- Small hotels often only provide certain things for guests.View of Hotel room image by TekinT from Fotolia.com
Hotels usually provide certain supplies for guests during their stay--with larger, pricier hotels offering a wider variety of more exclusive items. Smaller, less expensive hotels still provide certain supplies, but because such establishments generally don't have as much money as larger chains, only specific items are provided. - Most small hotels provide small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap for their guests, which are restocked by maids every day if the bottles are empty or if the previous guest opened the containers. Maids often do not restock these products if they haven't been used. Hotel room shampoos, conditioners and soaps range from cheaper products that clean effectively to brand name items from a manufacturer with which the hotel has a distribution deal. Bars of soap are often provided in small hotels, individually wrapped for each new guest.
- Mini bars are also provided in some more expensive small hotel rooms, and include glasses, a container for ice and miniature refrigerator that carries sodas, juices, small bottles of alcohol and a variety of snacks--ranging from candy to nuts. These supplies are not free and the hotel usually prices them quite high. They are a convenient addition to the room, however, for guests who are hungry or thirsty yet don't want to leave the room or order room service. Different small hotels--like the Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon--have different food and drink stocked in their miniature refrigerators. What mini bars contain is usually based on the quality of the hotel, as well as the hotel's ability to economically restock these items the following day. Some small hotels do not have mini bars. Glasses and ice, however, are always free.
- Certain upscale small hotels will have a robe and slippers in the closet of their hotel rooms for guests to wear during their stay; sometimes guests can even take them home. It is important to know each hotel's policy on these items. Some hotels allow you to wear the robe during your stay, but will charge you if you take it home. Other hotels charge you for opening the robe, regardless of whether you take it home, since they must clean it when you leave. They charge even more if you take the robe with you.
