Can you make your money back by taking away 35 bottles of shampoo from a hotel that costs 5,000 yuan a night?

When checking out of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Keyu (pseudonym) was lost in thought as she looked at the large bottles of toiletries fixed on the wall. In the past, when she stayed in a hotel, she would pack the hotel's toiletries samples in her suitcase and take them away, but this time it was not so easy to get the hotel's free toiletries.

So, she drank three bottles of mineral water on the bar, and then pumped shampoo, shower gel, and lotion into an empty mineral water bottle little by little. After pumping everything, she felt her thumb was numb. However, when she thought about the shampoo she took away costing more than 100 yuan on the e-commerce platform, she felt that it was all worth it.

There is a similar scene in the famous American TV series "Friends". The protagonists Ross and Chandler were trapped and booked a suite for $600 a night, which was far beyond their budget. In order to "recover their investment", they collected samples and free products of all sizes from the hotel, even including apples at the front desk and light bulbs in the room, with the main idea of ​​"not missing a single stitch".

A hotel that charges 3,000 yuan a night relies on "fleecing" to make a profit?

"Take anything that's free!" A month ago, when Xiaolang (pseudonym), who lives in Guangdong, checked out of a five-star hotel in Macau, his suitcase was filled with skin care product samples, toothpaste, soda, spicy strips, and instant noodles "plucked" from the hotel.

Getting “wool” from hotels (Photo provided by interviewee)

“You really need to bring a big suitcase when you stay in a hotel”, “I haven’t finished eating or using up the things I brought back from the hotel”... On social platforms, in addition to buying scratch tickets, accumulating gold beans, and being a travel special forces soldier, young people have added another hobby - staying in hotels to get the best deals.

The "wool" here includes alcoholic beverages and fruit snacks in the guest rooms, and disposable toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel and hand cream in the bathroom.

"You can take advantage of the free meals and disposable items when you check out, but you have to be thick-skinned to do so. After all, you can't give used items to the next guest. It's more environmentally friendly to take them away," one netizen wrote.

Xiaolang told China Business Network that the reason he took away the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel samples from the hotel was because the hotel said the sample products were all imported from the "Penhaligon's" brand. The products of this brand are relatively expensive, with 500ml of shower gel costing 530 yuan.

When asked whether the hotel staff would stop this behavior, Xiaolang said that he would take some away every time he went there, and would tell the waiter that he wanted to take some with him, and the waiter would pack it up and send it to him.

China Business Network noted that many of the people who "take advantage of hotel benefits" are young people, and their targets are mainly high-end hotels.

One netizen shared that he stayed in a five-star hotel in Beijing for five days, with a room rate of 1,700 yuan a day. According to the pictures of the items he took away, there were 5 mouthwashes, 20 shampoo and shower gel samples, 10 toothbrushes, 8 pairs of slippers, 20 coffee capsules, as well as cotton swabs, disposable razors, and black rubber bands.

In addition, some netizens shared their “stocking” strategies when checking out of the luxurious five-star Bulgari Hotel, including how to take away Bulgari luggage tags, small bags and other items.

One netizen said that she booked a Bulgari exquisite suite for 5,000 yuan a night, and asked her friend to "drag a cart to move things" when she left. The netizen posted a picture showing that she took away 35 toiletries, 8 sets of toothbrushes, and 10 sets of care kits. Another netizen who has stayed at Bulgari said that the 3,000 yuan room fee was a good deal. "I took away all the slippers, towels, toiletries, and courtesy passes, because they are changed for each guest, and the hotel also encourages taking them away."

In addition to high-end hotels, some people also "grab" products at budget hotels. Potato Chip (pseudonym) from Shaanxi told China Business Network that more than half a month ago, she stayed at the local Four Seasons Hotel, spent more than 300 yuan, and took away pineapple cakes, slippers, paper towels, sanitary pads, earplugs and other products.

The purchase price of "the same model as Sheraton" is less than two dollars?

Regarding the "薅羊毛" behavior, China Business Network called Bulgari, Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, Four Seasons and other hotels as a consumer and found that different hotels had different attitudes.

Staff at the Bulgari Hotel Beijing told China Business Network that if you are a hotel guest, you can take away the toiletries in the room. If they are not enough, you can ask the front desk for a few more sets. However, the toiletries used by Bulgari are exclusively for the hotel and cannot be purchased through other channels.

Customer service staff at Beijing Huamao Ritz-Carlton and Beijing Hilton both said that the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in the room are all fixed large bottles of toiletries, which guests cannot take away, but the toothbrush, toothbrush, soap, comb and shaving kit in the room can be taken away. Staff at Guangzhou Ritz-Carlton said that large bottles of toiletries cannot be taken away as a whole, because the products need to be recycled, they can be taken away in separate pumps. Staff at Ji Hotel Beijing Wangfujing said that large bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the room cannot be taken away, but toothpaste, toothbrushes and shaving kits can be taken away.

So, what is the value of the products that consumers go to so much trouble to buy?

China News Service found that many users were selling "Bvlgari products" on second-hand platforms. The price of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion was about 20 yuan, the price of toothbrushes, toothbrushes, soaps, lip balms, combs and other products was 10 to 30 yuan per piece, the price of luggage tags and shaving sets was about 50 yuan, and the price of red envelope gift boxes and washing and care sets was about 100 yuan. As for the source of the goods, some users said they took them away after checking into the hotel.

Mumu (pseudonym) from Beijing mentioned that she took away a 22ml bottle of Gilchrist & Soames body lotion when she left the Sheraton Hotel. Second-hand platforms show that the price of a single bottle of 360ml Gilchrist & Soames shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion is between 40 and 60 yuan.

China Business Network noted that Gilchrist & Soames is a lifestyle brand affiliated to Sysco Guest Supply, a supplier of products for the tourism hospitality industry. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary in China is Shenzhen Pinying Trading Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shenzhen Pinying), whose main business is to provide hotel guest bath supplies and consumables.

Shenzhen Pinying’s official account claims that the company is the exclusive agent in China for hotel product lines of well-known brands such as Hermès and Ferragamo, and its cooperative clients include many top hotel groups such as Hilton and Marriott.

Regarding the Gilchrist & Soames brand mentioned by Mumu, China Business Network called Shenzhen Pinying as a hotel operator, and the sales manager said that the brand has a product line exclusively for Sheraton and does not supply to the outside world. However, the same brand has products with the same ingredients as the Sheraton product line but different packaging, and can cooperate with other hotels.

The sales manager said that the purchase price of 22ml Sheraton brand shampoo, conditioner and shower gel is about 2 yuan, and there is no limit on the purchase quantity, but if the total order cost exceeds 13,000 yuan, free shipping is available. The purchase price of 360ml shampoo and shower gel is 17 yuan, and the cost of lotion is slightly higher. The sales manager told China Business Network that the purchase cost of large bottles can be about 30% lower than that of small bottles, and they can also be fixed on the wall to prevent them from being taken away.

From the perspective of toothbrush product lines, the sales manager mentioned that Shenzhen Pinying also represents the toothpaste brand MARVIS, which is known as the "Hermes of toothpaste", but the purchase price of the hotel product line of this product is very high, 7 yuan for 10ml. The purchase price of toothbrush sets of other brands, such as Colgate, varies from one yuan to more than three yuan, depending on the specifications and packaging.

China Business Network noted that except for some five-star hotels that have clearly announced the brands of toiletries used, most hotels do not have clear supply brands.

The purchasing and wholesale website 1688 shows that the wholesale price of high-end hotel disposable shampoo and shower gel sold by some merchants is 0.4 yuan for 30ml and 4.5 yuan for 300ml, with a minimum order of 1,000 bottles.

The merchant told China News Service that the sales of this product are very good, and it is even out of stock. It can be customized with the hotel's own logo and packaging. The main customers are high-end star-rated hotels. "If you want to reduce costs, you can also buy large bottles and fill them at home. 25 kilograms is less than 200 yuan." The merchant said.

E-commerce platform screenshots

For ordinary hotels and B&Bs, the merchant mentioned that there are lower-cost toiletries sets, with 30ml priced at only 0.22 yuan. The e-commerce platform shows that more than 100,000 bottles of this product were sold in one year. However, the merchant repeatedly emphasized that these products meet the quality inspection requirements.

Expert: In fact, it has been calculated into the room rate

Looking at the listed companies that provide hotel supplies, the overall number is not large.

The 2023 annual report of Liangmianzhen, known as the "No. 1 toothpaste stock", shows that its daily chemical segment contributed 867 million yuan in operating income, a year-on-year increase of 55.49%, with a gross profit margin of 13.74%, accounting for 87.13% of total revenue. In Liangmianzhen's daily chemical segment, it relies on the tourism and hotel market business, and its main brands include Liangmianzhen, Mulanze, Xiaoyao, Fangcao, etc.

The financial report shows that in 2023, the sales volume of Liangmianzhen travel toothpaste was 1.465 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 57.34%, and the sales volume of household toothpaste was 28.7743 million pieces, a year-on-year increase of 14.36%.

According to the annual report of LMZ, the operating income and net profit of LMZ (Jiangsu) Industrial Co., Ltd., a subsidiary engaged in the hotel supplies business, increased significantly year-on-year. LMZ also stated that from various analysis, Jiangsu Industrial Co., Ltd. has a stable market share and has firmly occupied the leading position in the hotel disposable supplies segment.

Ming Fai International has hotel supplies business, operating supplies and equipment business, and health care and hygiene products business. Ming Fai International introduced on its official website that its products cover hotel supplies and equipment, aviation and hotel service facilities, and personal care products, including guest room toiletries, guest room sundries, guest room electrical appliances, lobby supplies, etc.

Ming Fai International stated on its official website that it has established cooperative relationships with many internationally renowned brands including Molton brown, Lanvin, Jurlique, AHAVA, Gentlemen's Tonic, and Lebon.

The 2023 annual report shows that the global tourism industry will show a stable recovery trend in 2023, and the market demand for hotel supply products will increase during the year. As of December 31, 2023, Ming Fai International's hotel supply business revenue increased by 23.3% to approximately HK$1.697 billion (approximately RMB 1.57 billion).

Wen Zhihong, chain management industry expert and general manager of Hehong Consulting, said in an interview with China Business Network that most hotels currently provide personal care products to customers who stay in the hotel that customers can take away. In particular, some high-end hotels use high-end personal care products that customers can take away as a traffic strategy to make customers feel that they have gained something, as if they have "grabbed a bargain". However, the hotel will also include the cost of these high-end personal care products in the room rate, so the wool that customers have grabbed is within the hotel's tolerance range.