5 ideas for 2024 in this vibrant growing market

The hotel industry is often a good benchmark for the short-term rental sector in terms of trends and future direction. This is definitely evident in the hotel toiletries market which was estimated to be $15.3 billion in 2023. Predictions are that it will increase by 7.4% from 2024 to 2032.

One key trend is the increasing demand for eco-friendly products to meet guest expectations and to align with global environmental initiatives. Nearly 70% of hotels have adopted some form of eco-friendly practices concerning toiletries. Furthermore, consumers have become more eco-conscious in their own lives and are expecting to see the same responsible behaviour from accommodation providers. Indeed, nearly a quarter (22%) of shoppers identify themselves as eco-conscious consumers.

Now, of course, providing your guests with refillable shampoos and body washes is an obvious solution within eco-friendly toiletries for short-term rentals. This approach cuts down on plastic waste and choosing natural or organic ingredients enhances the guest experience.

However, there are other ways to make responsible choices for creating the perfect bathroom. In this article, we share some ideas you may not have considered. They are all better for the environment as well as helping to keep your rentals problem-free.

1. Pamper your guests with a decent wet shave

When we create beautiful bathrooms, we often think more about women’s needs rather than men. However, men like to be pampered too and having a good wet shave is one of those times. Travelling with a razor is not allowed on most flights and often results in having to use cheap disposable razors.

You can make life easy for your guests when they want a good shave! Why not offer a complimentary bamboo razor with a blade? Give them the details of the company and then they can then take the razor home and purchase just the blades.

This is particularly popular for business travellers with around 60% of hotels providing a razor and shaving cream. Of course, this may also be appreciated by your female guests if they want to use a razor.

2. Help your guests brush their teeth responsibly

A product which has grown in popularity is the non-plastic toothbrush. Amazingly, the global toothbrush market is projected to reach $8.2 billion by 2027. That is a lot of toothbrushes! Whilst manual toothbrushes are still the most popular, there is a growing trend towards electric but also eco-friendly options such as biodegradable materials. In the hotel market, approximately 75% of hotels offer a toothbrush and toothpaste, particularly in mid-range to luxury price points.

Consequently, it is a nice touch (particularly in more luxury properties) to add a complimentary toothbrush to your list of eco-friendly toiletries for short-term rentals. As well as, for example, a beechwood toothbrush, you could also introduce guests to a mineral toothpaste which is 100% natural.

In this way, you will be reducing unnecessary plastic waste as well as being mindful of what ends up going down the sink. Many toothpastes include microplastics for their abrasive, polishing effect which can then enter our oceans and ultimately harm marine life.

3. Support natural, safe periods

This is probably not a subject that is discussed that much as part of eco-friendly toiletries for short-term rentals. However, there is a strong movement to support women in having safe, chemical-free, dye-free and plastic-free sanitary products. Evidently, this is better for women’s health but also better for our planet. You can find out more from this campaign #BeKind. These eco-friendly products are made from organic cotton which are fully biodegradable.

Offering your female guests these type of sanitary products will lessen what they have to bring with them and show that you respect their wellbeing. It will also be kinder to your drains!

Furthermore, in most situations, it is not advisable for pads and tampons to be flushed down the toilet. In the UK alone, 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million pads are flushed in the UK every day. There is even a hashtag to illustrate this: #beabinnernotaflusher. This can be a big problem for a short-term rental as blocked toilets is not an issue you want to have to deal with. So, instead you can provide eco-friendly bags made from plant-based materials. These are easy for your guests to use and practical for your housekeeping staff. They make a great addition to your eco-friendly bathroom and show that you support women’s wellbeing.

4. Provide alternatives to wet wipes

Another issue which can cause blockages are wet wipes. No doubt, it you have an active list of eco-friendly toiletries for short-term rentals, you will provide recycled or bamboo toilet paper. So, hopefully, your guests will be happy with that and not use wet wipes, which usually contain plastic.

However, many people choose facial wipes for removing make-up when on holiday. If these end up down the toilet, they can create real problems for your maintenance team. The problem from wet wipes is so bad in the UK that they were banned in 2023.

Fortunately, there are some more eco-friendly answers to this. Undoubtedly, reusable washable make-up pads are the most sustainable option but these are nor practical for a short-term rental. However, you could provide organic cotton pads which will be biodegradable and not grown using pesticides which may be harmful to wildlife and waterways.

Secondly, it is possible to find biodegradable wipes but still probably not advisable that they be flushed away.