoy that added bit of luxury in their hotel rooms and like to try new brands. I think I'm an amalgamation of all three.

Is it right to take hotel toiletries home?

The jury is undecided on this one. Many people believe they are a perk of staying in a nice hotel, whilst others think it's just too greedy. As much as I love these little toiletries I'm very much on the fence -  having worked in a hotel before I have seen people request extra toiletries just so they can take them home and I know how much of a drain on resources it can be, however those toiletries are there for your use and to make your stay comfortable. If you do end up using them, they cannot be reused.

Which hotels have the best toiletries?

The general rule is the more premium the hotel the better toiletries they have, but it isn't always the case. I have used some lovely toiletries at little B&B's who use locally sourced products, which has made the stay even more special. Also if a hotel has a spa, you're more likely to expect the premium products such as Molton Brown, Elemis etc as they will want to showcase the products that they use in the spa.

Would you pick a hotel purely on the toiletries they have?