flamingocrazyfl

I had a recent stay at the TYS airport Hilton. I noticed they provided the usual Crabtree bath amenities for everything but the shampoo, which was Peter Thomas Roth. When did Hilton move away from PTR? I remember several years ago that was all that was offered (I usually stay with Marriott so my Hilton experience is limited). My first thought was that this was old stock but could they be bringing it back or perhaps could a property make the decision to continue to offer it? I’ll be staying there again in a couple of weeks. Just curious if this was a fluke, a return to PTR bath amenities or a local property decision.

jxd

I much prefer PTR. C&E does not belong at a high end chain like hilton imo.

shillard

I have no hair to speak of, and even I prefer PTR shampoo.

jasdou

High end chain? Hilton?

fransknorge

A few months ago. All of my Hilton stays since this summer, they had the Crabtree amenities, also in DoubleTree. I am also quite disappointed by this choice.

wizla

I prefer PTR products too, however I quite like the Crabtree body wash.

TTT103

Just out of curiosity, I had a bottle of Shanghai Tang moisturizer (Conrad) and Salvatore Ferragomo (Waldorf) moisturizer sitting on my vanity, and decided to compare the ingredients, as I was brushing my teeth. Interestingly, the ingredients are nearly identical, which makes me think that Guest Supply uses the same base and simply adds a different fragrance.

arlflyer

FWIW, I've always liked the Neutrogena products (HI, Homewood) more than PTR or C&E. Whether they're placed in "lower-end" brands or not, they get the job done the best of the three IMO. I'd be plenty happy if they standardized across the brands.

escape4

Maybe I am naive, but Shanghai Tang and Salvatore Ferragamo are two different companies as far as I know and they provide different products, therefore if you make the statement above you are saying that "guest supply" is tampering with the products they receive?

dw

Basically, almost all hotel toiletries are cheaply made, using mostly synthetic ingredients. The name brands just license their brands to companies that make toiletries for hospitality use (and there are only a handful), and the formulations are almost nothing like what you’d find in retail. (One exception I’ve found is Aveda.)

Some of the companies that make the products you’ll see in mainstream hotel chains:
https://www.guestsupply.com
https://www.mariettahospitality.com
https://www.labottega.com

residentx

It’s true, most of the little bottles of ‘luxury’ product flow out of Reading or China. Mmmm Reading.

Richmond_Surrey

Regarding Conrad hotels, I didn't try to buy Shanghai Tang toiletries outside of the hotel, simply because I couldn't find them. But you can certainly buy Aromatherapy Associates products directly from the company. I recently encountered Thierry Mugler hotel toiletries, so surely they are produced by themselves not Guest Supply company or similar. Can't comment on Ferragamo hotel products, only had hotel versions.

Anyway, I collect body lotion from all brands (assuming it smells nice) and use it as hand cream. Hardly use shampoo or conditioner, as it's usually poor and my hair are tangled later.

escape4

Thank you, this is informative!

My uninformed opinion is that this makes a lot of sense for low or mid-end brands, but I am not sure it applies at top end brands. My gut feeling is that Salvatore Ferragamo would not accept their name being used on cheap toiletries, ie the same toiletries being used at the lower end of the scale.

I have never bought SF retail however so I cannot say for sure, all I can say is that toiletries available in Waldorf hotels seem far superior (subjective opinion, admittedly) than amenities at lower brands such as DoubleTree or Hilton so I would be quite surprised if SF is made the same as C&E or PTR except for a "different fragrance" as the previous poster alluded to.

If I am wrong, then they have successfully employed effective marketing to make my perceptions of the product differ from the actual product.

arlflyer

To the point about hotel versus retail channels for name brands, the first time I stayed at a WA, I so much enjoyed the Ferragamo products that I tried to purchase some for personal use. Despite there being a consumer Tuscan Soul line, when I bought the product it was nowhere near the same fragrance. So in the case, the recipe was definitely different, and I actually liked the B2B channel version better.

rustykettel

It started about two years ago, but I still saw it at some properties in Europe last year

Change in toiletries at Hilton hotels