These Will Soon Be Banned In New York Hotels

If you’ve ever stayed in a New York State hotel, whether for a weekend getaway, a conference for work, or your kid’s soccer tournament, you’ve definitely experienced the amenities some of these hotels have to offer. 

Sure some hotels are fancier than others, but no matter if you’re staying at a five-star resort or a motel off the highway, you’ll usually find a small assortment of teeny toiletries available for you to use on the sink. 

Even if you don’t actually use them during your stay, many of us will stuff those mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, or body wash in our suitcases to bring home. Sometimes, they just end up stockpiled in a drawer, but often those tiny toiletries can come in handy! They’re great for keeping in your gym bag for a post-workout rinse, and are a lifesaver when you realize mid-shower that you’re out of shampoo and forgot to run to the drugstore. 

(We often think of Ross from Friends, and how he always hoarded everything he could whenever he stayed in a hotel.)

Well, if you’re traveling this summer and see some of those teeny bottles in your bathroom, grab them while you can— because you won’t be able to for much longer. 

New York State Banning Single-Use Toiletries In Hotels

A New York State bill that is finally being pushed through states that beginning in January 2025, small “hospitality personal care products,” like those tiny shampoos and conditioners, will be banned in New York hotels with 50 or more rooms.

Hotels with fewer than 50 rooms are still good to offer them for now, but by 2026 they’ll have to stop using them as well. 

It comes from a bill that passed in the New York State senate and was signed into law by Governor Hochul back in 2021 as part of an effort to reduce single-use plastic in the state. However, activation of the law was pushed in order to accommodate hotels who ordered tons of individual toiletries during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Instead, you’ll start to see hotels with “communal” bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash that are often strapped to shower walls and by the sink (and as someone who travels often, I’ve already seen this frequently in several hotels across New York). 

It’s not so bad…but I won’t lie, I personally wipe them down with a Clorox wipe first (because you never know how thoroughly they were cleaned after the person before you).