Hostel bathrooms: what to provide and what to skip

Share-friendly means fixed

In a shared bathroom, loose bottles disappear and get contaminated. Fixed wall dispensers are the standard answer. They are visible, hard to remove, and can be locked. Provide hand soap at every basin and body wash in the shower area.

See dispenser security for how locking and tamper resistance work, and for what to ask a supplier before buying.

Mount dispensers at a height that works for all guests, and away from places where bags are swung. A damaged dispenser is worse than none.

What to provide

Hand soap at each basin.
Body wash in showers, if budget allows. Many hostels expect guests to bring their own.
Toilet paper and a bin in every cubicle.
A hook, a shelf and a non-slip mat in each shower.

The last item matters more than most owners realise. Guests care about somewhere dry to put their things.

What to skip

Skip individual miniatures, shampoo bottles, lotion and dental kits in dormitories. They create costs and waste with little goodwill. Skip anything fragile or glass. Skip fancy scents that must be sniffed to be appreciated; a plain, mild, clean smell is more appropriate.

If you want to offer extras, sell them: a vending point or a front-desk shelf with travel toiletries makes a small margin and answers forgotten items. Read about hotel retail for how that can work.

If you do sell items, price them simply and display them where guests queue. Restock weekly, and keep the range short: soap, a small shampoo, a toothbrush set.

Whatever you stock, keep the bathrooms bright and ventilated. A window left open and a working extractor fan do more for freshness than any fragrance.

Private rooms are different

Many hostels now have private rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Treat them like a small budget hotel: shampoo, body wash and hand soap from dispensers, towels included or rented. Keep the product the same as in shared areas to simplify ordering.

Worked example

Illustrative only. A 60-bed hostel with 6 shared bathrooms, each with 4 basins and 4 showers, needs 24 hand soap points and 24 shower points. That is 48 dispensers to fit and monitor, and a daily check by cleaning staff. A refill from a 5-litre container takes seconds per point and costs far less than 48 daily bottle swaps.

Daily routine

Check each dispenser level during the morning clean.
Refill from a labelled container, never from a random bottle.
Wipe the nozzle and the surround.
Report broken or missing units to the manager.

A weekly deep clean should include the inside of refillable containers, to avoid build-up. Ask your supplier for cleaning guidance.

If your hostel hosts events, pub crawls or large groups, increase the check frequency on peak days. Dispensers empty fast when forty people shower in the same hour, and an empty dispenser at 8am is what guests will write about.

Keep a spare refill container and a funnel in the cleaning cupboard so staff do not have to fetch them from a store room across the building.

Hygiene and reputation

Guests choose hostels largely on reviews, and bathrooms are mentioned in nearly all of them. You can control the main points: cleanliness, smell, working fittings, and soap. Make a bathroom inspection part of the daily routine, with a signed checklist on the door.

Place a short notice in each bathroom saying how to report a problem, for example a number to message. Respond quickly. A broken lock or empty dispenser fixed within the hour does more for your rating than any amount of branding.

Consider the soundscape and the smell, too. A light, clean fragrance in hand soap is pleasant, while a heavy perfume in a shared, humid room can be overwhelming. Ask for a sample and test it in the busiest bathroom at its worst time, such as the morning rush.

If you operate a chain of hostels, standardise the bathroom set. It reduces ordering errors and training time, and guests moving between locations will see consistency as quality.

Questions on this topic

Should hostels provide shampoo?

Optional. Many do not, and sell small sachets or bottles at reception instead.

How do we stop dispensers being stolen or emptied?

Choose lockable, fixed units and check them daily. Visible, well-maintained dispensers are less likely to be abused.

What is the best hand soap type?

A mild liquid soap suits most hostels. Ask your supplier for specifications and sample first.

Keep reading

Looking for supply? See Hotels & resorts, browse the product range or request samples.