A major hotel brand is withdrawing miniature toiletries in favour of bulk-size ones.

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) says this will apply to its entire hotel estate of almost 843,000 rooms.

The transition is set to be completed during 2021.

It says it is building on efforts to reduce plastic waste as part of a broader sustainability agenda.

The move makes IHG the first global hotel company to commit all brands to removing bathroom miniatures.

Its brands include InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels.

The InterContinental Dublin in Ballsbridge | Image: Facebook//InterContinental Dublin

Keith Barr, IHG CEO, says: "It's more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly.

"We know it's what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect.

"Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change."

IHG has an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures in use across its group every year.

As the new standard is adopted between now and 2021, the company expects to see a significant reduction in plastic waste.

In October 2018, IHG announced the removal of single-use plastic straws from its hotels by the end of 2019.

It says this represents an average of 50 million straws removed from its hotels each year - enough to stretch all the way from New York to Tokyo.