Staying a night at a luxury hotel is a refreshing experience for those tired of their daily routine and looking for a brief urban getaway. And for some women, the special experience lasts even after they return home to their daily routines.

Hotel toiletries don’t remain in the hotel rooms after the guest checks out. They are taken as a symbol of the hotel experience, especially for trend-savvy women customers in Korea.

Some boast of their collections of bath amenities from different five-star hotels and post the pictures on their blogs to show off and to give information to other customers.

“Young women share their hotel experiences and information on toiletries, services, food and more on online communities,” said Yoon So-yoon of the PR team at InterContinental Seoul Parnas. 

Five-star hotels in Korea are responding by introducing more international labels to customers looking for quality service.

“People expect very high-quality brands when they stay in luxury hotels, and low-quality products will lower the hotel’s image,” said Didier Beltoise, CEO of Cs, a consulting company for the hospitality industry, and former general manager of the Grand InterContinental and COEX InterContinental Seoul.

Recently, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has adopted Asprey, the British luxury lifestyle brand, for its entire line of bath products. InterContinental Hotels and Resorts has partnered with the American luxury home fragrance company Agraria.

“Asprey is one of the world’s oldest and most revered luxury goods houses. The brand image matches well with The Ritz-Carlton’s aim to deliver the utmost luxury experiences,” said Han Mi-sun in charge of the hotel promotion.

According to the hotel, Asprey bath and body products have a signature scent called “Purple Water,” a fresh citrus fragrance blended with spicy undertones.

The Asprey Purple Water amenities are now available in all Ritz-Carlton guest rooms and suites starting in March.

The Agraria line at InterContinental Hotels and Resorts is noted for its signature lemon verbena scent. The products are available in all 169 hotels from January this year.

“The hotel is now focusing on using eco-friendly products. The Agraria line is also in line with this effort,” said Yoon of InterContinental Seoul Parnas.

Agraria, founded in 1970s in San Francisco, is one of the oldest luxury botanical brands whose products are based on natural botanical oil and containers that disintegrate organically.

Guests at Park Hyatt Busan, which opened in February, South Korea, are offered a new high-end beauty product line from New York.

“We selected Le Labo as our bathroom amenity due to their great reputation, exclusivity and, most importantly, the excellent quality they are able to provide,” said Florian Wagner, director of rooms at the hotel.

The high-end fragrance brand creates scents built around a primary natural essence from Grasse, France, which is known as the “perfume capital.”

The Le Labo’s “Bergamot” line is exclusively made for the hotel.

“Guests love it and often ask for additional products to take home,” Wagner said.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)