Need advice on bath amenities

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Lis7

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Hi all, so happy to find this resource.
I'm looking for advice on what to offer our guests for bathroom amenities like shampoo, conditioner, soap, and anything else that we should consider, like makeup remover or ???.
Which is best, individual items or items you would put in a dispenser? Personally, as a guest I would prefer individual items, but I realize that creates a lot of waste. What do guests like the best?
Also, what brands are best? Where do you buy these items?
Thanks!
Lis
 
We are just getting ready, and I don't have any experience in this area.
 
We are just getting ready, and I don't have any experience in this area..
Do you know what kinds of guests will be likely to come to your place? (Or, what kinds of guests you WANT to come?) Will they be looking for eco-sensitive amenities (dispensers, no plastics, natural-based soaps) or are they more likely just wanting something that gets them clean?
 
We are just getting ready, and I don't have any experience in this area..
Do you know what kinds of guests will be likely to come to your place? (Or, what kinds of guests you WANT to come?) Will they be looking for eco-sensitive amenities (dispensers, no plastics, natural-based soaps) or are they more likely just wanting something that gets them clean?
.
We're in a resort area. Visitors will be people who enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, golf, tennis and fly fishing. We expect couples and families.
 
Dispensers work out more economical but there are a ton of companies who make the little bottles/soaps and shampoos (one on here makes the cutest soap) but it depends on your market ie high end = more expensive amenities and so on. You have to decide what segment you are going for and plan and market to match. we use Out of Eden which is a UK company depends if this would be cost effective.
 
Greenwich Bay does the individual bottles/soaps but I was also able to get a gallon bottle of liquid soap for my dispensers at a reasonable price. This time I got unscented. I can get gallons of soap and conditioner at the local Sal ly's Be auty Sup ply at a very reasnable price. No need to order that. My Eco/Green is to keep the green in MY wallet, it just happens to also work for the eco folks.
 
Check in the resources section. I think there is a listing for Greenwich Bay which lots of innkeepers use
 
I am such a leery anti-spam person now, this always seems to be the one topic we get the most spam about. People always show up with avatars-on their first post and a nice name. I hope I am wrong.
 
We deal with government rating books that give extra points for ecological use, so we use centralized distributors for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Why shower gel? Soap has talc powder that leaves a film on everything, so we don't have any soap on the premises, except for children. We give everyone a facecloth and assume that they know how to use it and use it with shower gel.
On the shelf in the bathroom we have ear buds, cotton pads and cotton balls. A box of tissue and a resealable container of make-up wipes, in hopes that ladies will use that rather than my beautiful white towels. We keep a few shower caps in a container as well. We stay away from too much packaging. It's too complicated to collect the package for recycling and frankly to clean up left over packages left everywhere.
 
I am such a leery anti-spam person now, this always seems to be the one topic we get the most spam about. People always show up with avatars-on their first post and a nice name. I hope I am wrong..
Joey, I am a real person. I like photography, gardening, and also have an ecommerce gift website, so I do a lot of work in the tech area - hence the avatar. I took the photo of the columbine in my garden last spring. I've never heard that having an avatar on an initial post has something to do with spam.
Lis
 
We are just getting ready, and I don't have any experience in this area..
Do you know what kinds of guests will be likely to come to your place? (Or, what kinds of guests you WANT to come?) Will they be looking for eco-sensitive amenities (dispensers, no plastics, natural-based soaps) or are they more likely just wanting something that gets them clean?
.
We're in a resort area. Visitors will be people who enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, golf, tennis and fly fishing. We expect couples and families.
.
Lis7 said:
We're in a resort area. Visitors will be people who enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, golf, tennis and fly fishing. We expect couples and families.
Look around locally first. There are a lot of niche producers all over where you can get soaps. Shampoo/conditioner and that sort of thing you can get at BJ's and the like. The dispensers are even available at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Find a scent that is not too flowery or one that evokes your area. Piney, beachy, citrusy.
 
We deal with government rating books that give extra points for ecological use, so we use centralized distributors for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Why shower gel? Soap has talc powder that leaves a film on everything, so we don't have any soap on the premises, except for children. We give everyone a facecloth and assume that they know how to use it and use it with shower gel.
On the shelf in the bathroom we have ear buds, cotton pads and cotton balls. A box of tissue and a resealable container of make-up wipes, in hopes that ladies will use that rather than my beautiful white towels. We keep a few shower caps in a container as well. We stay away from too much packaging. It's too complicated to collect the package for recycling and frankly to clean up left over packages left everywhere..
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
 
First, thank you everyone for your helpful ideas!
I have some questions about the shower dispensers. Do they all work basically the same way? Is there a particular brand that is more reliable and doesn't leak? Do they develop condensation on the inside (which would be off-putting I think).
In answer to an earlier comment, our market is a mix of people who live within the state in a larger urban area who want to come up for a week or a weekend, and out-of-state vacationers.
 
First, thank you everyone for your helpful ideas!
I have some questions about the shower dispensers. Do they all work basically the same way? Is there a particular brand that is more reliable and doesn't leak? Do they develop condensation on the inside (which would be off-putting I think).
In answer to an earlier comment, our market is a mix of people who live within the state in a larger urban area who want to come up for a week or a weekend, and out-of-state vacationers..
I've never had a problem with the dispensers. As long as they close well and are not in a direct line for the shower head to hit you should be ok.
This is a good company and the dispensers are labeled. http://www.dispenser.com/
 
We deal with government rating books that give extra points for ecological use, so we use centralized distributors for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Why shower gel? Soap has talc powder that leaves a film on everything, so we don't have any soap on the premises, except for children. We give everyone a facecloth and assume that they know how to use it and use it with shower gel.
On the shelf in the bathroom we have ear buds, cotton pads and cotton balls. A box of tissue and a resealable container of make-up wipes, in hopes that ladies will use that rather than my beautiful white towels. We keep a few shower caps in a container as well. We stay away from too much packaging. It's too complicated to collect the package for recycling and frankly to clean up left over packages left everywhere..
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
.
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
 
We deal with government rating books that give extra points for ecological use, so we use centralized distributors for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Why shower gel? Soap has talc powder that leaves a film on everything, so we don't have any soap on the premises, except for children. We give everyone a facecloth and assume that they know how to use it and use it with shower gel.
On the shelf in the bathroom we have ear buds, cotton pads and cotton balls. A box of tissue and a resealable container of make-up wipes, in hopes that ladies will use that rather than my beautiful white towels. We keep a few shower caps in a container as well. We stay away from too much packaging. It's too complicated to collect the package for recycling and frankly to clean up left over packages left everywhere..
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
.
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
.
GBManor said:
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
I understand how it works. Just don't like it. What do you use to clean the showers, we don't seem to have a build-up problem here. Then again, it could also be related to the kind of water you have, too.
 
First, thank you everyone for your helpful ideas!
I have some questions about the shower dispensers. Do they all work basically the same way? Is there a particular brand that is more reliable and doesn't leak? Do they develop condensation on the inside (which would be off-putting I think).
In answer to an earlier comment, our market is a mix of people who live within the state in a larger urban area who want to come up for a week or a weekend, and out-of-state vacationers..
I've never had a problem with the dispensers. As long as they close well and are not in a direct line for the shower head to hit you should be ok.
This is a good company and the dispensers are labeled. http://www.dispenser.com/
.
Alibi Ike said:
I've never had a problem with the dispensers. As long as they close well and are not in a direct line for the shower head to hit you should be ok.
This is a good company and the dispensers are labeled. http://www.dispenser.com/
Those are the ones that we use, Clear Choice line. I had a discussion with them once and they suggested using the same kind of dual sided foam on the back to keep the dispenser from popping out. Guests can be a bit rough on them, especially if you have showerheads with handles that they can hold. We fill them from time to time and for the most part after mentioning the ecological reasoning they happily use them. Though, most women seem to travel with their own brand of shampoo and conditioner. You can also use liquid soap instead of shower gel. We avoid triclosan (antibacterial), beside the fact that it's silly to add to soap, it's really damaging to the environment and currently under FDA investigation. See http://goo.gl/qVace
 
We deal with government rating books that give extra points for ecological use, so we use centralized distributors for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Why shower gel? Soap has talc powder that leaves a film on everything, so we don't have any soap on the premises, except for children. We give everyone a facecloth and assume that they know how to use it and use it with shower gel.
On the shelf in the bathroom we have ear buds, cotton pads and cotton balls. A box of tissue and a resealable container of make-up wipes, in hopes that ladies will use that rather than my beautiful white towels. We keep a few shower caps in a container as well. We stay away from too much packaging. It's too complicated to collect the package for recycling and frankly to clean up left over packages left everywhere..
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
.
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
.
GBManor said:
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
I understand how it works. Just don't like it. What do you use to clean the showers, we don't seem to have a build-up problem here. Then again, it could also be related to the kind of water you have, too.
.
Alibi Ike said:
GBManor said:
Alibi Ike said:
Totally am not a fan of shower gel. Never got the hang of it. Always end up with too much or not enough. Oh well.
You don't put it directly on you, you put it on the washcloth/facecloth and use that to soap up. Some people use more, because they don't do that. But that's still better than having to scrub for hours to get soap scum off of everything.
I understand how it works. Just don't like it. What do you use to clean the showers, we don't seem to have a build-up problem here. Then again, it could also be related to the kind of water you have, too.
Regular soft water, no chlorine, since the city ozonates the water. We have glass shower doors. We can clearly tell when people have used soap, the film is clear to see. We simply don't stock soap at all.
I expect that anyone who medically can't use soap or shower gel, brings their own in any case. (I travel with my own, for that very reason, since I'm currenly under doctor's orders not to use soap or shower gel.)
 
First, thank you everyone for your helpful ideas!
I have some questions about the shower dispensers. Do they all work basically the same way? Is there a particular brand that is more reliable and doesn't leak? Do they develop condensation on the inside (which would be off-putting I think).
In answer to an earlier comment, our market is a mix of people who live within the state in a larger urban area who want to come up for a week or a weekend, and out-of-state vacationers..
I've never had a problem with the dispensers. As long as they close well and are not in a direct line for the shower head to hit you should be ok.
This is a good company and the dispensers are labeled. http://www.dispenser.com/
.
I have used these since 1996. Had a small problem with leaking at first - the button was sticking. I did a little shaving and it was OK. I have th 3-button w/white cover - first one they show when they flash the product line. Soap, shampoo & conditioner. I have a 2-cylinder on the wall by the sink in the shared bath and the original 3-chamber in the shower in that room. I also have them in the shower and by the claw-foot tub in the ensuite bathroom. Folks that so not like them usually travel with their own soap. We try to be perfume-free/dye-free to avoid triggering allergies. (also that way our soap does not compete with the perfume some guests seem to bathe in)
 
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