Up until the past decade, hotels were among the worst when it came to inefficiency in the environment.
It was common practice for hotels to wash items like pillows and sheets multiple times a week, if not daily. Towels were changed out daily. These and other things were done because hotels thought guests wanted this.
There was one problem with this way of thinking. If a guest only used one or two towels, why change out the whole room’s supply? Why change out bedsheets daily if a bed really wasn’t messy?
The Environmental Protection Agency has listed ways hotels have kept pace with green trends in the industry, and the trends are only continuing to climb in popularity.
Sustainability is the best policy
Hotels have figured out the best way to be responsible is to not clean every room meticulously every day. This makes sense when you think about it. If a room has been cleaned but not rented out for the night, why does it need to be redone? The same goes for the towels and other linen items. Why wash them again if they have not been used.
Many hotels now have cards that state what should be done. They may instruct you to place towels to be removed on an item like the shower curtain. This tells the hotel staff you would like new towels or washcloths.
They may leave a card on the bed that says sheets will not be changed daily unless you place a card on the bed saying you would like more service. If you are a clean traveler that doesn’t leave a mess, then your room may not need a whole bunch of work done to it the next day.
It all comes out in the wash
There are many ways a hotel can save on water costs and leave smaller environmental impacts. Detergents with no phosphates can be used to clean items. Detergents that don’t have phosphates and are considered biodegradable won’t leave any prints behind on the environment.
Cleaning chemicals also contain environmentally-safe ingredients, at least safer for the environment than the ones used even five or 10 years ago.
Trash can be compacted or composted before it reaches the landfill. This can reduce waste by a large percentage and reduce how much litter a hotel goes through every day.
Energy efficiency
When you look at the latest items offered in terms of electronics and appliances in a room, you often find an energy-efficiency rating attached to each that tells you how much an item will cost per year to operate. Hotels buy higher-efficiency items like light bulbs, efficient televisions, coffee makers, and hair dryers in bulk to save on the bottom line and install more efficiency in every room.
Light bulbs are increasingly made with compact fluorescent technology. You get just as much light, if not more, and it often saves on energy costs. The end result is you won’t notice the difference.
As hotels embrace modern technology that is made with more efficiency and less energy use, hotels can reduce the need to change out these items on a regular basis. The end result is more money for the hotel to put toward other items and potentially lesser room rates for you and your family.
