As you step through the door, the first place you head for is the loo. Not necessarily to do your business, but to check out what the room has to offer.
The hotel bathroom, with its shiny surfaces and fluffy towels, holds promise of pampering yet to come. It's the spot where we pause to refresh, relax and reinvent ourselves.
And many will agree -- staying at hotels is fun but messing up the bathroom is bliss!
What is it that makes hotel bathrooms so inviting?
One of the biggest draws is not having to pick up the wet towels off the floor or wipe down the sink unless we want to. Another is indulging in a steamy shower or tub full of suds for as long as we want -- without feeling guilty!
It's also having all the creature comforts of home -- amenities that smell good, cost nothing and are replenished daily.
Upscale establishments aim to maintain their fine reputations, so offering the very best in body lotions, bath gels and shampoos are a given, and are free for the taking upon checkout.
"We expect guests to take our Miller Harris amenities," says Shanti Persaud-Tiwari of Fairmont Royal York. The Toronto landmark also stages how a guest first views the bathroom.
"We leave the door subtlety ajar," adds the director of housekeeping. "We want to present a nice, soft entrance with the promise of an experience."
Persaud-Tiwari says they even employ a system for lining up the lotions and potions that is sensitive to their guests' needs.
"When placed on the tray, the shampoo is closest to the tub followed by the conditioner. As the eye travels to the bathtub, the soap rests upon the bathmat, which is draped over the tub," she adds.
David Kelley of Hilton Toronto says people are becoming very particular. "They want the same quality of products in their hotel room as they have at home," adding they replace the amenities after checkout and donate them to local women's shelters.
