Hand lotion I can live without, but if I don't get coffee and clean towels the next time I'm staying at a hotel, I'll go on a killing spree.

Hey, that's great news! It's not like I was looking for a job with a lot of travel.

/shreds Deloitte application
/shreds KPMG application
/shreds PricewaterhouseCoopers application
/shreds Ernst & Young application

I stay in quite a few hotels, and I have noticed that there is no hand lotion (but do I really need that!?), but I have always had both coffee and fresh towels.

I've noticed the fewer towels; used to typically have four per day, now it is two or three. I don't think it would be any issue to call the front desk and ask for more.

Oh, just great. Way to put the hand lotion suppliers out of business. There go another 3 million workers!

Wait, maybe John Thain can use a few truckloads. I hear he's a pro wanker.

And when the economy improves.....none of those things will return and their prices will go up.

The last time my husband and I stayed anywhere, it was at a bed and breakfast. Not only were there plenty of towels, a basket with toiletries (including lotion and lip balm -- useful in the chilly mountains), all the coffee or hot tea we liked and a selection of sweets to accompany them plus a full breakfast every morning, but it was cheaper than the cheapest hotel rate we could find in the area. Add to that the amazing, personal customer service and for years now it's been the only place we'll stay during our trips to the mountains.

@White Speed Receiver: Big 4 firms are overrated!

I think the towel thing is a great idea. I love hotels that put up signs asking you to reuse your towels for more than 1 day. Yes it saves them money but it is also better for the environment at no cost to you as a traveller.

From the article : "this isn't fun anymore." Since when was working as an actuary fun?

@berribrand: I love when hotels follow their own policies in regards to the towels. I've been to several hotels where I've hung the towels back up to indicate that I didn't need new ones, just as the signs direct, only to have those token away and replaced with fresh ones.

@ViolentBeauregarde: I know, but the people who look at resumes are usually idiots, and Big 4 firms are shiney things that just suck their attention in.

@savdavid: ding ding ding!!!

Do you at least get complimentary lotion with a *ahem* pay-per-view purchase?

Honestly does an average person really need 10 bath towels per shower? I use 1 towel for a week before washing it and I know some people like 1 for body and one for hair. I used to work at a hotel and it always amazed me how a single person could go through 4 bath towels, 4 hand towels, and 4 washcloths and still come and ask for more from the cleaning ladies every day. Talk about waste.

@B: I never use the coffee maker in a hotel room. I've seen "Fight Club" too many times.

@Raekwon: I'm not even sure what some of the towels are for...there's the washcloth, which I get. The handtowel, I understand. And then there's the bath towel and the bath sheet. Who needs two towels? Just dry yourself off with one!

I'm all for less laundry. Just because you're at a hotel doesn't mean you can't hang up your towell and use it a second time. Think of all the water and energy and murdered dolphins because 500 people think a towel is dirty when they use it once.

As for the other stuff, it's nice to have, but I bet a lot of it gets wasted or ruined and can't be used again. A guest may open all the soaps and use them once, so they have to throw them all out, when he could have opened one and used it three times.

It's not like they're elimiating these things all together, you just have to call the desk for them when you get in. It's not so hard.

I'm fine with reducing some of the more eclectic items, like shower caps and sewing kits. What worries me are:

- Can't take liquids on airplanes over 5OZ, and even then only in approved bags etc etc, so I rely on hotels to have those items that are difficult to carry on.

- When I make a reservation for a room (or rooms) for my family of five, I expect enough towels for five people. I've checked into "family suites" and found two bath towels. WTF???

- If Holiday Inn Express stops offering or starts reducing their excellent breakfast buffet, I *will* be P.O.'d.

I'd like to know how much of the amenity inventory at hotels goes to people who don't actually use it at the hotel but take it home and hoard it.

I work for a large hotel chain and can definitely say we've done the same at my particular hotel. We used to get freshly baked donuts each morning from the local bakery for our complimentary breakfast. Now, it's frozen pastries from our food supplier. We've also quit serving the more expensive breakfast items like omelets and maple sausage. And if you take something from your room, like a pillow or bundle of towels, you will definitely be charged for it. There comes a point when you can only cut expenses so much...the front desk has to always have at least one employee manning it, and not having housekeepers to clean rooms simply isn't an option, so it's the little extras that have to go, unfortunately.

What exactly is a shower cap for?

NO LOTION? Now when I watch a skin flick at a hotel, what will I use to mast...er...uh...moisterize with? (moisterize...yeah, that's the ticket!)

@calquist: For those of us who don't have the time to spend two hours straightening our hair every day, for those of us who experience healthier hair with fewer washes, or those of us who dye our hair and don't want to fade as quickly.

I'm not a huge fan of traveling with my wet shower cap in my luggage, so they hotel ones are good to have on extended stays. Not a necessity, but a nice touch.

@Raekwon: It would be more appropriate if they allocated the towels by guest, instead of giving a single business traveler 4 towels plus washcloths, thats a bit of overkill. I usually use one for hair and one for body at home and I would do the same in a hotel. I have really long hair too, so its understandable that I would want a separate towel for hair (men would probably only want one towel). So at the most that would be 2 bath towels 1 hand towel for the bathroom and one washcloth for the bathroom. Besides if they issued you 2 towels and you felt you needed more you could always call and ask.

I also don't need a HUGE bath towel (seriously, whats the point of drying yourself with something the size of a beach towel or larger), the ones we use at home are just regular-size towels, and they work just fine.

@BytheSea: I agree with the less laundry and less waste. If most hotels still have the extras available upon request, there's nothing really to worry about. I never use the hotel soaps and shampoos anyway because I have sensitive skin and want to make sure I'm using something that won't irritate me.

My mom used to travel for work a lot and she always brought all of the little things home with her. If she was gone for 3 nights, she would come home with 3 shampoos, 3 soaps, 3 shower caps, and 3 lotions. All were unopened. She brought them home because she was "paying" for them and she thought someone might eventually use them. I believe she eventually donated them to somewhere, but I still think it's a waste. If a person isn't going to use all those products, why should the hotel be putting them out just to have them thrown away?

I guess they're finally fighting back against all those people who slip those things into their suitcases and take them home.

I stayed in a Hyatt last week that I've stayed in a number of times before. I did have access to only one shower cap and no sewing kit, but in return they had a travel-size tube of toothpaste! Offering amenities that might actually get used is a definite plus for me, even if there's fewer of them.

(They still had lotion, coffee, and towels, I'm pleased to report.)

@JulesNoctambule: Yeah, B&Bs ftw. Last time I stayed at one, not only did I get fantastic service at less than I would have paid at any of the local hotels, but at the end of a 10-day stay the owner gave me a 10% discount for paying in cash, meaning I essentially got one day for free. I realize it may not always be an option for business travelers, but they're great.

@root4root: I think if someone has voluntarily taken a job as an actuary, he/she may have an unusual definition of what constitutes "fun" in the first place.

@samurailynn: The last hotel I stayed at in London had a large pump bottle full of shampoo in the shower. They left a note explaining that it was more efficient than putting little individual bottles in every room every day - this way each guest could just the amount that he/she needed.

Wait.. don't you pay the same? Either way, if you're the cleaning lady and you see the shampoo, conditioner and soap are opened and in use (but not empty on day 2), you don't need to replace it yet. I used to swipe the stuff every day, but I did pay for it.

I never did understand why my room had 4 towels, handtowles, and wash cloth.. it's just me. They should just quit putting out the shower cap, shoe kit, sewing kit, beauty kit, and lotion; instead have it at the front desk.

If you advertise a breakfast bar, then have a breakfast with variety and don't skimp. Nothing sucks more than staying somewhere that claims they have a breakfast, but instead has some over heated dried out inedible junk. Otherwise, just put out some juice, milk, cereal muffin and DAMN good coffee. At least damn good coffee.

@pecan pi: Women with long hair?

I noticed this the last time I was at a hotel...there was shampoo and conditioner, but NO lotion. That pissed me off. Shampoo and conditioner I bring with me if I need them. But lotion usually has that stupid pump on the top so you can't travel with it.

@magic8ball: When it's an option, it's my first choice for business travel as well as personal travel. I also like that the money I spend stays in the local economy instead of enriching a chain -- what town couldn't use that these days?

@White Speed Receiver: Hm, that's true. Big 4 experience definitely got me my current position... Same with the husband.

@Raekwon: hotel towels are about half-sized, last i checked

@Outrun1986: second towel is for the floor of the shower or bathroom

maybe it's just that i'm used to huge towels and not catching athelete's foot.

@Outrun1986:

Me too. All I need is two. And I can use them for a few days.

I always pack my own shampoo and conditioner and I carry lotion in my purse. I even pack my own soap. The only thing I ever did with those hotel things is snitch them. They do come in handy if I run out of something at home, or to put in my beach bag. I don't think I'll miss any of this that much. If I forget something, I'm more likely to go somewhere and buy it rather than use the hotel stuff.

@humphrmi:

I just read somewhere that the liquid rule may be phased out soon.

I just did a trip around Asia, and they have more stuff in the bathroom that I've ever seen before. In Taiwan, there was a hair-tie and a sisal wash thing. In Hong Kong? A nail clipper and a real loofah. All very sanitary and new. And they all replenished the bathroom amenities 2x a day.

So the hotels can skimp all they want here, but their Asian counterparts are more than making up for it.

I pack a shammy and just use the towel to dry my parts. Learned method from being a swimmer.

From an operations stand point, two medium sized towels, only replaced when requested, would be the only way I would personally run a hotel. All complementary toiletries should be by request... you're fn lucky they haven't implemented vending machines yet. And they will.

@humphrmi:

I just take multiple bottles <= 5oz if I need more. You can put the same liquid in two 5oz bottles.

The alternative would be to check your luggage.

And if your 5 towels aren't there, all you have to do is press 0 and ask. They'll even bring it to you.

Last but not least. Nothing is free. You are already paying for the breakfast, it's not like they're stealing it from somewhere else. If they take it away, it's because it's not profitable, that's business.

@drb023: You're still limited to the quart bag. The alternative is, hotels should provide limited toiletries so I don't have to squeeze 3 ounces of toothpaste into a little bottle.

I shouldn't have to call the front desk and ask for enough linens for five; I told them that I have five in my party when I booked, and when I checked in.

And the logic in your last paragraph completely escapes me - you seem to contradict yourself. So if the breakfast is priced into the room, and the reduce the breakfast without lowering their prices, then they *have* taken something away from me, right?

I worked front desk at a chain hotel a couple of summers ago. It's not a problem to ask for extra towels, but if there's only one front desk worker on duty, please do him or her a favor, and pick up the towels yourself. The clerk probably wouldn't refuse to deliver them to you, but keep in mind some clerks can get in trouble for leaving the front unattended.

And (almost) nobody NEEDS mouthwash or shower caps at home, so I don't think hotels should have to provide them.

Hey, wait a minute Wyndham, I use those sewing kits to stitch those skimpy towels together to make a decent sized bath towel. Sometimes I have to use the washcloths and hand towels, too, for a nice sized bath sheet.

I stay at Marriotts a lot (weekly), and it's funny that they are cutting back on this stuff, but they still give me new towels every day. Even though there is the little sign, and I hang my towels up, they still give me new ones.

I'm not complaining, but it's certainly not saving them any money. I imagine it's easier for the maids to just give new towels though.

@JulesNoctambule: I converted my husband to b&bs last year and we haven't looked back. When he saw we could get a one bedroom flat with full kitchen and private entrance for less than half the cost of a hotel in the area, he flipped. And we had a view of the local harber (right across the street), everything we needed was in the neighborhood including trains to the city.

@calquist: for women like me to take home and use when we color our hair

I was already afraid to use anything for fear of being charged for it like I was buying a government toilet seat, so no big deal. I only care that the towels and sheets are clean, there aren't any cooties or bed bugs, whether I can control the heat/air, and they keep a lid on the other guests who do all of the stuff wouldn't dare do at home...