The miniature shampoo bottle has always looked like a souvenir. After three mornings of coffee by the window, the bathrobe can start to feel like yours, too. Then you open your suitcase on the bed and have to decide which of them is coming home.
Complimentary mini toiletries, wrapped disposable slippers, and ordinary hotel stationery are usually yours to take home. Leave towels, robes, refillable dispensers, and room equipment behind unless the hotel expressly offers them as gifts or sells them to you. Check the room guide or ask the front desk about anything unclear.
Contents
| Usually Yours to Keep | Check the Label or Ask | Usually Stays in the Room |
|---|---|---|
| Complimentary mini toiletries, wrapped soap, and vanity kits | Freestanding full-size products | Refillable dispensers |
| Wrapped disposable slippers | Washable slippers, laundry bags, and umbrellas | Bathrobes, towels, and bedding |
| Complimentary pens, notepads, and postcards | Branded reusable water bottles and tote bags | Hangers, kettles, hairdryers, and speakers |
| Complimentary tea bags, coffee sachets, and capsules set out for you | Minibar items and bottled water with unclear pricing | Carafes, cups, serving dishes, and décor |
AAA’s guide to complimentary hotel items covers the usual examples. The room card and the front desk can tell you what applies to your particular stay.
Pack the rest of a complimentary shampoo miniature if you’ll use it on the next leg of your trip. The same goes for a wrapped soap or a sealed vanity kit set out for you. Refillable pumps stay in the bathroom, whether they’re clipped to the wall or standing loose by the sink. A full-size bottle with a price card is a retail item.
What sits on the bathroom counter has changed. In 2019, IHG committed to replacing bathroom miniatures with refillable dispensers across its hotels. If you find a shampoo or soap you like, take a photo of the label. Reception may sell it or know where you can order it.
Wrapped disposable slippers are generally fine to take. With a washable pair, look for a note or ask. In Slovenia, Hotel Plesnik explicitly offers its felt slippers as a take-home gift. You can use the same check for an umbrella, a tote, or a fabric laundry bag, even when it carries the hotel logo.
Bathrobes, towels, and linens usually belong to the hotel. If you’ve spent the weekend in a robe you’d happily wear at home, ask if the hotel sells it. Some do, and groups such as Marriott sell robes and slippers through their own shops.
A tea bag or coffee capsule from your complimentary tray is usually fine to pack. Check the room guide before opening a minibar snack or a bottle of water if the price is unclear. There are exceptions worth looking for. When we stayed at Otočec Castle Hotel, the minibar was complimentary and the welcome included two small bottles of local spirits, the hotel’s gin and a honey liqueur called Medica.
At InterContinental Ljubljana, we had Puro coffee and Ronnefeldt teas alongside reusable glass water bottles. We liked the coffee with a madeleine from the welcome platter. If water comes in a refillable bottle or carafe, leave the container in the room. The same courtesy applies to the plate or tray that came with the welcome gift.
“Are these slippers ours to take home?” is a better question than “Are the slippers included?” Both a robe and a pair of slippers may be included for use during a stay. If you find a hotel towel in your suitcase later, call the property. Explain what happened and ask whether they’d like you to return it. If a charge has already appeared on your bill, ask reception which item it covers.
Hotels generally let you keep the disposable pair set out for you. Check with reception about washable or reusable slippers unless the hotel identifies them as a gift.
Complimentary miniatures, small bars of soap, and single-use vanity items are generally fine to keep. Leave refillable pumps in the bathroom and check the label on larger freestanding products.
A robe normally stays with the room. If your package explicitly includes one as a gift, or you buy one from the hotel, you can take it home.
Ordinary stationery left on the desk for guests is usually complimentary. Check first if a pen comes in a presentation box or is displayed with a price card.
The hotel may charge for missing towels under its policy. If you discover one among your belongings, contact the hotel to ask how it handles accidental returns.
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