Marriott and IAG hotel giants to ditch small plastic toiletry bottles from hotel rooms

Holidaymakers who traditionally swipe toiletries from their hotel rooms will soon find this perk has disappeared.

Two global hotel groups have announced that they will be dispensing with toiletries in a bid to minimise plastic waste.

Marriot which has 7,000 properties worldwide that includes Sheraton, Wesstin and Ritz-Carlot is planning to ditch these tiny single use plastic bottles by December 2020.

Hotel giant IHG who own the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotel is to replace all miniature toiletries to bigger size amenities by the end of 2021.

That means that guests will no longer be able to swipe shampoos, conditioners and shower gels saving 700 million tiny plastic bottles from the rubbish dump each year.

Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s chief executive said

“This is our second global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics in just over a year, which underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact. It’s a huge priority for us.”

IAG CEO Keith Barr saiid

“It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly – we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect.

“Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change.

“We’ve already made great strides in this area, with almost a third of our estate already adopting the change and we’re proud to lead our industry by making this a brand standard for every single IHG hotel.

“We’re passionate about sustainability and we’ll continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities.”

This initiative has already been tested by Hyatt in certain properties, and last year, the Walt Disney Co. stopped supplying little plastic bottles on its cruise ships and at its resorts.

The European Union is also banning a wide range of single-use plastic items, like cutlery and plates, by 2021.