DANJJAKGood guest amenities are the ones guests actually use: decent hair and body wash, a few practical extras for longer stays, and clean, fresh-smelling linen. For a hotel, hostel or serviced apartment in Singapore, think in three layers (the bathroom, the long-stay extras and the back-of-house laundry) and choose recognisable products in formats that suit how your guests travel.
Think about who is staying
A business hotel with one-night stays, a backpacker hostel and a serviced apartment rented by the month all need different things.
- Short stays want reliable basics in the bathroom and very little else.
- Long stays behave more like residents. They wash clothes, cook and stock their own cupboards, so practical extras matter more than miniature bottles.
- Hostels and budget stays often sell amenities at reception rather than giving them away, which changes the pack sizes you want.
Look at your average length of stay and your most common guest complaints before you choose anything.
Bathroom basics
Hair and body wash are the items guests notice most. Two approaches work well.
Single-use sachets. Lux Luminique comes as a 10g shampoo plus 10g treatment travel sachet. The brand describes the range as non-silicone, without parabens or artificial colourants, and created in Japan. Sachets are tidy for short stays, gift bags and welcome kits, and easy to sell at a hostel front desk.
Larger shared bottles. For apartments and rooms with wall dispensers, a 3-in-1 product keeps things simple. The Boots 3-in-1 body wash is sold as a shower gel, shampoo and bubble bath in one 500ml bottle, in several scents. One bottle in the shower replaces three.
Whichever route you choose, keep scents mild and consistent across rooms. Guests who like a scent will ask what it is, which is a small opportunity if you also sell retail.
Extras for long stays
Long-stay guests appreciate a few practical items in a welcome kit or for sale at reception:
- Travel laundry wash. Dr Beckmann Travel Wash is a concentrated gel for hand washing and spot stain removal. The brand says each tube provides up to 20 hand washes and that it suits washable, colourfast fabrics.
- Stain removers. Dr Beckmann Stain Devils come in versions for specific stains, such as pens and ink, fruit and drinks, or fats and sauces. A pen-and-ink version is useful for business travellers.
- Small comfort items. Throat lozenges, plasters and a few toiletries at reception help guests who arrive late or forget something.
Our guide to travel laundry wash and stain removers goes into how these products are used.
Back-of-house laundry
Guests judge a room by how the towels and sheets feel and smell, even if they never think about it directly. If you run laundry in-house or for a small property, fabric softener is worth choosing carefully.
Hygiene Fabric Softener, made in Thailand, comes in a range of fragrances such as Milky Touch, Peony Bloom and Sunrise Kiss. Its usage line gives 20ml per machine load or 20ml per 20 litres of water for hand washing, and the label warns not to pour it directly onto fabric or mix it with detergent or bleach. Staff should follow those directions exactly. We cover choosing between softeners in more depth in choosing a fabric softener for a laundry, hostel or hotel.
Ordering and storage tips
- Count consumption for one month before setting a regular order. Guesswork leads to cupboards full of the wrong thing.
- Store sachets and bottles in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
- Rotate stock so older items go out first.
- Keep a small reserve for busy periods, but do not over-order items with a limited shelf life.
If you are buying for several properties, keeping the same products across all of them simplifies ordering and housekeeping training.
It also helps to ask housekeeping what guests leave behind or ask for. Untouched miniatures suggest you can cut back, while frequent requests for laundry soap or a stain pen tell you where a small extra would be welcome. A quick note on the room checklist is usually enough to capture this.
Getting a quote
You can browse the bath and body and home ranges for more options. When you have a list, add the items to your enquiry list along with your number of rooms and typical length of stay. We will reply with prices, minimum order and stock for each item.
This article is general product information for businesses, not medical advice. For questions about symptoms or treatment, speak to a pharmacist or doctor.
