Toiletries and where to keep them?

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Don Draper

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During our recent trip to a b&b, I really liked that the innkeeper had set up an honor bar area for things you might have forgotten: razors, shaving cream, tampons, qtips, cotton balls, etc. (she also had condoms, discreetly inside a frosted glass jar...that raised my eyebrows! Who knew I was such a prude...)
That particular b&b had a nice sized second floor landing which all guests would have passed on the way to their rooms. We have no such common area that everyone would pass...our rooms are "podded" into three areas, and really if you room isn't in an area you don't go through that area. Would I have to set something like this up in each room? That doesn't seem practical. I certainly don't want it in the foyer or living/dining room which are the only common areas we have.
Thoughts?
 
By 'honor bar' do you mean she expected payment? We don't have any space for those items in a hallway, either so guests have to ask if they've forgotten something.
However, one innmate here has these decorative boxes in the guest baths where she keeps those things. Very nice & convenient. My luggage was misdirected enroute to her place and I had everything I could need right there. I still have the toothbrush!
 
I kept all of those kinds of things in each guest room in the bathroom drawers and under the sink. Usually anything and everything I could think of...most people did not abuse it. They took what they needed or forgot and the rest was there for someone else to use. Didn't cost me much and it was appreciated by the guests.
 
By 'honor bar' do you mean she expected payment? We don't have any space for those items in a hallway, either so guests have to ask if they've forgotten something.
However, one innmate here has these decorative boxes in the guest baths where she keeps those things. Very nice & convenient. My luggage was misdirected enroute to her place and I had everything I could need right there. I still have the toothbrush!.
That's a neat idea about the decorative boxes - I have that kind of stuff put away in a drawer in our tasting room as I assumed people would take it all. Maybe I'll redo that.
RIki
 
By 'honor bar' do you mean she expected payment? We don't have any space for those items in a hallway, either so guests have to ask if they've forgotten something.
However, one innmate here has these decorative boxes in the guest baths where she keeps those things. Very nice & convenient. My luggage was misdirected enroute to her place and I had everything I could need right there. I still have the toothbrush!.
I could see a little sign to say honor box please take what you need and leave for other who also forgot Just a thought. I went to a place that had big bowel in the upstairs hall and ask to leave a dollar if you took something.
 
This is my battle here - yes it is a business, but I am so not wanting extra things to clutter, collect dust and create more chaos. So for me, I have great intentions with that sort of thing, then end up clearing the whole thing up and putting it out of sight. I have those items in the hall bath vanity, I never mention them or offer them though. Should I put a note like hotels - if you have found yourself with out such and such...
So I don't do it. I go through my maniac mad clearing after each busy season and move it all out.
So my answer is don't put it out in sight. But you said you thought it was neat, right? So she must have presented it well.
Someone mentioned a while ago on the forum about having tissues other than in the bathroom, same thing on that issue for me, how many tissue boxes do we need lying around to clean - yes you have to clean them when the paper/dust comes out along with the tissues each time.
Sorry, just thinking aloud as frontpage has me locked out when I decided to update some pix on the website. bye
 
if you don't have the space that is common to all rooms, then a note sitting right on top of each guestroom book tells them where they can find the 'necessaries basket' or 'honor bar'.
i had room in the second and third floor hallways for things but not on the first floor. so the guestroom on the first floor had their own small basket of just a couple necessaries and the all important note telling them about the baskets upstairs.
i frequently changed things around until the arrangement worked. i also had a little suggestion box for guests. some suggestions were really silly but some were so simple and 'doh, i should have thought of that'
 
if you don't have the space that is common to all rooms, then a note sitting right on top of each guestroom book tells them where they can find the 'necessaries basket' or 'honor bar'.
i had room in the second and third floor hallways for things but not on the first floor. so the guestroom on the first floor had their own small basket of just a couple necessaries and the all important note telling them about the baskets upstairs.
i frequently changed things around until the arrangement worked. i also had a little suggestion box for guests. some suggestions were really silly but some were so simple and 'doh, i should have thought of that'.
Seashanty.......Suggestion Box for guest..... Good idea or trouble just waiting to bit us ? Mary in Bridgewater.
 
it didn't bite me. if that is how you might feel if guests suggest things, then i wouldn't have one. i am very .... ummm ... 'chatty' .... so it went with my style. i didn't get tons of suggestions, just random ideas ... and usually the guest would come to me and tell me instead of writing it down.
one suggestion was to add lighting in an area that i didn't realize needed it.
another was to add a corner shelf mounted in a tiny bathroom so they could put their personal items down ... not on the toilet tank or on the edge of the sink! with an offer to put it up for me (we're talking tiny bathroom)
a third (well, multiples) was ideas for cooling the third floor ... a problem because there were no windowsills (think strange old building) to install traditional window a/c's. we tried the floor models that didn't work. box fans were mostly effective but when we it got really hot, it wasn't great.
 
She had a little price sheet next to the set-up (shaving cream $.50, deodorant $1.00). I would never be able to give this stuff away for free (and hotels don't either anymore in my experience). I would have been shocked NOT to pay for it. The way she had it written was nice, just help yourself and here's a little box for the money.
I just thought it was nice, a little extra. I'm big on the "help yourself" stuff...I don't want to be running to ask an innkeeper for every little thing. Hence I also like self check-in and all the other exhausting conversations we've hashed out on here
sad_smile.gif
 
She had a little price sheet next to the set-up (shaving cream $.50, deodorant $1.00). I would never be able to give this stuff away for free (and hotels don't either anymore in my experience). I would have been shocked NOT to pay for it. The way she had it written was nice, just help yourself and here's a little box for the money.
I just thought it was nice, a little extra. I'm big on the "help yourself" stuff...I don't want to be running to ask an innkeeper for every little thing. Hence I also like self check-in and all the other exhausting conversations we've hashed out on here
sad_smile.gif
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I've never had a guest offer to pay for a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste! They just take it and go. This is one reason I wouldn't put a necessities basket in each room. Someone would clear it out. More than likely a lot of someones.
I don't have a convenient place to leave things out so we do mention in the room books to just ask if they find they've forgotten something.
 
I think having the small payment requirement will actually help keep the one or two guests from clearing out the entire stash. Without it, guests would think that it's all free for the taking since they've paid for the stay at the inn. With the posted prices and the honor system, their conscience will hopefully kick in and prevent them from emptying everything.
Keeping it in the private bathrooms is just asking for it all to be gone.
 
InnsiderInfo said:
During our recent trip to a b&b, I really liked that the innkeeper had set up an honor bar area for things you might have forgotten: razors, shaving cream, tampons, qtips, cotton balls, etc. ,,,,,
that you ' really liked ' it tells me you should definitely try different ways of making it work at your place. i always imitate (or try to) what others do that i really like ....
regular_smile.gif
the sincerest form of flattery and all that.
 
InnsiderInfo said:
During our recent trip to a b&b, I really liked that the innkeeper had set up an honor bar area for things you might have forgotten: razors, shaving cream, tampons, qtips, cotton balls, etc. ,,,,,
that you ' really liked ' it tells me you should definitely try different ways of making it work at your place. i always imitate (or try to) what others do that i really like ....
regular_smile.gif
the sincerest form of flattery and all that..
I think so too...it was one of those moments where you realized you needed something, you turned and it was right there. Nothing beats anticipating needs like that, it just scores you major brownie points!
 
I think having the small payment requirement will actually help keep the one or two guests from clearing out the entire stash. Without it, guests would think that it's all free for the taking since they've paid for the stay at the inn. With the posted prices and the honor system, their conscience will hopefully kick in and prevent them from emptying everything.
Keeping it in the private bathrooms is just asking for it all to be gone..
I keep a large basket of toiletry items in the upstairs hallway with the iron and board, hairdryers and movie library. Toothbrushes, razors, shave cream, hair gel, combs, deodorant, toothpaste, feminie hygiene products, etc are all there. I don't have prices on anything, but do have a small sign saying that "donations for items taken benefit XXXX (our favorite animal charity)" and a little jar for money. Every once in a great while things are taken, and money is almost always left. In nearly seven years, I have never had anyone take selfish advantage of the offering.
 
By 'honor bar' do you mean she expected payment? We don't have any space for those items in a hallway, either so guests have to ask if they've forgotten something.
However, one innmate here has these decorative boxes in the guest baths where she keeps those things. Very nice & convenient. My luggage was misdirected enroute to her place and I had everything I could need right there. I still have the toothbrush!.
Bree said:
By 'honor bar' do you mean she expected payment? We don't have any space for those items in a hallway, either so guests have to ask if they've forgotten something.
However, one innmate here has these decorative boxes in the guest baths where she keeps those things. Very nice & convenient. My luggage was misdirected enroute to her place and I had everything I could need right there. I still have the toothbrush!
I find that stuff like that leaves with the guest to use on their NEXT trip. We don't leave extras out. Most guests are reasonable, but their are a few that take everything that's not tied down.
 
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