The HH had a weeklong business meeting in Seattle {of all places!} this past week and since spouses are encouraged to go, I went along for the free food, entertainment and fun. HELLO… free staycation… why not? Right?
Anywho, when it was time to pack up and go home I took a few things with me:
2 Bottles of free water
2 Tazo tea bags
2 Sugar Packets
2 Unused travel cups
4 Travel size shampoo/conditioner/shower gel
1 Mini soap
Heck ya, I took the free loot. I’m not afraid to admit it.
Am I weird? Do you think it’s appropriate to take the unused stuff home home with you? Those cute little shampoo and lotion bottles are great for camping {not that I camp, but…} and the little bars of soap, they are great to set out for houseguests. Don’t you think?
I mean if you paid for the room {or in this case the HH’s company paid for it} it is included in the cost of the room, right?
Am I crazy?
Why does $1.00 worth of freebies make me SO HAPPY?
Do you do this too?
What do you take home with you from your hotel stays? Or do you leave it all behind?
~Mavis
Yavonna says
I take it and if you take it the first day. 🙂 they will put more in the room. I take i have a friend who uses it in her camper and also they give it to the Veterans Hospital for the families to use while the are staying at the hospital with loved one often people travel far for care.
ruthie says
Heck ya! I’m at a hotel right now and I’m planning on taking the items that are offered for free! – shampoo, conditioner, shower cap ( to use for a bowl cover for salads, etc), water bottles, chocolate! Yep – I’m happy!
Gerene says
I did a similar trip last week in Bellevue and my fiancés company always book the Hyatt for these trips… Not the greatest hotels but the service is fantastic and the mini conditioner smells amazing! I’ve taken to just ordering the mini products I love in full sized when I can find them ( The Chrysalis in Belllingham carries divine spa products)
And I often find the hotel has already done the research for me to find a good price point.
There is no shame in my game when it comes to the freebies! I made delicious cold pressed coffee with the little Starbucks single serve pouches and have a cute little supply of soap and lotions in my guest bath for company. They are also great to refill and fly with. No shame- my theory isn’t that they are free but covered in the $250-$400/ night room rate…. The hotels understand it’s why they re-use pillows and don’t wash converters after each guest.
Save save save!
Heather says
It makes my hubby nuts, but I too take the unused cups, teas, coffee and sugar packages along with the toiletries. My step mom ups the game with snagging the unused toilet paper roll…the one with the wrapper on it! HA!
Dale says
I used to travel overseas a lot and I found that the Hotels especially in Dubai would have these great little sewing kits. I collected all I could and still have a few. Came in handy in the Desert on 90 and 120 day rotations. Also emerates Airlines provided all business and 1st class passengers with a complete toiletry kit. Got a few of those too. Awsome!
Terri T. says
I do the same! I take all the freebies with me and use them in other trips, so I don’t have to pack the big ones….
Bren says
I leave it all most of the time. I am picky about what I put on my body and i already have more tea, coffee, sugar, than I can drink in years in my preps at home. If it was an especially nice shampoo or tea I’d take it but most of the time it’s not nice enough for me to care since I already have a year or more worth of all of it that I eventually need to give away before it gets stale.
Kathy Findley says
I sometimes take things, and sometimes don’t. It depends on how much of that stuff I have at home.
I do use the Sheraton signature shampoo and conditioner, Shine. It is the best shampoo and conditioner I have ever found! It is pricey, but well worth it. The only place I have been able to find it is by ordering it from the Sheraton Web site.
Sandra says
I used to travel for work, and collected quite a few of the freebies. I donated most of them to a women’s shelter. AAA has a travel toiletries drive once a year. I believe they donate the goods to homeless shelters.
I do keep the shower caps to protect my hair while painting ceilings.
Kathy says
Every hotel I have ever stayed at encourages the taking of the toiletries. After working in houskeeping in one for a while I found out why. If it remains behind, used or not, the bottles get thrown out. Reason being they just don’t know what someone may have done to it, if the little bottles can be opened. The items paper wrapped, they donated to either shelters or the Red Cross.
Denise says
Good to know! Thanks!
Jennifer says
I used to take the free things, mostly just the shampoo and conditioner. Sometimes I still do. But then I start thinking about the unnecessary waste in the packaging and the production of plastics and such. And then it’s just not worth it for 25 cents worth of toiletries. Then again, if waste/garbage was a real issue, I should probably bring my own toiletries, right?
Kimberly says
Every time I have asked the housekeeping staff at a hotel, they tell me they are required to just throw the stuff away at the end of the stay-even if its unused/unopened for liability reasons, so in my opinion, it is better to take everything with and give it a good home.
Jessica S says
Husband travels a lot and I go away a few weekends a year and we always collect the personal care items. I have only been in a very small amount of hotels that give you free bottles of water. USUALLY they have a few bottles out and a sign encouraging you to use them.. and then in microprint a note that they will just add the cost to your room bill. When we travel with the kids I always grab those bottles and shove them behind the television. One week they never caught on to my sneaky ways and charged me for 7 bottles! I took them down to the front desk, explained they were all shoved behind the tv to prevent the kids from drinking! They refunded my $20+ charge! lol
Patricia says
I never take take the travel toiletries, just as Bren says I mostly don’t like what’s on display and the clutter of small things makes me crazy 😉 The food is a different thing though… don’t want it to got to waste, do we?
Also I worked in housekeeping for a while and in Germany as long as it’s unopened it will not be changed for the next guest and fortunately my hotel switched to wall soap dispensers after a while which are a great, environment-friendly option.
Catherine says
I take the freebies. I often don’t use most of them myself, but instead, I take them to our church to be distributed to our homeless friends who come to the church needing assistance. The church creates bags of toiletries to pass out to folks who need them, so we are encouraged to collect the travel sized shampoo, etc and bring them for that ministry.
Mary Ann says
I work at home and need to get out of here as much as possible to keep my sanity, so we go to Vegas once or twice a month (easy 3-1/2 to 4 hour drive from So Cal). Since I gamble all of my rooms/suites are comped, but I still consider the toiletries to be part of that comp! I used to take them daily and they would be replaced when the room was cleaned, but I don’t bother getting the room cleaned during our 2 night stays. I always bring my own toiletries anyway, so I collect what’s there and either give them to family or donate them to a shelter. There’s never any free waters in the room unless my casino host sends them along with my snack amenity basket, but when I get them I always bring them home to be used.
Vy says
Heck yeah I take the free stuff! I have one drawer in the bathroom where I put extras like deodorant, toothpaste, etc and my kids and I pull from there if they need anything for overnights, friends staying over, guests, travel, camping, between shopping trips and so on. That’s right where the freebies go.
I also have a picnic/park bag packed in the garage (also use it camping) where I stash the extra teas and sweeteners. I pulled out an assortment of teas while group camping once and was the savior of the chilly morning.
AlysonRR says
I travel 2-3 times a year and I do take the shampoo/conditioner/soap/lotion. I don’t generally bother with the tea/coffee (I’m picky about the former and don’t drink the latter), water, or extra cups (reusable cups/mugs/bottles travel with us at all times).
I put the extra toiletries in my kids bags for weekend trips and for camp. I also use them to assemble guest baskets for the bathroom when we have company. After a year or two, if they haven’t been used, I’ll donate them to the food pantry or the school backpack bag program.
Marcia says
I always take the toiletries. They sit in my cupboard, until I run out of shampoo, then I use them!
and great for camping
Karen says
Family violence centers can always use these small toiletries. Mothers and children–alas–often leave their homes with little but the clothes on their backs. Also, save the dental goodie bags that you receive at a hygienist visit; homeless and family shelters can always use them.
Coop says
Any hotel extras our family takes and then they get donated to the women’s shelter or collected for mission trips.
Teckla says
They really aren’t free. They’re figured into the cost of the room, so you’re paying for them. Definitely take them home and donate them if you can’t use them. I usually give most of the goodies from my dental cleaning to my sister and brother in law. He keeps the dental floss in his pocket most of the time and they go through the toothbrushes. I use a battery powered brush so seldom use a regular one. I would be willing to donate to shelters, etc., as well if I knew of one near by. For me, taking the wrapped roll of t. tissue would be questionable. Not the same thing; it’s a necessity, there in case the other roll runs out, not for convenience like the toiletries. That’s just my perspective.
Heather says
My father in law goes on business trips every week. He is usually in 2-3 states per week. He grabs all the freebies ,and we take them with us on mission trips or use them for service projects such as Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes.
Sakura says
I travel a few times a month and usually take the lotion, it’s nice having a small bottle in my bag. I collect them for about six months then donate them to our local food bank. I also take the pens and pads, my family uses those all the time. If I don’t use the tea or coffee I take it, my mom likes the single serving filters. The hotel I’m in this weekend has beautiful stationary and post cards that my kids will like.
Kelley says
We might as well take them since they’re included in the cost of the room.
Renae says
I like free things, but I don’t like the unnecessary waste that comes with small packaging, especially when I don’t need it, so I always leave it. I also have stopped signing up for mail freebies for that same reason.
Heather says
I always clean out the swag daily and then when I get a pile I donate it to a battered women’s shelter. I say if your paying for it than it’s ok to take it
Leslie says
I used to travel a LOT for work. Every day I would stick the spare roll of TP in my bag and go home with four rolls per week. I didn’t actually buy toilet paper for several years!
I tried using hotel soap in my laundry detergent blend. Huge mistake. Left a waxy residue on everything. My towels were waterproof!
tc says
YOu pay for them so to avoid waste I always take them each day, it drives my husband nuts too but I use them in our guest bathrooms and I donate to our local branch of Altrusa whos supports the homeless and battered woemns shelters. Nothing goes to waste. the baggies from the dentist, I take a toothbrush and paste in my purse to I always have a way to freshen my breath after a meal, comes in very handy for travelling. The floss I use to tie up plants – it is very useful
I use the shower caps for when I am painting and for covering bows of food at picnics
If you pay for it take it, just don’t waste it, pass it forward to those who can use it.
No, I would never take the toilet paper
Liz says
Remember that the toothpaste goes bad in a year or two. They have expiration dates on the tubes.