
The Mystery of the Missing Hotel Toothpaste (2013) - prostoalex
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/07/toothpaste_in_hotels_why_do_they_provide_shampoo_soap_and_high_end_toiletries.single.html?src=longreads&utm_content=buffer9fc8b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
======
totalcrepe
Toothpaste is heavily branded in a health related fashion that makes it hard
for hotels to get away with fake botique and paying for a real brand risks
offending users of a "higher" or competing brand. Then there are also the
foreign patrons who will find local brands funny at best.

This is notable in that the one hotel that carried toothpaste felt they had to
say which brand. (They were right, I once stayed at a hotel with generic
foreign toiletries and only the toothpaste triggered ill ease: wondering
whether potentially tainted toothpaste or skipping toothpaste was the higher
risk.) But they had also chosen the wrong brand if they have foreign patrons
as aquafresh has very little presence abroad.

~~~
careersuicide
> risks offending users of a "higher" or competing brand

I strongly suspect that I am not alone in the stubbornness of my toothpaste
preference. I will grudgingly use a different shampoo if I have to as most
shampoos don't have too strong of a smell. In any given day I use probably 3
to 6 different soaps, with only the one in my house being my preference
(mmmmmmmm coconut ginger) so using some random soap at a hotel is no big deal.
But I will be buried deep in the ground before I subject myself to using
anything but my usual toothpaste.

It took me years to find a flavor of mint that I honestly enjoy using. Nothing
else has ever felt quite right; it even has the right texture! Using another
flavor for even one brushing would make me want to gag. Taste, in both senses
of the word, is a very personal thing I suppose.

~~~
copperx
I feel like an alien after reading your comment. I will gladly use any soap,
shampoo, or toothpaste as long as it's free.

I have never met someone as picky as you say you are with your toothpaste. I
don't think you're the norm in any way.

~~~
gutnor
I'm very picky with my toothpaste. The marketing hype convinced me that a
specific brand had "the best" toothpaste in the world just at the time I had
serious teeth issues that cost me thousands.

I currently live that proper state of delusion that allows full placebo effect
and toothpaste is not expensive enough to warrant a reality check.

Thankfully, that's not a taste related thing like parent, so I borrow
toothpaste from friend, family or hotel the few times I travel. Also, since it
is feature based, other brands have started introducing similar feature,
allowing me a bit of variation.

But really I can understand parent, I have had a period were I was so scared
of going to the dentist (I was 30+ at the time) that I was following a very
strict routine religiously. I took my toothpaste, brush, rince and floss on my
wedding night. They travelled with me to another continent on my honey moon. I
took them to the hospital to use on the night my son was born.

------
Doctor_Fegg
A thousand times amen to this.

At home I share a tube of toothpaste with my wife: if we go on holiday
together, we bring the tube with us.

If I'm travelling solo, for business or whatever, then the home toothpaste
stays at home, so I need to remember to buy a new tube to take with me. It's
the only thing I need to expressly purchase other than the hotel room booking.

This can't be that unusual a scenario... can it?

~~~
caseymarquis
Nope. Same deal. I'd probably pay about $5 more a night in exchange for
toothpaste being provided. I'll be on the hunt for Hyatt now that I know it's
standard there.

~~~
bostonpete
You'd pay $5 more a night to avoid having to buy an extra tube of toothpaste
at the store every once in a while?

Sometimes, I feel like I'm so cavalier about spending money that my
depression-era grandparents must be rolling in their graves, but then when I
see comments like this, it makes me feel much more frugal. ;-)

~~~
icantdrive55
I'm from the same era, and as I've gotten older I'm much more frugal. My
decised father was psychotically frugal.

I'm different than my father, but we definetly don't give hard earned money
away. Now easily made money I usually spend freely.

Tooth paste--prescription grade, and use pea size amount. (Not out of
cheapness--just don't want to give a dentist any money. ) Hair cutting--
Flobee. Car breaks down--pull out the tools. Plumbing problems--one day at a
garage sale I bought a 4' monkey wrench. I've actually used it. Emotional
upset--drink. Need new clothes--pull out sewing machine, and custom fit cheap
clothes. Eat out--specifical occasions. Buy Men's hair color to hide getting
older in this ageist society--walk right over to women hair color and buy
brown 51 for $2.99. The only item I splurge on is a certain glycerine soap. (I
have thought about making my own, and might if I can obtain Neutrigenia's
propriatiry formula?)

And I would never tell a date/most people any of this. When socializing, I'm a
phoney spendthrift, and when it came to my pets money was never an option. I
would pay anything to make them healthy/happy. Years later I was talking to a
vet I befriended, and he said they have a office subscript for guy's like me--
it's WPA. (Will pay anything). I remember being bothered, but their health was
my priority, even when I was broke. They all passed, but I have no guilt over
their care.

------
kalleboo
He mentions toothpaste is standard in Asia which is also my experience. The
standard delivery mechanism is a sealed plastic bag with a cheap toothbrush
and a two-time use mini tube of unbranded toothpaste. (So it's not like you're
using a re-filled tube someone else used the night before)

------
spuz
The reporter should ask toothpaste manufacturers this question. Surely if
anyone cares that hotels supply guests toothpaste, it's the manufacturer who
stands to profit from such a deal. I suspect that if you went down that road,
you would find your answer.

------
GarrisonPrime
I don't see the mystery. It seems perfectly straightforward to me.

(1) Toothpaste, deodorant, tampons, and similar "intimate" items are highly
desired by most people, and so, clearly, most people will bring them as a
matter of course.

(2) Soap, shampoo, and other things you usually find provided by hotels are,
however, awkward for the traveler to carry on their journey. But they are
cheap for a hotel to provide, so they do so.

(3) Loofahs, shoehorns, and other misc. junk are just thrown in to cheaply
create an image of luxury.

Why is this a mystery?

~~~
munchbunny
You'd think it'd be this obvious, but then again Asian hotels give you the
brush and toothpaste.

When I think about why I bring toothpaste and a toothbrush with me... it's
because hotels don't provide them. It's not because I want _my_ toothbrush, or
_my_ toothpaste, or even _my_ floss, I just bring it because I can't rely on
always having it otherwise.

Which just gets into the circular reasoning. Hotels don't provide it because
travelers bring it because hotels don't provide it etc. That's probably the
reason the pattern continues, but then why didn't it catch on in the first
place?

------
igf
Bringing my own shampoo is a hassle, because I buy shampoo in normal-sized
many-use bottles that are quite large and might leak.

Bringing my own soap is even worse, because nobody wants to carry around a
slimy wet cake of soap.

Bringing my own toothpaste is easy, because it's small, and I get the brand
whose taste I'm accustomed to. Also, I've got to bring my tooth _brush_ with
me anyway, so the toothpaste as well isn't a big problem.

Now, _shaving cream_ , on the other hand, is an item that's a bit of a hassle
to cart around with me.

~~~
nullc
> Bringing my own toothpaste is easy

You don't fly anywhere where TSA 'protects' the skies then?

~~~
igf
I thought toothpaste was fine because it's a paste, not a liquid, gel or
aerosol.

Unless of course you buy the "gel" type.

~~~
ghaff
"You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams
and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. "

YMMV of course as to how strenuously this is enforced in practice. My
observation is that in Europe (at least in the UK) the separate quart baggie
taken out of luggage is actually more routinely and more strictly enforced
than in the US. And I somewhat doubt that a squeezed down tube of toothpaste
in that baggie is typically going to cause an issue. (But in the US, I use
travel-sized toothpaste and have TSA Pre so I don't have a lot of recent
data.)

------
Aloha
I'm on the road 30-90 (or more) days a year.

I bring my own:

Shampoo (Cant stand the smell of most hotel shampoo), Soap (I like Dr.
Bronners in the Bar, also, see above), Toothpaste (I'm preferential to colgate
with fluoride), Deodorant (Unscented), Aftershave, Q-Tips, (2) Razors,
Antacids plus a bevy of other personal care products.

I don't use most of the toiletries left by the hotel, they don't smell good
(though they seem to do just fine with cleaning) - Mostly I just don't relish
smelling like 'Citron Citrus Explosion with Mango and Green Tea extract' for
3-4 hours after I shower. The rest of the stuff is so I don't have to go look
for a 7-Eleven or Drug Store (usually in the middle of the night) in a strange
city to fix whatever ails me. It also helps make travel more bearable, because
then I feel more like I would if I was at home.

So I suspect the real reason hotel's have no toothpaste in the rooms, is most
travelers prefer to bring their own.

~~~
pkd
> So I suspect the real reason hotel's have no toothpaste in the rooms, is
> most travelers prefer to bring their own.

Indeed, this was my thought too. I suspect that toothpaste is such a necessity
that nobody travels without their own. Shampoos, conditioners et al are nice
but not necessary and hence less liable to find a place in the backpack.

The hotels must have observed the unused toothpaste tubes and simply removed
the item from their inventory to cut down the costs.

~~~
frik
I wonder why hotels have no vending machine to buy a toothpaste, etc in the
middle of the night when no shop is opened or in general when no shop is in
walking distance.

~~~
blakeyrat
Just talk to the guy at the front desk. Why do you need a robot when there's a
guy staffing it 24/7 who'll happily give you a free tube of toothpaste if you
simply ask him?

This thread is like bizarro universe for me. Am I seriously the _only one_
who's tried asking the desk for toothpaste?

~~~
derefr
A kind of common anxiety, involving not wanting people to "serve" you, even
for money, when you could instead get the same thing done yourself. It's the
same reason middle-class Americans—even when in possession of plenty of money
and no time—tend to clean their houses or buy gadgets like Roombas, instead of
retaining a part-time cleaner.

------
300bps
Tell your hotel you forgot your toothbrush and toothpaste and most places will
give them to you for free.

------
pttrsmrt
Oh no, this like a "cannot unsee"-picture. I will never be able to stay at a
hotel again without being troubled by the lack of toothpaste.

It begs the question: What else in the world do we not see until we see it?

~~~
vinchuco
There is a wonderful podcast series dedicated to your question
[http://99percentinvisible.org](http://99percentinvisible.org)

~~~
_JamesA_
Speaking of 99 Percent Invisible - that podcast makes the entertainment system
in my car reboot when played. It ends up in a cycle of play a few seconds,
reboot, play, etc, until I change to another podcast.

No other podcast or any other source causes this issue.

~~~
jdminhbg
I recently read an article that said that most podcasts don't use VBR encoding
for MP3s because there are some players that don't handle it correctly; maybe
99% Invisible does and your car system is crashing because of it?

~~~
_JamesA_
Thanks. I did a quick search and found the/an article[1] that says iOS and
macOS do not accurately seek within a VBR MP3 but implies that they play
without issue.

I'll have to investigate this further (or buy a new car) when I have the time.

[1]: [https://marco.org/2016/08/15/vbr-
mp3-plea](https://marco.org/2016/08/15/vbr-mp3-plea)

------
noir_lord
8 paragraphs before he even starts to answer the question...

I like long form writing but not when it's short form writing plus filler.

------
IANAD
Some years ago I went on a cruise and they provided a name-brand toothpaste,
and iirc a hotel in UK or Europe provided toothpaste on my stay. I was excited
each time I received it.

A Sheraton I visited recently provided a packet of shave cream. It smelled of
horrible medicine and it didn't protect my face at all during shaving; in
fact, I determined over two days that using it had been worse than not at all.
Note that I tried with and without mixing it with an appropriate amount of
water, but it didn't matter.

I know there is probably a significant cost different to the hotel, but I vote
for name-brand toothpaste over horrible shave cream.

As for the rest, they only thing I would want is shampoo. Since the TSA
started checking for "insecure" amounts of fluids, I have really started to
rely on the shampoo in hotels. I only keep an "insecurely" large bottle of
shampoo at home and don't want to waste time and energy putting it into a
small bottle to take with me for the matter of a few to several days of use.

BTW, If you're curious about the 100mL TSA rule, read these for their
explanation and reasoning:

[https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-
rule](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-rule)

[http://blog.tsa.gov/2008/02/more-on-liquid-rules-why-we-
do-t...](http://blog.tsa.gov/2008/02/more-on-liquid-rules-why-we-do-
things.html)

[http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/05/3-1-1-liquid-policy-still-in-
pla...](http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/05/3-1-1-liquid-policy-still-in-place.html)

[http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/08/talk-to-tsa-response-are-
liquids...](http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/08/talk-to-tsa-response-are-liquids-
really.html)

~~~
silencio
Have you ever tried using hair conditioner instead of shaving cream? I prefer
conditioner even at home. I never get enough shaving cream for my legs, if I
even get one that doesn't smell "manly", so I always just pack extra
conditioner.

~~~
ghaff
Huh! I have a beard and don't shave regularly but I sometimes want to on
longer trips. I'm sort of a lightweight packer and resent taking even the
travel-sized shaving creams for something I might use once but never found a
more compact alternative that I liked. I will give conditioner a try.

~~~
dsr_
I shave my head as well as my face, and I find conditioner is significantly
superior to soap or shaving cream.

------
peteri
Oddly I've had disposable tooth brushes and paste in airlines business class
goodie bags.

Used to keep them for guests at home.

------
Theodores
I am 'ashamed' to say that I have worked in hospitality sector - hotels - and
there are some things in this article that are definitely true in the UK:

Things do get topped up. Those big soap dispenser things with some posh label
on, they do get topped up. There are different ways to do this - sometimes the
trolley with towels and stuff on has a few pre-topped up ones on and they get
swapped over. Some staff top up on a room by room basis, obviously only when
the guests change lest the illusion be shattered. These items rarely get
stolen (even by American tourists) in country hotels (can't say for big
corporate chains). There is a matter of trust going on here and far less gets
taken by guests than you might imagine, few people 'steal'.

The ratings thing is what defines what you have in a room. Some things like
3/4 length mirrors chime in on two stars, if I remember. Even number of coat
hangers is star count related.

I have done my fair share of running around for guests, I cannot remember ever
having to get toothpaste or even a toothbrush for any guest ever. It is just
not a requirement or expectation or even something that people habitually
forget.

Some things are available in the smallest of shops, toothpaste being one and
tampons being another. I believe that people have no more of an expectation to
find toothpaste as they do have to expect tampons, condoms or razor blades
just there as a freebee.

There are more worrying things though in a hotel. That glass to drink out of,
how do you know that it wasn't washed and then dried using the towel left
behind by the previous guest? For that same towel to also be used to dry off
the tiles in the bathroom, the floor and the sink? Usually the towels will be
boil washed and dried by some contractor, however, they are as much in use by
the housekeeping staff as the guests in many a place.

Another observation is the state of the toilets. Those guests that dine on
fine cuisine in the restaurant probably don't eat that sort of stuff every
day. It really does not sit with them too well and the toilets do show the
signs of this. Compared to the staff toilets (or the loos at your workplace),
hotel toilets are a mess, that posh food is just not intestine friendly.
Therefore, if you are in a hotel, be far more concerned about what goes in
your mouth rather than how you clean your mouth.

A further point, why didn't the research for this article include a word or
two from housekeeping staff? Do managers really know how to do hospital
corners or any of the multitude of things one needs to do to make a hotel room
spotless in 20 minutes?

~~~
Aloha
The big soap dispenser things are all but unheard of in the north american
hotel market

~~~
ghaff
I've certainly seen them but they're not that common--especially at the big
chains.

------
grendelt
> “If you think about toiletries, you’re diluting those products with copious
> amounts of water,” said Kersley, “and they’re only in contact with your skin
> topically.” Toothpaste, on the other hand, goes in your mouth, and maybe
> down your throat.

...then why is it that can I find mouthwash in about half the hotels I stay
at? Mouthwash "goes in your mouth, and maybe down your throat".

> Or perhaps it’s a simple matter of portability and convenience. A bottle of
> shampoo might leak in your luggage; a bar of soap is often slimy; a tube of
> toothpaste, though, can be tossed into your Dopp kit without a second
> thought.

...yeah, but have you ever had a tube of toothpaste leak or explode in your
kit? What an absolute mess. It's happened twice in my life. The first time
took forever trying to clean everything else - even then my deodorant case and
razor handle always left my hands smelling minty fresh a long while. The
second time it happened I just threw it all out and bought new gear. That's
why I rarely pack a new, whole tube of toothpaste anymore.

------
malz
Soaps and shampoos are a bit of a luxury item, which is why there are whole
stores like "Bath & Body Works" that just sell them. It's a marketing
opportunity for the manufacturers to pay hotels to put out their mini-bottles
for free. There's no such niche for boutique toothpastes.

~~~
ghaff
I'd be rather surprised if hotels routinely got their mini-sized bathroom
products for free. In the case of the big chains, they mostly slap on their
own house brand anyway.

But, yes, there's at least the opportunity for boutique hotels to use a
"luxury" shampoo/soap brand as part of their overall image and guest
experience.

Whereas for toothpaste, it's pretty much Crest or Colgate. Or, if you're a
somewhat frou-frou B&B in Vermont or California, maybe Tom's.

------
allendoerfer
I always think that this is a waste of resources. Imagine the sheer amount of
conditioner that gets thrown away unused because of this. I have seen wall-
mounted shampoo and soap and really liked the idea, although it does not
convey the mentioned branding effect, which hotels try to achieve with these
toiletries. It made me feel better. Unfortunately consumers are incredibly
stupid. If you want to achieve a positive branding effect from doing sensible
stuff like this, you cannot just do the practical thing, because that would
seem cheap. You have to tack on all this hipster bullshit and mention how you
are saving the planet on every occasion.

------
Volt
Last time I didn't bring toothpaste I asked the front desk of my hotel and
they gave me a bunch of packets. But it would be nice for them to just put
them in the room to begin with.

------
partiallypro
Most hotels that I've been to that don't have toothpaste in the rooms do have
them available at the front desk upon request (at no cost.)

It's a cost saving measure, and I assume most people travel with their own
toothpaste (so much preference, is small and doesn't flag TSA search.) If
someone stays one night, even if they don't use the toothpaste, you still have
to replace the tube. Makes more sense to keep a small supply at the front
desk/back-room.

------
Grue3
A capsule hotel in Tokyo (First Cabin Tsukiji) I stayed in had a small tube of
toothpaste (unbranded), and toothbrush, which they changed every day. The
toothbrush was really small and difficult to use, and toothpaste was as
generic tasting as they go. I still used them a few times just for the novelty
of it.

------
ArtDev
On that note; why do I need two bars of soap when the hotel internet less than
1Mbps? The hotel industry is in the US is strange and archaic. Hotel internet
and toothpaste are great examples of issues that should be obvious.

Heck, I provide a bottle of wine to my Airbnb guests.

------
panitaxx
Usually intercontinental business class flight amenities kit includes a
toothbrush and a toothpaste. I don't know why hotels can provide one.

------
failrate
I really dislike using a different toothpaste than usual, but it doesn't
bother me to use a different shampoo.

------
eecc
Imagine how much wasted toothpaste ...

------
blakeyrat
Does he realize he can just ask for toothpaste at the front desk? I've never
been refused a free tube if I just asked for it.

~~~
jbg_
Yes, he does. He even mentions it more than once in the article.

~~~
blakeyrat
Ok, well then I'm not going to read an article that long that can be answered
in a single sentence.

~~~
wiwofone
Your single-sentence answer is misdirected. The article doesn't pose the
question of how to get toothpaste at a hotel, but rather why it is not
included in the standard set of amenities. You don't have to ask the reception
for for two types of soap, lotions, and gels, but you have to ask for
toothpaste. That's the "mystery".

------
inatreecrown
tldr: chicken and egg problem

------
nstj
> The average daily rate for staying at U.S. hotels is $111. The average
> number of tubes of toothpaste these hotels provide is zero.

I've never stayed in a high end hotel in the US which didn't provide a
toothpaste and toothbrush kit on the bathroom counter on arrival. And like
many other people are stating on this thread at almost _every_ hotel I've
stayed at in other regions around the world (Asia, Oceania, South America,
Europe) the same thing is provided.

Seems like a bit of a straw man premise for the article.

~~~
cstejerean
What do you consider a high end hotel? Most hotels I have stayed at provide
toothpaste but only upon request. I don't remember last time I have seen
toothpaste just waiting on the counter.

~~~
ghaff
It's certainly not the norm in the US at the big chains (Marriott, Starwoods)
even at their higher-end properties. I can't say the presence or absence of
toothpaste (or razor, etc.) is something that I make a particular note of but
they aren't common.

------
initram
> “If such requests did begin to trend,” explained a representative from the
> Wyndham Hotel Group, “we would evaluate our brand standards and offerings.”

Isn't Wyndham the same group that had a major security breach and the pleaded
to congress that it's not their job to keep customer data safe from thieves?

[https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-
releases/2012/06/ftc-f...](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-
releases/2012/06/ftc-files-complaint-against-wyndham-hotels-failure-protect)

So I wouldn't expect them to understand anything that customers actually
think.

