Having the concierge say, “Sorry sir, but we don’t have toothpaste,” at 2:30 am was…an inconvenience. And an annoyance.
“Not even mouthwash?”
“No, I’m terribly sorry sir.”
I agreed. And it was a true sentiment for the both of us, especially since the closest convenience store wouldn’t open until the sun came up and my wine-soaked teeth were itching in a way that was making me cross the border of sorry-land into irritable.
I won’t call out said hotel, which is considered high end, but I will point out that while there’s some posh shampoos, conditioners and body washes to be had in most moderate-luxury hotels, the problem remains: there are a few obvious grooming amenities that most hotel chains seem to have collective amnesia about. Here are the three hotel amenities we’d prefer to find along our sink than that useless body lotion.
1—Toothpaste
Any cursory overview of your local drug store’s travel-sized section will tell you there’s no dearth of compact sized toothpaste. And unlike, you know, hand cream, this is one product that is truly problematic to forget or prematurely use up. Mouthwash would also be nice and a toothbrush. At the very least, we’d give up that hand cream for a bowl of Altoids.
2—Shave Gel/Cream
So…sometimes hair conditioner isn’t a bad alternative but…usually it is. Depends on the brand. Also design in travel sized shave cream still has a way to go—anyone whose had the cap unexpectedly pop off in transit already knows this. A simple solution? How about some 2-in-1 shave/soaps. Both men and women might find use in this.
3—Face Soap
An observation: A lot of hotel rooms will include a body wash and a hand soap. Or, a bar of soap for the sink, a separate one for the shower and, also a body wash. A plea for sudsy sanity? Make one non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging), formulated for face.
If your hotel includes a spa you’ll probably be able to snag any three of these by calling down to the concierge, but best not to wait till you get there to realize you’ve left your stuff at home.
Image courtesy Evru/Shutterstock
