In Malcolm Gladwell’s wildly successful book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, the tipping point is described as “that magical moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire”. For the hospitality industry such a moment is upon us and it is what industry veteran Ray Burger has playfully referred to as “The Dripping Point”.
In his blog post, “The Time Has Come for Amenity Dispensers,” Burger champions the practice of using dispensers detailing both the economic and environmental benefits. Basically, “a greener bottom line and a greener planet”.
While the use of dispensers is a relatively new concept industry wide, at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts we are proud to say we have utilized them with great success since 1995.
So, what does this mean for the environment and guests? Each year the island of Aruba sees 1.5 million visitors who stay an average of 5.9 nights. Think back to your last stay at a resort. When you entered the bathroom in your guestroom you probably noticed at least three plastic bottles containing shampoo, body wash and other amenities for use throughout your stay. If each visitor to the island uses one lotion, one shampoo and one conditioner each day that could add up to 27 million bottles a year. That’s one huge heap of plastic that never decomposes!
In an effort to address this issue while still providing guests with a quality product, we have installed amenity dispensers for use in both the shower and on the sink in each guest bathroom. Some guests may have a perception that because the product is in an amenity dispenser it may be of a lesser quality. However, that is not the case here. Aruba’s main locally-produced product is aloe vera, and the Aruba Aloe shampoo & conditioner, bath gel and lotion are freshly made with 100% pure aloe. We recognize that people have different preferences in fragrance and skin sensitivities, so a natural product is the best option. As you see in the images below the dispensers do not take away from the aesthetics of the guestroom and there is no risk of product contamination as each compartment is equipped with a lock only accessible by our housekeeping staff.
While amenity dispensers are impactful because they are refillable, we have expanded our environmental efforts by arranging to receive the genuine aloe vera products in a large, five-gallon bucket as opposed to the traditional one-gallon containers. We also return these buckets for reuse. This simple decision to use dispensers instead of multiple little bottles allows us to support the local industry and therefore the economy on our island, as well as reduces the harmful environmental impact caused by shipping a product from overseas and eliminates a mountain of trash.
Should you have any questions regarding the dispensers in your room or wish to request an alternative product, please let us know and a member of our Bucuti team will be happy to assist you. As always we thank you for your support of our environmental initiatives!
Aruba Aloe Sink Dispensers
