According to the August issue of Town & Country magazine, which covers the comings, goings and doings of the rich or wannabe affluent, it's soap.
Not just any old bar, but the name brands found in the sinks and baths of luxury lodgings, such as Acqua di Parma, Bulgari, Hermes and L'Occitane. Now why would people who could buy and sell most of us 10 times over stash those little rectangles and orbs of scented soap into their Louis Vuitton cases instead of just ordering it at home?
Because, writer Vanessa Friedman theorizes, the HSS (Hotel Soap Syndrome) hits guests who think "I deserve it" since they are "paying through the nose to be cosseted." Or there's wanting to take away as much of the pampering experience as possible -- and "toiletries are the portable answer," she writes. Or it simply may be "mere access to a great product that's hard to get."
Let's go from there to the larger issue. Is it "stealing" to take home hotel soap? Some would say the toiletries placed in the room are yours to use or to hoard. It's not as clean-cut as hotel robes, which are clearly not meant to be taken without paying.
Probably nobody would say it's a sin to pack up partly-used bars of fabulous soap, because they can't be used for the next guest. And some would argue that if you get two bars of soap in the room and only use one, you can take the other home. It's interesting that many times when I leave an especially large tip for the housekeeper, she will leave me extra toiletries when there already are enough. Does that say that housekeepers know many people love to take toiletries home?
Not just any old bar, but the name brands found in the sinks and baths of luxury lodgings, such as Acqua di Parma, Bulgari, Hermes and L'Occitane. Now why would people who could buy and sell most of us 10 times over stash those little rectangles and orbs of scented soap into their Louis Vuitton cases instead of just ordering it at home?
Because, writer Vanessa Friedman theorizes, the HSS (Hotel Soap Syndrome) hits guests who think "I deserve it" since they are "paying through the nose to be cosseted." Or there's wanting to take away as much of the pampering experience as possible -- and "toiletries are the portable answer," she writes. Or it simply may be "mere access to a great product that's hard to get."
Let's go from there to the larger issue. Is it "stealing" to take home hotel soap? Some would say the toiletries placed in the room are yours to use or to hoard. It's not as clean-cut as hotel robes, which are clearly not meant to be taken without paying.
Probably nobody would say it's a sin to pack up partly-used bars of fabulous soap, because they can't be used for the next guest. And some would argue that if you get two bars of soap in the room and only use one, you can take the other home. It's interesting that many times when I leave an especially large tip for the housekeeper, she will leave me extra toiletries when there already are enough. Does that say that housekeepers know many people love to take toiletries home?
