InterContinental Group, the parent of company of Holiday Inn Hotels, has announced it will eliminate travel-size toiletries from its guest rooms over the next two years in an effort to cut down on plastic waste. Travelers staying at the company’s hotel chains will instead find bulk-sized dispensers of shampoo, conditioner and other products in their rooms beginning in 2021.
IHG operates 843,000 guest room all over the world.
“It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly – we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect,” IHG CEO Keith Barr said in a statement.
“Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change.”
The company said it currently goes through nearly 200 million miniature plastic bottles across its different brands every year.
In 2018 the company announced the removal of single-use plastic straws from its hotels by the end of this year and some of its chains already provide pillows and duvets that are filled with 100% recycled materials.
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