Should I put bathroom dispensers in my hotel?

As a hotelier who is looking for ways to become more sustainable you may ask yourself, should I switch from small toiletry bottles to bathroom dispensers? How will my guests feel about my hotel having bathroom dispensers?

The truth is, there is a global movement encouraging hotels to be more sustainable and reduce plastic and this can be accomplished by providing bathroom dispensers rather than single-use toiletries. However, there is still concern about guest expectations that are holding many hoteliers back from making the switch.

Will my guests think I am just reducing costs?

Although the perception in the past has been, that hotels are switching to dispensers just to reduce costs, many guests are now seeing the real reasons why hotels are making the change -  to become more sustainable and reduce plastic waste. So anything you can do to reduce your carbon footprint will be gratefully welcomed by your guests.

Will guests be upset we don’t have complimentary toiletries they can take with them?

Again, with guests and travellers being more sustainably focused and minimising waste on their travels, the trend of swiping everything out of the hotel room into their suitcases has dramatically reduced.

A way you can compromise in this situation is to provide a matching moisturiser in a small tube or bottle that they can take with them. This is still a large reduction in waste with only having one product in a small bottle or tube.

Offering the dispenser product at reception for the guests to buy also allows them to take their experience home with them and gives you another revenue stream.

Will our guests think bathroom dispensers are unhygienic?

Some guests will still be wary of the hygiene affiliated with the dispenser since the previous guest used the bottle, so it is imperative that if you are using refillable dispensers, you have strong operating procedures in place to ensure the dispensers are hygienically refilled. Then let your guests know in your compendiums that you have these strict procedures in place for their safety. Here is a helpful article for you to read on the advantages and disadvantages of refillable vs non-refillable dispensers.

Will using bathroom dispensers affect the guest experience?

Guest experience is still such an important part of a hotel’s focus. Guests certainly don’t want their guest experience compromised through your efforts of becoming more sustainable.

When it comes to choosing a dispenser system, you need to ensure you put in the right system in place to complement and align with the story of your property. Guests don’t want to see anything that looks or feels ‘commercial’ or feels like they are in a public washroom.

So, although some guests may feel that dispensers affect their experience, they can in fact do the opposite and improve their experience. Due to the fact that most dispensers are more cost-effective for hotels than small bottles, this allows you to align with higher-quality brands that you wouldn’t normally be able to afford. This allows you to enhance the guest experience while not costing you more.

What do I do with the dispensers after they have been used?

Whatever your hesitations or questions may be, one thing is for certain, roughly 95% of the plastic used in your hotel room ends up in the landfill where it sits for hundreds of years… so it’s no wonder your guests want to see dispensers in your bathrooms.

If you’re unsure how to dispose of the dispenser bottles after they have been used, The Hotel WEKA is a great end-to-end recycling program that makes it super easy for you to ensure that 100% of your dispenser plastics are recycled - and that’s a great story to share.

If you are debating the merits of bathroom dispensers, I do suggest you stop delaying the inevitable and make the call. We have had many hoteliers make the call to join in the movement to bathroom dispensers, and have been amazed at the positive guest feedback.

After all, reducing our environmental impact as an industry is something we are all focused on, and bathroom dispensers can certainly help accomplish this goal.

Have more questions? Or need help finding the best solution for you? Fill out the form below – we would love to help.

 

For more information check out: