Posted 10/26/2009 07:44:00 PM by Douglas

Dry clothes: scourge of the 21st century. I liked this part:

During your last hotel stay, you probably encountered an in-room card asking you to reuse your towels. Although wordings vary, such cards always urge this action to preserve the environment. What the cards never say is that the majority of guests do reuse their towels at least once when requested. My research team suspected that this omission was costing the hotels — and the environment — plenty.

To test our suspicion, we conspired with the management of an upscale hotel to place one of four cards in its guestrooms. Three cards employed some version of the typical environmental appeal. A fourth card added (true) information that the majority of guests do reuse their towels when asked.

The outcome? Compared with the first three messages, the final message increased towel reuse by 34 percent. How easily we can be influenced to act by honest information about how those around us are acting.

Interesting that the hotel appeals to your inner tree-hugger to reuse the towels, so they can save money on water, electricity and detergent, yet don't want to pass any of those savings to you? How many guests would reuse their towels if they knocked $5 off their bill when they check out?

Also, to the idiots that are drying their clothes in their living room: Where do you think the water goes? Paying for electricity for your A/C to remove the water isn't much more efficient than paying for the electricity in your dryer.