Originally Posted by MIKEM

I walked into my room at the Minneapolis Westin and saw in the shower soap dispensers. Turns out they did away with the shampoo bottles and installed wall mounted pumps. They did this for the shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. There are no bottles in the room except the lotion. This hotel has installed these pumps in all the rooms on floors 3 & 7. This is a trial to phase out plastic bottles in the name of “Going Green.”

Are all the Westin Hotels heading down this path?

At the prices Westin charges I do not expect an airport public restroom like soap dispenser.

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I really, really dislike those wallmounted dispensers. To me it seems cheap, and isn't appropriate for a full-service hotel.

If I'm paying for a Westin room, I'm not interested in Super 8 style delivery of amenities.

Michael

Originally Posted by sbtinme

This is what aLoft has been doing since inception, no?

Originally Posted by hhoope01

I think we have hit on what is really going on. Aloft's must be doing so well that Starwood is looking at slowly converting Westins in Alofts.

Remember, you heard it here on FT first.

Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney

Exactly!

The Spa at the Parker Palm Springs has Molton Brown pumps and it just works. ACE hotels use Rudy's Barbarshop products in pumps ("use as much as you want, but if you take it you buy it") and it seems to work well for them.

Originally Posted by sbtinme

I'm very surprised that the Westin brand would consider this change. I can almost see it for aLoft or even Element, but not Westin. While I applaud the efforts toward being more green with far less waste, I'm not convinced that this change is going to please the majority of guests.

I don't think we're at the place where this can be seen as anything but a cost-saving move and that comes across as CHEAP to most folks. I'm quite surprised that the brand management folks over at Westin see this change as being in line with their brand's essence.

Time will tell ......