Clean the World: One Hotel at a Time

At The Daniel, we care first and foremost about our guests and providing a curated hospitality experience that is second to none. However, we are also dedicated to sustainability and the world we live in. We do not toss around words like green, eco-friendly and sustainability lightly, nor do we half-heartedly attempt to make a difference in the world today — case in point, our partnership with Clean the World. 

Clean the World is a nonprofit organization that is committed to reducing the waste created by discarded soap and shampoo products, as well as helping to prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses around the world.

The organization does this by collecting, recycling and distributing discarded soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels from hotels. The guest room hygiene items are recycled by Clean the World’s recycling operations centers in Orlando, Las Vegas and Toronto, and distributed, for humanitarian purposes, to children and families in communities around the globe.

Clean the World partners with some of the world’s largest nonprofit organizations and NGO’s, including World Vision, World Food Program and Harvest Time International, as well as numerous U.S. partners to help distribute soap and shampoo.

As simple as it might sound, soap saves lives and The Daniel is proud to be part of Clean the World’s Bed and Breakfast Partners and help the organization save lives around the globe.

Medical research has shown that hand washing with soap significantly reduces the impact of two fatal diseases: acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. These are the top two killers of children less than 5-years-old. By distributing recycled soap to those who need it the most Clean the World’s efforts can have a massive impact in the global hygiene revolution.

We also love that Clean the World has a tremendous track record of success.

Started in 2009, Clean the World has collected and distributed more than 18 million bars of soap to more than 65 countries worldwide including Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Swaziland, Mali, Mongolia, Uganda, Honduras and Romania. The organization has operations in 50 states across the United States and 10 provinces in Canada. Its main recycling operations center in Orlando has the capacity to produce over 80,000 bars a day.

Clean the World’s recycled soap has been tested by TriTech Laboratories, a Florida state-certified testing facility, and given a 100 percent clean bill of health. TriTech infects soap to run through the standard Clean the World recycling process and checks to see what happens. The tests have found that all pathogens are successfully removed by the organization’s recycling process.

Clean the World has also become a natural disaster first responder — in January 2010, as part of our Haiti Earthquake relief efforts, it collected and distributed over 150 tons of hygiene products, medical supplies, water and other essentials to Haiti.

The green and eco-friendly benefits of working with Clean the World are also substantial. Since it was founded, the organization has eliminated more than 1.4 million pounds of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

At The Daniel, partnering with Clean the World will help produce an estimated 250 pounds of recycle bars of soap annually, which equates to about 1,400 recycled soap bars distributed to children and families in need. The efforts will produce an estimated 200 pounds of recycled bottled amenities, which equals about 1,400 recycle bottled amenities distributed to children and families and need.

Annually, about 275 people are provided with soap from materials that are recycled from The Daniel.

Clean the World estimates that since the organization began its efforts more than 17 million children have died of diseases preventable with proper hygiene. With 18 million bars of soap distributed over that same time, it is clear that the organization’s mission to wipeout hygiene-related fatalities is an achievable goal — as a doubling of its efforts over the same time period moving forward could do it.

While The Daniel is just one of Clean the World’s 1,600 hospitality partners through North America — including giants such as The Walt Disney World Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, IHG, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Best Western International, Joie de Vivre Hotels, Hilton and Hyatt — we are glad to play our part in the massive impact this effort is having.

We also want our guests to know that when they visit The Daniel they are also part of this effort to impact the health and well-being of so many around the globe. We know many of our guest do their part at home to contribute to the sustainability of our planet and improve the health of all in it, but when they stay with us they are continuing to do their part even when they are on the road!

Hotel Amenities: What’s in Your Guest Room?

It’s not easy becoming part of Troca Hotels. Just ask some of the amenities lined up to vie for a coveted spot at one of our hotels. If you want to be part of the brand you had better bring your “A” game because we take the selection process seriously.

The fact of the matter is not just any amenity is going to end up at one of our hotels. No, to make the final cut, to earn that spot at one of our hotels, such as The Sofala 15°74 in Goa, India, or The Daniel 43°69 in Brunswick, Maine, you’ve got to have an interesting story, perform really well, and be a little different.

When guests check into a property within the Troca Hotels collection, they are not seeking cookie-cutter experiences. From the check in to check out, Troca Hotels are an experience — from caring and helpful staff, to creative interiors and artwork to guestrooms that are thoughtful and comfortable. Amenities, long overlooked as throwaway essentials, are a part of the details we care a lot about.

At Troca Hotels we are curators of our guests’ experiences. We are not shy about sharing our learned opinions about what will make their stays most enjoyable nor are we reticent to ask their opinions and learn from them. We are creating experiences for our guests by listening to their needs and then adapting to them. When it comes to amenities, that means lining them all up and digging in to figure out what our guests will appreciate and enjoy best and searching for the signs that convince us it should be part of the experience we offer.

There is no shortage of suitors: Float by William Roam, Aveda, Malin+Goetz, Philosophy, and C.O. Bigelow, to name a few.

The first part is the fun stuff — testing different lotions, and fragrances; eyeing the cool package and sleek design; stacking the different products up against each other, literally, to see how they compare. Our CEO's own viscosity index, which measured how watery a hand lotion is, added to the many hurdles faced by the competitors.

But that is hardly the end of the process.

Green, eco-friendly, sustainability these words are tossed around probably a bit too lightly nowadays by some, but not us. Our choice is not going to be just the perfect amenity on the face, but it is also going to be backed by a company that takes dedication to sustainability and the world we live in seriously.

In the selection process, the product is only part of the story and you can bet before we choose, we will study the whole story. We are buying the company not just the product.

Yes, we know that William Roam is aligned with 1% For The Planet and pledges one percent of all sales to environmental organizations.

We also know about Aveda’s Full Circle Recycling Program and that the company has partnered with g2 Revolution, a recycling innovations company, to provide product users a chance to return Aveda packaging and accessories not accepted by municipal curbside recycling programs to their Aveda Experience Centers.

And you can bet we are aware that Malin+Goetz founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz are dedicated animal lovers and have pledged to never test their products on animals. In addition, there is the company’s pretty cool Product Hounds section of its website, dedicated to their “customers’ best friends.”

It matters to us, because we know it matters to you.

So the amenities are overflowing right now in a race to the top of the Troca Hotels list.  We’re putting a lot of thought into what we present to you — when you use these products in our hotels, we hope you will see and feel that attention to detail. The winners of our selection process are to be announced soon — stay tuned.

We look forward to seeing you soon!