As vacation rental owners, we’ve seen it all. Unexpected items broken and hidden in cabinets. Appliances suddenly not working soon after a guest departs. Lost keys. Missing items. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. Experienced hosts need to remember that by simplifying the items in your vacation rental, you’re also saving yourself a headache. This is important to keep in mind when comparing refillable dispensers and travel size toiletries. For reasons of convenience, safety, efficiency, cleanliness, and customer satisfaction, travel-size toiletries are the way to go.

Here are five important reasons on why you should utilize travel-size toiletries if you already haven’t:

 

1. Refillable Dispensers can be Risky. This is especially true for liquids of any kinds, such as shampoo, conditioner, and soaps. While it may seem convenient to put a dispenser in your shower, you are unable to control what goes inside of it. You're better off not taking that risk by providing travel-size toiletries that are single-use, or at least lasting during the duration of a weekend stay.

2. Spend Less Time Managing Toiletries. One of the issues from using refillable dispensers is making sure you don't run out of product when you actually need it. If this happens, you'll have to go out of your way to buy more and keep it in stock. In contrast, ordering packaged toiletries by the case makes it easier to keep track of inventory, without having to worry about running out. Simply place a reminder on your calendar for your next order, and you'll always be stocked.

3. Simplify your Cleaning Process. We highly recommend you create a checklist to clean your vacation rental, in order to ensure cleanliness and efficiency. This is because the more time you spend cleaning, likely the more money you're spending, and the less profit you're earning (remember to pay yourself!) By using travel size toiletries, you can easily "check-off" the section on making sure there are soap bars and other useful items for your next guests, instead of checking the levels of refillable bottles or forgetting to refill any containers. Simply place the travel size toiletries in their respective spots and move on to the next task.

4. Travel Size Toiletries Scream Cleanliness. Guests aren't looking for a hotel experience, but there's a good chance they've been to a hotel. And an important part of hotel stays is that there's a fresh bar of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and other items still in their travel size packaging. These tiny packages are a sign of cleanliness - that nobody else has touched their bar of soap or anything they're going to put on their body. Keeping these packages available will instill confidence in your guest that you care about the quality of their stay, which should translate into stellar reviews.

5. Provide Some To-Go! Oftentimes, your guests are in a huge rush on their way out to make their train or flight. Offering travel-size toiletries, such as antibacterial gel or tissues, can be extremely handy and cost-effective. Your guests will remember that you offered them an extra form of convenience on their way out of your vacation rental. Have you checked out the Modern Innkeeper Healthy Guest Amenity Kits that include face mask and hand sanitizer gel packs? These thoughtful kits are available in four color options to match the style of your rental.

Well, there you have it! This list is concise, but the long-term impact of using travel-size toiletries can be easily seen. As long as you are on top of ordering inventory, and keeping extra packages tucked safely, you can enjoy all the benefits of using these products instead of resorting to refillable dispensaries.