Long time readers will remember a post that I wrote a little while ago, expressing some frustration at the hypocrisy that many hotels around the world show when it comes to then environmental commitments.
For many hotels, environmental commitments are strong when it comes to finding an excuse not to replace the towels or bed linens, but at the same time they insist on dropping hundreds of newspapers at bedroom doors overnight that will never be read.
I’ve finally found a hotel group that have thought about the problem and have implemented a solution.
This week I’ve been attending a series of meetings in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. In all three cities I have stayed in Intercontinental properties and in all three they appear to have introduced a new program that extends their environmental commitments to rid the building of all that wasted news paper.
The answer for them is a simple one, every room now has a small tag that can be hung on the bedroom door that simply reads “Newspaper Please!” – if you don’t hang it then you don’t get one.
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Hmm, doesn’t really change the number of newspapers printed though, so all it means is a few less are glanced at before going in the trash.
It’s still tokenism. It’s designed to make guests like you, who jet in from all over the world producing tonnes of carbon and wreaking environmental chaos, feel better because you didn’t take the Wellington Times.
In my experience, BA’s approach is far more ecologically sound. Knowing that preventing you flying would be bad for their business they instead do their bit for the environment by not delivering your luggage. This really does help the planet by saving on unnecessary laundry. Think of all the shirts around the world that don’t need washing as a result of this policy.
Intercontinental hotels can’t hold a candle to BA’s lost intercontinental luggage ruse.