Do hostels provide toiletries?

Question

From my experiences at hotels, I'm used to toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.) being provided.

Do hostels also provide these, or do I need to bring my own? Do hostels provide towels as well, or will I need to travel H2G2-style?

Answer 1

• Towels are 50/50 possible, depening on country and hostel.

  More hostels will rent towels, sometimes at a nominal price. One hostel I worked in in Australia used to provide free towels but we discovered we were often paying overtime to our laundry staff because people would use many towels just because they were free! We introduced a $1 fee per towel, which was often waived for family rooms or organized groups, and the waste went away. Some people were a bit grumpy at having to pay, but they were mostly people unfamiliar with the difference between hotels and hostels.

• Shampoo and bodywash are rare in most parts but were pretty common in Japan.

  Often though hostels will keep bottles of toiletries left behind by travellers. Whether to use such free shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, etc is totally up to your personal squeamishness level of course.

• It's annoyingly common for hostels to lack either or both of soap and something to dry your hands on in toilets by the way!

• In hostels in poor countries, or that attract many "brats", or where the staff care mostly about partying, there can be a tendency for the toilet paper to run out and not be quickly replaced. Sometimes cheap backpackers will steal rolls, sometimes brats find personal fulfilment in flushing whole rolls in the toilet! Carry a roll of your own and check the stall before you sit and commit.

Answer 2

As already mentioned toiletries are very rare. Towels depend a lot but if the hostel doesn't provide them for free they usually provide them for a fee (all the cases I've witnessed were for an affordable fee).

I was never in an hostel without toilet paper. In the worst case if you ask at the reception they will quickly solve that.

A rare case, but that you should be prepared for (check in advance) is the possibility of the hostel not providing bed linen by default. Either you have to bring it or rent it in the hostel. Sometimes sleeping bags are not accepted as a bed linen replacement.

A good source of information before traveling is www.hostelworld.com

You can find an intersting article here about what to expect from an hostel.

Here's another a bit more generic.

Answer 3

Almost always, you bring your own, however...

Hostel sites like Hostelbookers often indicate whether or not items like towels are available for rent, or provided.

Some I've seen will sell toothpaste and deodorant and the like.

Personally, I bring a towel and toiletries, and almost always I've needed them. It's generally a surprise when I don't.