At Least That's How It Appears To Me

     I’ve not stayed in a hotel or motel in the last ten years where they didn’t claim to be in the middle of a severe draught. Because of this unwanted weather condition they go on to ask, “Please use the towels and sheets for more than one night.” Some even claim it’s a city or county ordinance.

     Before anyone gets all twitter pated let me explain that I’m all for saving water, the environment, and the planet. Seeing how we live here, it only makes good sense to take care of the place.

     That said, I’m guessing there are some people staying in hotels and motels who at home only change their sheets every two weeks, and the towels only when they can’t be bent over a towel rack any more. These same people will demand that they get clean everything every day when staying at some place where they don’t have to do their own laundry. They feel they’re paying for the service so why skimp, just because this part of the country hasn’t seen any water for a couple weeks, months, years, or in the last decade.

     Now those establishments that are too embarrassed to talk about draught, since the lower parts of the surrounding countryside are under water, the nearby reservoir is overflowing, and the snowpack on the nearby mountains seems heavy enough to shortly slide down into town, will fall back on Project Planet. This is where they invite you to join them in conserving water by using your towels and linen more than once. They claim that not only are you decreasing water and energy consumption, but that you are helping reduce the amount of detergent wastewater that must be recycled in their community.

     This is all well and good and worthy of our consideration and cooperation. What they don’t mention as part of this request is what your cooperation with this program does for their bottom line---what they save on their water bill, their detergent bill, wear and tear on their equipment, and their labor costs.

This draught/Project Planet program is the slickest thing the hospitality industry has come up with since indoor plumbing.

     Now, if they are really serious about conservation they would tell me, “For every night during your stay that you reuse your sheets we will refund you five dollars, and for every towel you reuse we will refund you two dollars.” That would get my attention as they would then be offering to make me an active participant in their profit-generating program.

     At least that’s how it appears to me.