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We provide lots of toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hand lotion, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, shaving cream, contact lens solution. We buy travel size containers of all except toothbrushes. We get most of them from CVS drugstore. The 99 Cent Store has toothbrushes. Also, when we go to the dentist we get travel size toothpaste and floss which we put in the guest room. Not many guests use the toiletries, but the guests who’ve forgotten something are appreciative that we have what they need on hand.
I provide:
Toothpaste
Toothbrush (only cheapies on request if they forgot)
Shampoo/conditioner
Soap
Body wash
Make up remover and pads (to protect my stuff)
Ear buds
Tissues
sorry, but it seems to me that this is getting more and more like hotel-level service. Our guests are staying in our home, and surely just like other house guests (friends, family, etc) they should be expected to bring their own toothbrushes! You’re creating a rod for your own back by providing too much stuff like this - give people a couple of inches and soon they expect a couple of miles!
Disposable dental kits are gash. Maybe if you just had a 12 hour flight and felt like you had Godzilla breath only then you might consider a disposable.
How many guests actually ask you that.? Sounds like a daft way to cut into your gross margin.
People might overlook it occasionally but bh, 99 percent plus bring their own gear.
I have small toothbrush/toothpaste kits available, but don’t leave them out for guests. They have come in handy when guests luggage has been misplaced by the airlines or when a guest simply forgot to pack one. One of my first guests had lost luggage and I was able to scrounge a hotel toothbrush from my own closet and then I ordered a bunch for one of the dollar stores.
@nicosart -
We supply them on request (along with combs, razors, shaving cream), but don’t leave them out. I bought toothbrushes from the Dollar Store, and ordered travel-sized toothpaste tubes from Amazon.
But we do it because we rent out the whole house, are located in a fly-to location, don’t have any stores within walking distance, and have someone that is there when guests arrive, and our price is high enough to cover the cost…
But if I were renting out a spare room in my house, I would not provide toothbrushes and toothpaste. Those are very personal compared to soap and shampoo and toilet paper, and most people can find the room in their luggage for them.
We do provide some toiletries. We found a website in USA that has the best prices for bulk items like this. It’s called Betty MIlls. A toothbrush individually wrapped in plastic is 6 cents. Crest travel size toothpaste which most places sell for $1 is 37 cents. A razor is 9 cents. Our guests really appreciate it. https://www.bettymills.com/
I agree with Southend. Providing toothbrushes is ridiculous and just creates more and more,guest expectations. I just stayed at a nice hotel near Palm Springs and I got little shampoos and little soaps. Nuthin else.
I buy toothbrushes and toothpaste at the Dollar store. 4 individually packaged toothbrushes for $1. One full size tube of toothpaste. The toothbrushes almost never get taken so it’s a bit odd that they are asking specifically about it. The toothpaste lasts a long time. Most people have their own but I like providing it in case they forgot it at the last place or they drop it in the toilet, etc.
I provide basically the same items as @Emily plus a few individually wrapped feminine products and small blister packs (so 2-10 pills) of antacid, an anti-diarrheal and aspirin (first line action for suspected heart attack) from the dollar store.
There is a note on the basket “Did you forget something? Please take what you need.”
Most of the items are ones i gathered from hotels when traveling for work.
Rarely is anything used but guests have commented it is appreciated.
I provide everything listed including a first aid kit. mini deodorants, (except not the aspirin just a Tylenol product.) All in a basket marked “Concierge Items for your Convenience”
I like that phrase - think I will change the sign on the basket.
I have a whole house rental at a ski hill with larger groups coming to stay. So there is always some teenage knob that forgot his toothbrush etc. Also the convenience store here is a small fortune and town is 20 minutes away.
All of the above plus condoms. Toothbrushes (freebies from my dentist over the years) are rarely taken. What is used the most are 1) small tissue packs and 2) the big bottle of mouthwash. I am constantly refilling that from my even bigger bottle – what are they doing, drinking it as an aperitif??! Ah the mysterious behavior of guests.
I have to admit, I’d be too nervous to supply condoms. What if I forgot to cull the expired ones and was asked to pay child support for the resulting offspring?
The bathrooms have shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers. I put cotton pads and make up removal packs for me more than the guests, so make up is removed.
I provide a box with emergency supplies- sanitary towels, needle and thread ,toothbrush, hair brush etc, if guests forgot something they are welcome to help themselves. For 2 years, hardly anything was taken from the box until I had one guest who emptied the whole box into her bag, ( she was helping herself to our food as well. )So I changed the name to the trust box, I say if you need something please help yourself, but just let me know so I can replace it. I get a lot of guests arriving from the airport around 9.00 pm so not always great to pop out to the shops.
I would not provide toothbrushes as standard for stays, you would not get that in a hotel.
Hotels have it if you ask though. (maybe not the budget ones but the nicer chains do). I don’t want to be bothered unless necessary so I put a toothbrush in the room.
I’d never thought of providing them before, but have now collected so many little kits with our trips to South Africa that the guests get the benefits - slippers and eye masks too. So thank you, Turkish Airlines!
That’s a notebook you owe me that I’ve just snorted coffee on, Ellen!