Do You Steal Hotel Bath Amenities?

by Gary Leff

Hyatt actually invites you to steal their bath amenities.

This reminds me of Holiday Inn’s towel amnesty But presumably Hyatt’s permission here means ‘take the ones with you that are in your room’ and not, however, ‘raid the housekeeping cart which they’re in the supply closet’.

Do you take hotel bath amenities with you? Which hotels offer the most theft-worthy ones?

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. One complete set of toiletries is included into the daily room rate (reasoning: price per night is usually the same for 1 night stay and multiple night stay). Therefore it is acceptable to take full set of personal toiletries (shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/lotion/toothbrush/comb/etc.) as items you paid for (similar concept to take home part of you dinner if you ordered too much and was unable to eat).
    Having said that I always take only something I may need during my next hotel stay (almost all hotels stock shampoo, many do not provide conditioner/shower gel – so these go into the bag)
    AX

  2. To all of you who are offended by Gary’s casual use of the word “steal”, and especially to #35 Robert Hanson, who unsuccessfully attempted to hijack an otherwise attempt at an interesting/lighthearted thread, I say (and quote): “Lighten up, Francis.”.

    P.S. Our office, like #23 Lark above, has a basket for these things, which are donated to a women’s shelter.

  3. Oh, heck ya…I’ve been doing that for many years and no I don’t consider it stealing. I know it may sound tacky but I usually collect them throughout the year and when I travel to Europe to see my relatives (LOTS of relatives), I use them in gift baskets. It’s amazing how many items, hotels, stores, etc., just give away with purchase or freebie coupons (like free bath & body products). If I’m not going to use it, then give it to someone who will; or donate it.

  5. I second the vote for Aesop at Park Hyatt Tokyo as my favorite. Just stayed at Hyatt Hua Hin and loved it but did not feel the need to take the White Ginger amenities.

  7. We are being threatened with the slowing down of TSA lines due to laid off agents, and the closing of control towers, “because of the sequester”. Meanwhile the government is spending $50 Million for new uniforms, paying 5X the retail rate despite a massive order. And you find that is of no interest, but the question of whether or not to take a tiny shampoo from a hotel room is an important matter. And you think I’m the kook? 😀

  8. I always take the bath products and then give them away in Third World countries along with colored pencils, stickers, post-it notes, and the like. Kids love them and they are light and easy to carry in luggage. Also, I volunteer at a food pantry and the folks there love the small toiletries, especially the seniors who sometimes don’t like bigger, heavier bottles and also don’t travel as much anymore. For them, the small toiletries are a luxurious treat!

  9. The toiletries are intended to be used up by the person staying in the room. They are part of the price you pay, and it is not stealing if you take along what you do not use right then and there.

  10. I don’t steal them, Lucky. If I like them I will take them since I paid for the room and they are, therefore, mine.

  11. Its funny, I always take the Hyatt Portico soap bars. I actually like them MORE then the new ones. I don’t take the new ones as much as they seam cheaper.

  12. I take the toilet paper too. And I’ll tell you why. There have been too many times when I actually ran out of it! So the extra roll, sometimes 2 roles, really come in super handy. Plus I wash areas or each new room with alcohol to avoid getting sick, and the toilet paper is a requirement.

    And there was once a time when I got the runs before a business meeting, and rather than fiddling around with the airline lounge stall to get a roll released because it’s easier to use, the toilet paper in my bag literally saved my life.

    Could careless if anyone disagrees, but my behind is clean and a disaster was averted.

    And yes, I take the hotel amenities. IC’s Elemis and Conrad’s Acca Kacca are my favorites. In fact the IC’s used to have Elemis at 50ml each, now they are 30ml.

    Disappointed that Hilton switching from Crabtree and Elevyn to Peter Thomas Roth. The aroma-therapy from C&E blue stuff was one of the top reasons I chose Hilton. Although PTR is good, I rather C&E doubly more. Embassy Suites use C&E, but they are not the aroma-therapy release, instead some sort-of coconut crap.

    Thanks.

    ED.

  13. The best of the best:
    — sandalwood soap from Amanjiwo (other than the soap, Aman products are not portable due to their ceramic or glass containers)
    — REN at Rocco Forte hotels and Carlisle Bay
    — Thann at Benesse House (also in ANA’s first-class Suite lounge)
    — Blaise Mautin at Park Hyatt Paris
    — T Plantation at One Aldwych
    — in-house lemon-green tea products at Explora lodges in Chile
    — Aesop at some Park Hyatts and Nimb Copenhagen
    — La Prairie at Four Seasons Milano
    — Miller Harris at Crosby Street and other Firmdale hotels
    — bath products from the Bauer Palazzo in Venice (which are actually made from the botanical gardens of a women’s prison on the neighboring Giudecca — not for sale anywhere)

    OK but not great:

    — L’Occitane at Four Seasons (better than their old in-house brand, but very tired; milk soap smells terrible; props to Four Seasons for at least going with the paraben-free line)
    — Davi at Peninsula (ugly packaging; moisturizer has a funky scent)

    Terrible due to overpowering scents:

    — Hermes, anywhere
    — Bulgari White Tea, anywhere

  14. Just came back from a stay at the Parker Palm Springs, technically a Le Meridien / Starwood property (though about as far from a chain as you can get). They’re legendary in Southern California for providing a true haul for guests: 3.3 oz each of Penhaligon’s shampoo and conditioner, Molton Brown body wash, and Bulgari moisturizer, a mini-jar of Blistex, Hermes hand soap, and L’Occitane body soap. They’re pretty generous with refreshing the products, too. What I love about the Parker is that, rather than source all of their products from one provider, they’ve picked and chosen among the best.

  15. True that bathroom toiletries have been paid for witht he room rate: however 1 set is sufficient for 2 days. What’s really disrepsectful by many is when housekeeping is blatantly asked to deliver 2 sets am and pm. If not delivered, those same have no shame but to raise complaint! Disgraceful!

  16. To follow up on. Ed’s post (#63), I am so happy Hilton switched from Crabtree & Evelyn to Peter Thomas Roth. I used to dread staying at Hilton properties because the C&E stuff is so over-performed I couldn’t stand it. If I used it I’d stink for the rest of the day. Also, rather than wash surfaces with alcohol and the dry with toilet paper, you might consider using hospital-grade disinfecting surface wipes. I do this to avoid getting sick. They kill virtually all viruses and bacteria. I use Super Sani-Cloth because of it’s broad effectiveness.

  17. Intensely dislike Fairmont’s La Labo’s “Rose 31”.

    Love the variety of lemon verbena toiletries you get all over France.

  18. I did it many times. It seems very funny but whenever I found the bath amenities from Inara India in the hotels like Hyatt, Marriott, I used to take them by offering few bucks to the room attendant.

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