Intercontinental Hotel Group to remove mini toiletries from all hotels, including Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn

The Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) is to remove mini toiletries from all of their hotels.

The worldwide hotel group is taking the action for environmental reasons and is the first global hotel brand to make such a move.

The UK-based hotel group, which owns Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels, has announced that they will stop using small plastic bottles in all of their 843,000 rooms by the year 2021, with the new system having already been implemented in about a third of their properties.

However, guests will still be provided with toiletries in their hotel rooms, with the properties providing them in bulk rather than in individual miniature plastic bottles.

More: These are the everyday plastic items that will be banned in the UK by 2020

‘We collectively as an industry have to lead where governments are not necessarily giving the leadership to make a difference,’ IHG chief executive Keith Barr told the BBC.

‘Five years ago it was a tick-the-box exercise. Today it’s follow-up meetings going through in detail what we are doing about our carbon footprint.’

The move has already received a positive response, with fans taking to Twitter to compliment the hotel group on their decision.

‘Great to see such a large group trying to reduce its single use plastic,’ wrote one Twitter user, while another added: ‘Brilliant! Good on @InterConHotels,’ suggesting also ‘something else that could be eliminated: plastic liners in all of those tiny waste bins’.

Removing toiletry minis is not the first move that IHG has made towards helping the environment.

Last year, the global hotel group pledged to stop using plastic straws by the end of this year.

Chief executive Mr Barr also added that ‘the next big thing to tackle’ would be plastic plates and cutlery that some of the hotels use for their breakfast service.

More: This high street retailer has just become the first store to ban wet wipes

The hotel chain, which has committed to reducing its carbon footprint per occupied room by 6 per cent by next year, has also partnered with artificial intelligence company Winnow on a trial basis to monitor waste across buffet breakfasts in some of its residences.

It has confirmed that high-end resort Six Senses will go completely plastic-free by the year 2022.

Environmental organisation Greenpeace has praised the move, with group campaigner Fiona Nicholls saying: ‘Just as shoppers have shown they’re happy to bring their own bags to supermarkets, hotel guests are absolutely able to adapt and start bringing their own toiletries.’