Poll - Shampoo, soaps, toiletries, and personal items: individual vs shared?

[Kwame6]

Hello everyone!

I'm a hostrepreneur looking to poll other hosts on how they handle the essentials.

I currently use dispensers for a shared unit (which works great and got the idea from Europe hostels) but installation is annoying and I've been told that it's a little tacky. I also have seen others provide individual soaps/shampoos/etc. which is definitely more sanitary but from what I've searched, it's considerably more expensive and bulk orders (i.e. china) take forever. A friend and host suggested high-end, plastic bottles which I can refill once they're low: they're chic and look great but I'm most concerned with keeping things sanitary or exposure. Have any of you had issues with this? Think prior guest pranking future guest or germs spreading. Maybe I'm overthinking.

What do you think? Also, thanks in advance!  

[Kwame6]

Ah well but thanks for the tip @Lawrene0!

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Kwame6 - We bought little bottles of most items (not samples, a bit bigger) and top those up with the same product.  We use a decorative handsoap dispenser that we also top up. We put out a full-size bottle of bath wash in a unisex fragrance and top it up.  The only thing we don't top up or refill - the toothpaste - and the guests have no problem squeezing out what they need onto their own toothbrush regardless of how many have come before!  

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Kwame6 when you buy small, you pay big.

I buy the biggest size liquid soap and shampoo and refill tiny bottles for the listing.

Guest are strange, some do things at a listing they won’t do at home.

They’ll draw a huge bubble bath and make bubbles to the ceiling with a half bottle of your shampoo. 

They want a bath towel, hair towel, drying towel and wash cloth. Now You know very well some of these fools don’t even own a wash cloth at home. I had a guest complain I had only one dish towel out in the kitchen, Girl Bye! 

Anyway, buy big and break it down into small size yourself for the best deals. 

‘You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Taylor143]

It IS hard! lol. We're addressing this old issue of buy small, pay big. You both should sign up to stay in the loop for our September launch. We're a beauty brand changing the way you buy your bathroom amenities! www.itscayas.com

[April3]

@Kwame6 I like the dual approach you suggested, and agree that with some here that the refilable dispensers are a little tacky (in my opinion). One way to economize but still provide a high end feel might be to purchase a large block of artisanal soap then cut it up into small blacks and wrap with a nice ribbon. You could also buy in bulk bath salts or something similar, and place that in a nice small decorative glass jar(I'd make several of these ahead of time to avoid refilling at turnover time). These likely wouldn't be used very often but provide a nice touch!

[Kwame6]

Thanks, April! Bath salts are an excellent suggestion and can really add a nice touch.

[Lia63]

I like the idea for a large chunk of soap. Thanks for the idea!

[Jeanni--and-Brent0]

I don’t think it is tacky how ever I usually only see them used  in locker rooms Health and large common bathrooms. It’s generally done to save money and emmitt a frugal environment.  If that is the level of your Airbnb frugal quick clean  then they are perfect. 

[Jeanni--and-Brent0]

If you are trying to be equal to or above the best resorts then you need to out do them. Boutique private labeled bottles are a touch if done right, will help to market your Airbnb Brand. We appreciate being able to participate in your survey however, remember it is not the perception of another host you want. You want the guests perception. We recommend you get to know your guests more to the point of feeling comfortable to ask your guests how they perceive the systems you are using

[Susan869]

With plastic being such a big problem in the world at the moment.... it would be great to use larger refillable bottles. I use to give little individual shampoos etc but too much plastic being thrown away, even though put in recycling, not all of it gets there. So re-use if you can.

[Ange2]

@Kwame6   Factor it in to what you charge. Can you afford to provide individual bottles at the price you charge or will you have to put up your prices? And if you put up your prices will you get less reservations.

I offer pump soap and no one seems to mind. Sometimes I cut up larger bars of artisanal soap like @April3 mentioned, but they are rarely used.  Although they do look pretty and are perceived as 'luxe'.  Sometimes perception is all that is needed to stay complaints.  I did experiment with individual toiletries but too many guests filled up their bags with them, so I either had to raise my prices or stop.  Also adding to the tons of plastic waste out there is a depressing thought.

[Roman75]

We have been working on single use toiletries for Airbnb hosts that would fit with its design, affordable price, eco-friendliness and high quality. Products will be soon availalbe for pre-orders. 

www.bnbessence.com

[Ange2]

@Roman75  I looked at your supplies, they look great, I especially like the d2W biodegradable aspect - am happy someone is thinking and taking action on that. It pains me to see all the plastic bottles bagged up on the street come garbage night.

[Alyssa99]

We put out individual "hotel-size" soaps for guests.  We buy them by the case, so they aren't too expensive... they are very convienient and guests seem to appreciate them. 

Below is the link... we get them from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s?marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A3AUQIOOBZTL8N&merchant=A3AUQIOOBZTL8N 

[Kenneth-And-Lilia0 · Accepted solution]

I'll give you an alternate idea.  I buy individual shampoos and soaps on Amazon where I can get 50 bars of soap and 50 shampoos (1 oz. each) for $25.  That lasts me a couple months.  Then to pay for them, I do surveys online at http://tracking.surveycheck.com/aff_c?offer_id=1915&aff_id=2619&aff_sub=myDashboard&aff_sub2=ZLP0a8y... where I get Amazon gift cards that I use to buy the supplies.  I can make enough doing surveys to buy the soaps, shampoos and k-cups easily.