Glossary
Hotel amenity terms, explained.
Plain definitions of the terms used when buying, specifying and managing bathroom amenities for hotels, short stays and other spaces.
A
- Amenities
- The small bathroom and room items a property provides to guests, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, soap, dental and vanity kits, and slippers.
B
- Bespoke collection
- A range developed for one customer, with its own fragrance, packaging and formats, rather than chosen from a standard line.
- Bulk dispenser
- A wall-mounted or countertop container that holds shampoo, conditioner, body wash or hand wash and dispenses it by pump. Dispensers reduce single-use plastic and keep every bathroom looking the same.
C
- Carton
- The printed box that holds an amenity, such as a bar of soap or a kit.
- Certificate of analysis
- A document showing the test results for a specific production batch against its specification.
- Collection
- A coordinated set of amenities that share a fragrance direction, packaging and visual identity.
- Cost per occupied room
- A measure of spend on a category, such as amenities, divided by the number of occupied rooms. It lets properties compare suppliers and formats on equal terms.
D
- Dry amenities
- Guest items that are not liquids, such as dental kits, vanity kits, shower caps, sewing kits and cotton pads.
F
- Fragrance family
- A broad grouping of scents with a shared character, such as citrus, floral, woody, musky, green or amber.
- Fragrance notes
- The layers of a scent as it develops: top notes that are noticed first, heart notes that form the main character and base notes that last longest.
- Fragrance-free
- A product made without added fragrance. Often requested for healthcare, sensitive-skin guests and some workplaces.
- FSC
- The Forest Stewardship Council label, used on paper and board that comes from responsibly managed forests. It appears on some cartons and sleeves.
G
- GMP
- Good manufacturing practice: the quality system that controls how products are made, checked, stored and documented so that each batch is consistent.
- Guest slipper
- A lightweight slipper supplied to guests in the room or spa, usually in cotton, terry or felt and often branded.
H
- Hospitality supplies
- Operating items for hotels and similar properties beyond bathroom amenities, such as robes, towels, bedding, trays and electricals.
I
- INCI
- The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients: the standard names used to list ingredients on cosmetic labels.
- ISO 22716
- The international guideline for good manufacturing practice in cosmetics. It covers premises, equipment, materials, production, quality control and records.
L
- Lead time
- The time from approving an order to delivery. It depends on sampling, artwork approval, packaging availability, production and shipping.
- Lockable dispenser
- A dispenser fitted with a key or tamper-resistant lock so that guests cannot remove the container and staff control refilling.
M
- Miniature
- A small single-use bottle or tube, often called a travel size, placed in the guest room. Miniatures are convenient and give a high-end feel but create more packaging waste than dispensers.
- Minimum order quantity
- The smallest number of units a supplier will produce in one order. For branded ranges it is set per product, not per order.
O
- OS&E
- Operating supplies and equipment: the consumable and durable items a hotel needs to run, from linen and robes to hangers, trays, electricals and housekeeping items. Often sourced together with bathroom amenities.
P
- Par level
- The stock level a property wants on hand for each item. When stock falls below par it is reordered.
- Pre-production sample
- A sample made to the agreed specification before the main run. The buyer approves it, and later batches are checked against it.
- Private label
- A product made by a manufacturer and sold under another company's brand. For amenities this means your name, packaging and, where agreed, fragrance on a manufacturer's range.
- Pump bottle
- A bottle with a pump head that dispenses a measured amount of product.
R
- Refill
- A larger pack of product used to top up a dispenser. Refills are supplied as pouches, bottles or cans and are changed by housekeeping.
- Refill system
- A set of dispensers and matching refills designed to be used together, so that the same bottles are reused and only the product is replaced.
S
- Safety data sheet
- A document that describes a product's composition, safe handling, storage and transport. Buyers often ask for one before approving a product.
- Sealed refill
- A refill pack closed in a way that shows if it has been opened, so a property can tell the product inside is the one it supplied.
- Shrinkage
- Loss of stock through guests taking items, theft or waste. Dispensers and sealed refills are common ways to reduce amenity shrinkage.
- Signature scent
- A fragrance developed for one property or brand and used across its amenities, candles and public spaces, so that the property is recognised by smell.
- Sleeve
- A printed band of paper or card wrapped around a product, used to carry branding without changing the product itself.
T
- Tube
- A squeezable container for products such as shampoo, conditioner and lotion, often with a flip-top cap.
W
- Wet amenities
- Liquid and soap-based guest products used with water, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand wash and bar soap.
Ready to specify a range? See products, read the buyer guides or request samples.