I have a strange curiosity about the logic behind how bath products are selected by hotels. The most glaring question is what was Hyatt thinking when they selected Portico White Ginger products for a majority of their properties. It repulses just about everyone I know in the travel world. In fact, last weekend I was visiting Boston and the friend I was staying with grabbed some of the Sheraton’s Shine bath products to-go knowing we’d be staying at a Hyatt Regency with the Portico products for the weekend.
I started collecting bath products a couple years ago as several programs in my company started collecting hotel bath products and shipping them to third world countries. I also like to collect enough for my personal use from a few of my favorite hotel stays. Scent has that strange ability to tap into your memory and bring you back to a place or vacation. I always will collect from the W and the St. Regis properties plus any other unique brands found at high end or unique hotel properties. It dawned on me this morning that I currently running a healthy surplus of excellent bath products.
The stash
Bliss (Top Left)
Bliss products smell pretty fruity and are found at pretty much all W hotels. For some reason, most of my male colleagues prefer Bliss products more so than females. I received these larger 4 oz. size bottles while staying at a Suite at the W Hong Kong. The standard rooms had normal sized Bliss products.
Aesop (Bottom Left)
Aesop is an Australian company whose line of products I received while staying in a Park Suite at the Park Hyatt Tokyo on a recent trip to Japan. These products have an extremely strong smell which I didn’t like at first but have since grown on me. This is now my favorite product I’ve ever received from any hotel.
Bulgari/Shiseido (Top Right)
The Bulgari brand name puts these products at the highest selling price of the 5 brands listed. I received these products while staying in a Suite at the Westin Miyako Kyoto. The standard rooms had standard Westin Heavenly Bath products (Think the soap shaped as a green leaf).
Remede Spa (Bottom Right)
Remede Spa products are featured at most St. Regis hotels. I received this set in November at The St. Regis Princeville Resort in Kauai. These are probably my least favorite of the four but still make my keepers cut.
How about you?
What are your favorite hotel bath products? What is in your cabinet?
About alex
Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com
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I never got the Portico hatred. That bumpy soap rocked
I agree with you regarding St. Regis Princevill’e Remede stuff… wasn’t the biggest fan
I did not like the Remede or the Portico products either however I liked the products they give in luxury collection hotels.
I got totally hooked on Caswell & Massey Sandalwood when staying at the Wigwam in Litchfield Park, AZ a few years ago.
I loved the Acca Kappa “Muschio Bianco” (white moss) bath products from the Conrad Tokyo.
Also liked the Aesop stuff from the Park Hyatt Tokyo.
I prefer Aveda products at hotels that have them. Also am fond of Fairmont’s Miller Harris products.
I also enjoy the Bliss products as a guy. Would also use Hilton’s Peter Thomas Roth over the Portico stuff.
The bath products at the hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam are great. They are the Green Deep by Waterl’eau
I really like the White Ginger, actually.
I like the products at Miraval Spa in Arizona
We collect the hotel bath products for the homeless as part of our corp philanthropy efforts at work
All this packaging is a terrible waste of energy and natural resources and needlessly adds to global warming.
Voice Of Reason – If you rinse out some of the bottles after use, you can reuse as perfectly good travel liquid carriers (suntan lotion, etc). So not all is wasted.
If you truly have a surplus, any organization serving the homeless would welcome a donation.
I do love the bath products at the W. I used to really love the White Tea at the Westin. It all comes down to the conditioner for the ladies. There are very few that pass the test.
I agree with James! The bumpy soap “rocked”. The shampoo worked well and the scent was a subtle tropical aroma. and I love the white ginger scent and hope to find the Portico white ginger products more often.
During a recent stay (2014) at The Delano, formerly “The Hotel” in Las Vegas, I was pampered with multiple sets of Malin+Goetz bath products in my room. As I was on a business trip and was staying at the hotel for just over a week, my haul is sure to last me until next year. During my 2013 business trip at Mandalay Bay, my suite was stocked with L’Occitane products – full size bars of soap and larger than travel size shampoos and conditioners. That lasted stock lasted for nearly a year.
I love the Portico products and chose Hyatt for that reason. I loved the bumpy soap and took many home to give me that home away from home feel. I hate that they changed. I have not stayed at a Hyatt since.