A reader who stayed at the Wild Palms Hotel in Sunnyvale, California, which is part of Hyatt’s JdV brand, shared that the property appeared to be using JdV standard amenities in the bathroom – Jonathan Adler brand – but that the housekeeping carts had “bulk, industrial service jugs of DRIFT Hydrated Body Care.”
DRIFT is made and produced by Erwyn Products, a major hospitality industry distributor. They do not appear to carry Johnathan Adler. (JA hospitality amenities are supplied by La Bottega.)
Wild Palms’ own amenities page promises “Jonathan Adler Branded bath toiletries.” If they’re refilling JA‑labeled bottles with a different product, that’s a mismatch with the property’s marketing (and potentially a brand‑standards issue for JdV).
To be clear, the photos do not show these bulk toiletries actually being poured into the in-room bottles. The hotel could claim the DRIFT is for public restrooms or staff use. But they’re on a guest floor housekeeping cart, which makes that implausible.
Jonathan Adler is what I had during my stay at 50 Bowery in New York earlier this year… I think.
Earlier this year I wrote about Hyatt Regency San Francisco appearing to refill bulk shower toiletries in guest rooms with ‘mystery goop from a commercial ketchup jug’.
I have been concerned about these bulk dispensers in rooms replacing individual toiletry bottles to save money for a long time. There are 5 issues with them.
- Authenticity While some upscale hotels in China have been known to distribute counterfeit branded toiletries even in individual bottles to save money, it’s far more likely that you’re getting what’s on the bottle when it’s in the bottle versus just refilled into a branded package on the wall. You don’t know what you’re really getting when you don’t see the package.
- Security Previous hotel guests might find it funny to put something other than shampoo or bath gel in the bottles, or to mix them up. For instance, someone replaced the soap in dispensers at the Detroit airport with bodily fluid and you don’t know who was staying in your room before you. Some hotels use tamper proof mounting on the walls. Many don’t. Or the mounting is left unlocked.
- Germs You should not believe that the dispensers themselves get thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between guests. Here’s a National Institutes of Health study on bacterial contamination of bulk-soap-refillable dispensers.
- Availability Housekeeping just doesn’t refill these, the way it’s obvious when a bottle has been opened or is missing.
I stayed at the same Marriott Courtyard two weeks in a row where I was assigned the same room both times. My bath gel was empty throughout my first stay, and it was still empty a week later.
- Experience. It’s not a premium experience. There’s no ‘take away’ to remember the stay.
Indeed I use shampoo and bath gel at home that I discovered at a hotel, I imagine many of you do too.
Readers sometimes question whether I’m too cynical, thinking that hotels would refill these branded bottles with something cheaper. But they keep doing it.
Secrets in Cancun had Le Labo bottles but they were filled with what smelled like the Hyatt Regency standard brand. I called and complained, housekeeping came with bottles that were actually Le Labo (which is a very unique smell). They claimed it was a mistake.
Busted! Is anyone surprised that this sort of thing would happen?
Gary, what soap do you bring with you to restaurants, airports, etc to ensure you don’t deal with numbers 2 and 3 on your list above when washing your hands, or is it just hotels where you worry about that? Do you use a small bottle of liquid soap, or is there a good travel container for bar soap?
Naw, Gary, keep your cynicism alive; I like when you call out these jokers.
Your continued obsession with someone potentially “placing body fluids” into these hotel dispensers is odd. I like these larger bottles better than little bottles or soap, because one does not run out of supplies.
Ever since Marriott changed to weirdly scented (to me) toiletries about 10-15 years ago, I started to pack my own… and will pull them out if I have the slightest concern about the provided products. As you correctly state, we are not a brand’s customer… we are the product for the hotel management company behind most of the hotels.
Thank you for calling this out – I hope Hyatt starts compliance efforts
In the food industry, we have a saying: “The label is the law”. It’s too bad that there are no such restrictions on commercial toiletry items. However, if they’re advertising Jonathan Adler and they’re providing something in bulk that clearly isn’t, that opens them up for a class action suit.
Since I dislike liquid soap for body washing, and I like my regular shampoo, I bring my own bar soap and shampoo. Problem solved.
This is the kind of $h1t that was bound to happen when hotels and idiot legislative bodies decided that single-serve packaged toiletries were evil and ungreen. Of course, that was never the issue. And hotels went “green” because they could be cheap. And this is more evidence of that motivation. Glad that these guys were busted, though I am sure that they are very far from alone.
And those reusable containers are prone to not being properly maintained, leading to empty and/or filthy products coming out of them. Not to mention some of the gross things that people can do to them for kicks. Give me the little shampoos and soaps any day!
@stogieguy7 — Naw, this is just the hotel being cheap; it’s not an indictment of attempting better policies on climate, pollution, etc. What’s the ‘TDS’ equivalent of hating the environment? The “some of the gross things that people can do to them for kicks” which Gary likes, too, is silly, guys. Like, I try to not ‘yuck’ someone’s ‘yum,’ (or ‘yuck’ someone’s ‘yuck’?), but get your minds outta the gutter.
Jonathan Adler may have something to say about the misuse of its trademark.
JA should do like Marriott and make it impossible to refill the bottle without damaging it.
I ate at a resturant recently that was inside a hotel (not staying at the hotel). I used the restroom, noticed there were a bunch of suds in the sink already, thought it was strange, and I was washing my hands realized that someone had left a hotel room-style bulk dispenser of shampoo for resturant guests instead of hand soap. I discretely told a staff member about it.
@jack the ladd — I like where your head is at. Time to hire an intellectual property attorney and sue, sue, sue for trademark infringement, false advertising, and breach of contract, since this Hyatt hotel misrepresented their product and did not ensure quality control! Maybe there are some California state consumer protection laws afoot as well. And, if any guests were injured, sounds like product liability case, a risk to JA, so, an incentive for them to enforce its trademark immediately. Let’s go!
I’d wager that the hotel restaurant condiments with fancy-ish labels (ketchup, mustard, steak sauce…) and top-shelf spirits at the hotel bar are refilled with cheap substitutes too.
@1990: I’ve cleaned up more of the environment in my career than most crowds at a “climate change” march combined. Been an environmental scientist for 30+ years, and have managed projects around the world, so you’ve picked the wrong guy to lecture on this. Most of this “sustainability” nonsense does little to no good and some is actually detrimental.
It is illegal in the United States to fill these brand named bottles with some thing other than what is supposed to be in there.
If you find such a thing happening, document it and call the attorneys at
Morgan & Morgan in Orlando, FL. They will bring it to court for you.
Ugh, yea, I know it’s better for the environment and probably hotel costs to use this larger bottles. But from a hygiene perspective, it’s absolutely disgusting to be sharing like that. I just bring my own small bottles which defeats the purpose of the environmental savings.
This is very dangerous and plausibly deadly. People with severe allergies could be affected with unknown ingredients in the unknown product.
@1990 I hate to break it to you, but people DO in fact do sick things in hotel rooms. If you go down the right (wrong?) rabbit holes, there are sadly plenty of videos. I knew someone who enjoyed those videos, he thought they were hilarious. When we traveled he would never use anything our of the refillable bottles, any glassware unless he washed it, and forget in-room coffee.
I bring my own bar soap and bar shampoo. You can get mesh pouches for the bars that act like a loofah/scrubby, and they have strings or ribbon so it can hang to dry. Ziplock bag for throwing in your suitcase. Easy peasey, and I don’t have to worry about my skin sensitivity.
Would be worth contacting Jonathan Adler with your findings. I’m sure they would have something to say about misuse of their branding.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Don’t lie about the product you’re offering. It hurts you AND that products reputation.
If you had to change, fine. But put up a note or tell folks at check in.
I once stayed at a Kimpton that was filling their AB bottles with the same off brand crap they have at Quality Inn.
And recently I stayed at a Hyatt property in the bay area that advertised that they have a local San Francisco brand, but I could tell the bottles were filled with Pharmocopia. I was told by front desk that they had officially switched brands to pharmacolia. But their website and the in room branding advertised otherwise.
I always mention these things in my evaluations but management never cares. I guess most people don’t care?
@O’Hare – and the only ones who make money on a class action lawsuit are the attorneys . . . Ruling goes against the hotel and, woohoo, all is solved.
If this is what Hyatt is pulling, just imagine what Unscrupulous stuff Marriott is getting away with!!
@stogieguy7 — You’re a climate scientist for 30 years in-favor of more plastic? Who did you work for, Exxon-Mobile, Conoco Phillips, or Royal Dutch Shell… Psh. Not lecturing; mocking.
OMG.
Who gives a flying f*** about this trivial indiscretion?
Get an actual life!
First world problems for sure.
Bring your own products. Problem solved.
I don’t book hotels based on the brand of soap. Very first world concern.
Call me cynical….but now they will have Jonathan Adler bulk containers on the cart and still simply fill them with Drift product. No winning in this game until properties are forced back to individual use, safety sealed products.
@Arthur Nelson — Naw, just refill with what they say is in the bottle. That’s it. Simple. Fair.
Thank you for writing this article
You bring up several valid points regarding health and safety. I don’t believe its a “weird obsession” at all. Now that readers are aware of hotel practices, they can make an informed decision on their next steps. I will continue to pack my preferred travel-sized toiletries, ensuring they contain the authentic products of my choice.Thank you again for the enlightenment!
I bring my own. That way I know what I’m using.
If they cheat on soap what else do they cheat with you? Traveling industry – the Worst!! See Chris Elliot
Further why I bring my own BBW soap and my shampoo and conditioner
As an industry professional for 20 years, please do not encourage using single use plastic bottles. The vast majority of these bottles are thrown away, causing a massive waste issue considering how long they take to decompose. California legislates for bulk bottles for this very reason.
Not worth worrying over. There are greater injustices in the worldzz
@Jack Sims — Clearly, and we aren’t doing much about those, either; gotta start somewhere. Let’s start with refilling the proper soap; then build up to tackle the greater dishonesty and harms.
This is one properly documented example of a distinctive difference BUSTED. Premium hotel & resort brands will have to stretch their revenue other ways than being blatantly obvious in short changing the guest or the guest will simply “check out” never to return with wallet in hand. Higher end guests at premium branded hotels don’t bother to complain or demand to see the manager for a possible discount at checkout or free valet.. they simply walk away and tell their friends.