by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:02 PM ET, Thu May 10, 2018
Marking yet another noteworthy step forward in the effort to phase out single-use plastics that are not environmentally friendly, Intercontinental Hotels and Marriott International are doing away with miniature toiletries at many of their brands.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Marriott International is switching from the small, giveaway bottles of shampoo and conditioner to larger, wall-mounted dispensers in 450 hotels at five brands and intends to expand the effort to 1500 hotels in North America by January.
The change will include Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites.
Marriott's Starwood, Four Points, and Moxy brands already use pump dispensers.
IHG meanwhile, is reportedly planning to make a similar switch at four of its brands - Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suite and Avid Hotels. At IHG's Even Hotels, which launched in 2014, dispensers rather than small bottles, are already in use.
Though many travelers have enjoyed the freebie toiletries, their impact on the environment is disastrous and the hotels should be applauded for their move.
A Marriott International spokeswoman told MailOnline Travel the average hotel in its mid-range category goes through more than 23,000 tiny bottles each year. That's the equivalent of more than 250 pounds of plastic.
The switch to wall-mounted dispensers is expected to eliminate the use of 10.3 million bottles or 113,000 pounds of plastic annually, Marriott said.
"Owners, franchisees and general managers who already have made the switch report that it's better for their bottom line, partly because it means they can reduce their trash bill," the Marriott spokeswoman told MailOnline.
The news about the two hotel companies is just the latest example of travel industry efforts to be environmentally friendly and address the growing problem of plastic pollution.
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