Hi! First time poster. I have traveled a lot in Europe for business, which means I typically stayed in large chain hotels. For the RS tours I know we will stay in small locally owned hotels. Do these hotels usually provide soap, shampoo and hair dryers, or should I plan to travel with my own? (I am not particular about products. I am fine using the products provided by the hotel, as I like to keep my backpack very light).
Thanks so much for the help,
Lauren
I have been on 10 different RS tours over the past few years. Every hotel we stayed at on every tour including Switzerland provided all of those things.
I can handle hotel soaps and shampoo for a couple days, but I take my own for the longer trips. One bar of soap with a plastic soap dish/holder and a couple small TSA compliant shampoo bottles and I am good.
lauren,
RS tours have been using much more upscale hotels over the last few years, and I'm confident that you'll find these very comfortable. While they may be locally owned, they should have most of the modern amenities you're used to, as well as some "local character". Most hotels these day have hair dryers in the rooms or available at the front desk. Some of the ones I've stayed in have the soap / shampoo dispensers, although I use those at times but prefer my own familiar brands most of the time.
Thank you very much for the responses. I am looking forward to the local hotels! I try to be an ultra-light packer. My inspiration is RS Tour Guide Sarah Murdoch, so not having to travel with my travel hair dryer is a win (or a loss -- in weight!).
Lauren
If you don't see the hair dryer in the bathroom:
It may be hidden under the sink.
It may be in a drawer in the room (not the bathroom). Note that in the UK, outlets in the bathroom are prohibited, so if the hair dryer isn't hard-wired to the wall, it will always be outside the bathroom.
You may have to borrow one from the front desk.
These days, however, it's rare for a hotel not to have hair dryers at all. You can check with the RS office closer to the tour date, so they can look at the specific hotels your tour will use and see what each one will have.
We did the RS Swiss tour in 2017, and all the hotels were fairly upscale; you may have different hotels in your tour, but I think Switzerland overall is more upscale.
BTW, the tour is incredible- what a beautiful country!
I appreciate the responses . I am very excited about my first RS tour, and first time in Switzerland. I am happy that I will be able to travel a little lighter - thanks to your comments and advice.
Warm regards,
Lauren
And if you don’t like the particular soap, shampoo, etc in your room you can always go to the supermarket and get whatever you like. Migros and Coop are the two big supermarkets you’ll be seeing dotted around everywhere...even in tiny Murren.
