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Taking mini toiletries from a hotel to get your money’s worth could soon become a thing of the past, as California considers a state-wide ban.
A bill passed on Monday could bring an end to complimentary mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and moisturiser.
Members of the California State Assembly voted in favour of the Assembly Bill 1162 by six to three, as part of a move to reduce the use of plastics and plastic waste.
The bill would ban “lodging establishments”, including hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts and holiday apartments, from offering small plastic bottles holding 340ml or under of product in rooms or public spaces.
Establishments could offer “bulk dispensers” instead of individual toiletries.
Show all 10 1 /1010 best boutique hotels in Europe 10 best boutique hotels in Europe Hotel Bristol, Warsaw
The historic neo-renaissance Hotel Bristol, which has been a hospitality mainstay in the Polish capital since the turn of the century, has enjoyed an illustrious past life: it once served as a German army headquarters during the war, and then the city’s university library. Today it’s been repaired to its former Art Nouveau glory, with plush, unstuffy interiors and the delightful Cafe Bristol with checkerboard floor and delicate pastries (worth a visit even if you’re not staying). The location is hard to beat – the hotel is in the heart of Warsaw’s Old Town on the so-called Royal Route, next to the Presidential Palace.
Check availability Marriott
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Cotton House, Barcelona
Nineteenth-century Cotton House is housed in Barcelona’s former Association of Cotton Manufacturers, and this heritage seeps into every part of the Gran Via property. Sumptuous interiors (think leather chesterfields, wingback chairs, prim white sheets... all cotton, naturally) and the hotel library are no match for the hotel’s most Instagrammable spot: above and below the 1950s spiral staircase, complete with hanging orb-like lamps.
Check availability Marriott
10 best boutique hotels in Europe The Dean, Dublin
Young-at-heart The Dean takes over a series of Georgian townhouses in the heart of Dublin, not far from shopping haven Grafton Street. The vibe is smart and sophisticated – there’s more than a little Brooklyn about this place – with a smashing rooftop with views over the city and beyond, plus: pizza. Little touches in this design property go a long way. There are hot water bottles in the rooms, retro music players and little notes saying ‘what’s the craic?’. Rates aren’t extortionate either – which is a nice change for the Irish capital.
Check availability The Dean
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Domaine des Etangs, France
In pastoral Massignac in central France is this 2,000-plus acre estate, which combines 900 brown cows (which look at you disconcertingly every time you drive past them), an 11th-century chateau, a mill turned high-end spa, a futuristic art gallery and a working farm. Phew. Inside, the chateau mixes traditional hospitality with some very up-to-the-minute art – expect to see anything from a Hermes scarf and Star Wars film posters to insects and images of constellations mounted on the wall. The vibe here is very much unplug and recharge, helped by its Michelin starred restaurant Dyades and the rolling hills and 40 ponds ripe for a lazy cycle.
Check availability Cathy Adams
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Ushuaia, Ibiza
It’s hard to know whether to classify Ushuaia as a luxury hotel or an all-out nightclub (it’s both). This Playa d’en Bossa hotel stages highly popular day parties (sought-after residencies last year included Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Martin Garrix) while luxury villa-style rooms frame the stage. The white lacquer, flora and fauna-covered Ushuaia Tower next door kicks the luxury element up a notch: round leather daybeds inside mirrored rooms, sex toys in the minibar and hot tubs on the balcony to hear the eardrum-banging from a little further away.
Check availability Palladium Hotel Group
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Orania, Berlin
You’ll want to stay in Kreuzberg if you come to Berlin. Once a cheap and neglected neighbourhood on the easternmost edge of the wall, Kreuzberg – “Little Istanbul” – has long been the city’s trendiest district (street art, banging Turkish food, late-late-late bars). The best place to base yourself is at Orania, which meshes homey suites with live music downstairs, making it a real neighbourhood spot. This five-storey hotel on the corner of Oranienplatz has been through various incarnations since it was built in 1912 (including a nightclub called Trash – in Kreuzberg there’s always a nightclub) but today is a red and gold, fire pit-lit boutique with a yummy restaurant.
Check availability Orania.Berlin
10 best boutique hotels in Europe The Thief, Oslo
So named for its location on Oslo’s Tjuvholmen ‘Thief’ Island, this nine-storey curved glass property, designed by local firm Mellbye Architects, is all about art. The Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is nearby (and some room rates come with free passes) and there’s artwork from Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons inside. Light-filled rooms (thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows) overlook the moody harbour.
Check availability Thief Oslo
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Hotel Lutetia, Paris
The left bank Hotel Lutetia, which had a splashy reopening last summer, has always been a hotbed of creativity – much like the area, St Germain, that surrounds it. During the Second World War, the hotel housed St Germain’s exiled musicians and artists, before being bought by the family behind champagne house Taittinger. Storied guests including Pablo Picasso and James Joyce – who wrote Ulysses here – are in the guestbook. Today it’s one of the rive gauche’s only luxury hotels, complete with three new dining destinations: the Art Nouveau Brasserie Lutetia, with hand-painted columns, is a real treat.
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Lutetia
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Rosa Alpina, Italy
Lording it over the pretty South Tyrolian village of San Cassiano is the utterly charming lodge Rosa Alpina. Soft rugs, stone floors and lots of Japanese brushed pine feature in this pared-back luxury property, which also has a standout spa complete with Finnish-style sauna overlooking the Italian Dolomites. Talking of the Dolomites, it’s also a good base for skiing the wider Alta Badia, although there’s a cross-country ski track nearby if you can’t hack the proper powder. Save room (and cash) for a three Michelin starred dinner at St Hubertus, run by local produce advocate Norbert Niederkofler, which adjoins the hotel.
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Daniel Tochterle
10 best boutique hotels in Europe Hotel Romeo, Naples
Once gritty, now (sort of) glamorous Naples has one place worth bedding down in: Hotel Romeo. The standout element of this boutique property is the tiny rooftop pool, perfect for posing or gazing over Vesuvius bubbling away in the distance. The hotel, designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange (so expect lots of wood and pared-back design), turns a kind of nuclear blue at night, which makes it feel impossibly urban. Romeo is also a perfect launching pad for the nearby islands of Capri and Ischia as it’s right opposite the ferry port.
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Hotel Romeo
“The amount of plastic produced is increasing exponentially, and we must consider all options to reduce this pollution from entering our waste streams,” said Assembly Member Ask Kalra.
“While it may not appear to be a problem on an individual level, small plastic bottles that are less than 12 ounces represent a sizeable amount of waste collectively that the state must address.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom must decide whether to sign the bill into law, allow the bill to pass without his signature or veto the motion.
If it becomes law, establishments would likely face hefty fines of up to $2,000 if found contravening the rules more than once.
The bill was inspired by a similar one passed by the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors. It will come into effect on 31 December 2020, banning “lodging establishments” from distributing single-use toiletries.
Hotel chain Marriott has already announced plans to swap mini bottle for bulk dispensers in 450 of its hotels.
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