Comments on: Green — or greenwashed? How to tell if your hotel loves the environment

By: user_v

user_v — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:08:45 +0000

those a/c sensors – -just thumbtack a piece of toilet paper to the ceiling 3FT away in front of them so it hangs before the sensor and it will waft and keep the a/c on. Yes for $200 per night the a/c dang well will be working and will be 70<72. Read up on hvac and wiring, take some tools.. Sorry to those that don't like it but the technoids are always going to win the a/c battle. greenies can go sweat all they like. sweat a little for me too. If the hotel wants to be that cheeeep then they can add a $10 charge to upgrade the room to air conditioned. Most would pay it.

By: Raminder On Saturday

Raminder On Saturday — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:12:18 +0000

so what? the environment is a black shade of green. who gives a danm. give me my paper cup and let me throw it out without using it – THEN – get me another paper cup. i’ll do the samething i swear. dont like me? like me then. THEN.

- raminder on saturday

By: RegularGuy

RegularGuy — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:06:11 +0000

When I am paying upwards of $200 a night, I want the A/C or heat as cold or hot as I want, when I want; I want clean towels every day; and I want my bed made and my room tidied up every day.

That’s right… I pay, I want.

By: Hot Sheets

Hot Sheets — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:19:29 +0000

Shutting off the air conditioning while a person is sleeping can be a downright bad idea. I remember waking up in a hotel in Italy that had a sensor turn off the air conditioning. I was soaked in sweat, as were the sheets around me. The room had reached 100+ degrees. It was a situation that could have been very dangerous. Older people and young children could easily die from such conditions. It isn’t a matter of just get used to it.

By: Desert Dreamer

Desert Dreamer — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:14:19 +0000

I applaud the environmental concerns of hotels BUT I do think that I, and many other customers, might be a bit more willing to sleep on same mussed sheets (which we do at home, of course, but we use FITTED sheets at home, unlike hotels which have flat sheets that pull out and are not tucked back in the next day) and use the same towels over again IF there were a little incentive……….even $2 off of my daily room rate which told me up front that linens would not be changed if I signed up for the “green rate”. It is not only a savings in hotel laundry costs for the linens, but savings on housekeeping staff salaries and the hotel or outside linen service personnel salaries. Perhaps having the housekeeping staff losing hours paid might not offset the laundry savings in the big scheme of things. . And PLEASE, do not put SAVE THE SEAS on those little tags in such a mighty tone…….along with WE can do this. I want to know what the HOTEL is doing along with MY contribution. When we are paying a minimum of $275 a NIGHT for a hotel in a city, and up to an additional $50 a night to park our car in San Francisco and elsewhere, plus tips all around, I feel that I deserve a few explanations.

By: John F

John F — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:55:54 +0000

Usually there is a slot and in order to activate the lights, you need to insert your key card. Once inserted the switches and lamps will all operate fine. You can turn off the lights and switches manually and allow your laptops to recharge.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:02:48 +0000

I am all for sensors on the lights and HVAC, but I would hate to wake up to a cell phone or laptop that I thought was recharging but was actually shut off after a half-hour by the sensor while I was sleeping.

I hate walking into a room where the A/C has been set to 65 degrees. It’s such a waste of energy. I always crank it up into the mid 70′s.

By: Jennifer Singh

Jennifer Singh — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:24:32 +0000

I REALLY hate when I’ve hung my towel in the designated spot to indicate I’ll re-use it, and the housekeeper takes it away anyway! This happens to me 90% of the time I stay in a hotel with those little laundry signs.

On the subject of recycling, I understand your point about not having bins in each room, but I don’t see why there can’t be a recycle bin on each floor. I’d use them as would anyone else who feels strongly about recycling. I have been known to carry one or two empties around with me until I find a bin on the street or at another business, or until I get home.

Automatic shut-offs would be more valuable if there were more balance in how they worked. For example, I can imagine the misery walking into a Miami hotel room that had been un-air-conditioned all day. But if the bubble sensor would trigger a thermostat change ONLY, and not cut off the whole room’s power, that would result in much fewer complaints while still meeting a major green goal.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:11:14 +0000

With the part about recycling, it’s quite common in Scandinavia. I was there recently & in most hotels I stayed at there were 4 trash cans (one for garbage, the rest divided for glass/paper/plastic) and I thought that was a great idea.