I hope someone at Disney World (other than an accountant) thought through the elimination of this small item.
Admittedly it's been some time since I've seen them, but the bathroom requirements to be a
AAA Four-Diamond hotel is a five-piece amenity package of above-average quality. Five pieces means shampoo, conditioner, shower bodywash/soap, bar soap for sink,
and hand/body lotion.
Not having a required item doesn't mean you instantly lose the Four-Diamond rating. It's a points-based system. Not having lotion means you'd need to make up those points in other areas.
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Perhaps more important than AAA ratings is the thoughts of professional meeting planners. As someone who spent decades working in hotels, I can say that it's a fact that lotion is an industry standard. It's a basic amenity.
Since it's so basic, a meeting planner will expect Disney to provide it. A business traveler attending a convention or event at a Disney Resort will expect it.
Again, eliminating a small amenity like lotion won't make a meeting planner choose to host their event at Walt Disney World Dolphin over Disney's Yacht Club Resort (just examples). But, once you start adding up all the little things, they start to make a difference.
For those unfamiliar, the meeting/convention market in Orlando is massive. A the budget for a large four-day convention group can easily approach six figures. Risking that sort of revenue seems penny wise and pound foolish to me.
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