what to expect from pensiones, b & b's, etc

I'm seeing them more and more on my travels - lots of shower gel/shampoo combo products, mainly. I always bring my own, but use theirs whenever I like the product and save mine for the places where I need it. Just don't count on it being there...

I think it depends on what "level" of hotel you're staying at - small does not necessarily equate to cheap. If you're staying at a small "nice" place (mid- to higher end), then in my experience you can expect some soap/shampoo amenities. But you should have some along just in case. What we do is bring along tiny, travel size items and reserve them for the (increasingly rare) place that doesn't provide them. FWIW, on a recent trip, just about every place we stayed provided them (of course, we were not staying at low-cost places, so YMMV with your budget).

David, what does "YMMV" mean?

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary, as in, this is my experience, yours could differ. I always bring along along a bar of Ivory soap. I use it for my hair, my shower, and to washing out clothes every night. I try to pack lightly, but a bar of soap doesn't weigh much. On the other hand, on my last trip, the only place that didn't have liquid soap provided a very small personal bar of soap. All but one place had a hair dryer in the bathroom, and the only place that didn't, would provide one on request (he said if a guest asked for one, they gave it back, but those just left in the room tended to walk away). And, BTW, this is my experience in small, low cost Pensionen, B & Bs, etc. (aver €30/nt single).

Hello Terry. In my experience, some differences between a B & B and a Hotel : If a B & B is connected to the home of the people who own and manage the B & B : they might be away on Saturday and Sunday, or for three days, or longer. Some B & Bs have a kitchen (shared by all the guests) that does not have a refrigerater. Because they want to avoid the problem of rotting food in the refrigerater. At a hotel there is likely to be a person working at the front desk all day, until late at night, and at some hotels (of any size) an employee is at the front desk all night. At a B & B the manager may want the guests to arrive at a certain time, and the manager does not want to be talked to at other times. At a B & B there may be less blankets than at a Hotel. When I was at B & Bs in England, the managers insisted that I not pay them for the room until the morning when I leave (check out). The morning when I checked out, I wished to pay and leave at an early time. All the British women who owned and managed a B & B were in a bad (foul) mood in the mornings. The wanted me to wait for an hour before they would take my money. At Hotels I paid when I arrived. I did not experience any stressful situation or altercation in the mornings at Hotels.
A Pensione is a small hotel. A pensione does not have all of the services that are at some hotels, but a pensione can have pleasant rooms.

Ron, you obviously have not stayed in Germany, because I have stayed in many Privatzimmer (B & B) in Germany and never experienced those things. In fact, I would say that, in my experience, the owners are quite friendly and very accommodating. True the front desk is not manned 24 hrs. In fact there is no front desk, but you do get a key to the front door, so you can come and go as you wish.

Hmmm.... I have never stayed at a B&B that had a kitchen for guests to use.

I, too, don't share Ron's experience. But I've never stayed in a room in a private home (well, once in Suzdal, Russia). I often stay in small pensions, and the personnel are usually fine. Are there some grouches? Sure - just as there are in large hotels. The hotel workers don't have lots of time to chit-chat - they're busy running the place. But they're usually very friendly and helpful. There are places that lock up at a certain hour, with no night reception or keys, but most either give you a key or have 24 hour reception. However, it is common that check-in times are restricted (if you need to arrive at 11 PM, you want to be sure they can work with this). Many small places do want to know when you're arriving, so they can make sure someone is at the desk. But I've only read of one place, in Carcassonne, that would not open or hold luggage before their afternoon check in time (once I learned this, I avoided booking there, as I would have had to schlep my bags for hours). I've never had a kitchen available for my use in a small hotel or pension. I've only seen that in hostels. Oh, I just remembered there was a small one in St. Petersburg, but that's the only one. Even in Suzdal, our room and bathroom were separate from the owner's living quarters. As to the original question - it depends. I always travel with a small shampoo, which of course I can also use as soap if necessary. In Munich, my small hotel had a liquid soap dispenser attached to the wall, near the sink, but no other soap or shampoo anywhere. So, I put some in a drinking glass they provided, brought it into the shower, and used that for both soap and shampoo. If you need guaranteed soap and shampoo, you'll have to check with each place you stay.

I've stayed at B&B's in several countries and my experience is that most B&B hosts don't want the guests anywhere near their kitchens. Most B&B hosts are very friendly; like anything else, there's an occasional grump. We always bring a bar of good old American soap in a plastic soap container, & some under-3-ounce shampoos. Some places give you these things, some don't.

Expect the unexpected. Be prepared for some minor surprises, and roll with it. This is true for any travel (and one of it's joys). It also applies for "B&Bs" "pensiones" and other small, private lodging that's not part of a major chain. Each one is unique is some ways, large and small. That's part of the charm of travel - you will encounter things that are not quite exactly what you expected. Sometimes in your bathroom or kitchen. Vive la difference.

@David: I'm sorry. I might go with something I know is different or stated on their website, however bad service is bad service both sides of the Altantic. There is no excuses for things like breakfast not available on times stated, owner-manager that leaves you locked out or give you bad looks if you return late from an errand, rooms advertised as being fit with a/c you figure out is disabled because "it's too cold already" etc.

No argument on any of that, Andre. If I was promised air con, a breakfast or other material item, I'd expect it to be provided. And I don't appreciate bad service at home or abroad. I was merely pointing out that there are a lot of little details that one may encounter overseas that can be different from what you're used to - like the OP's question about whether or not there will be shampoo provided (and a thousand other things).