Practicing Good Hotel Sustainability
- amynicole
- Feb 4, 2019
- 4 min read
What is the first thing you do as a hotel guest? Grab a cup of that warm coffee in the hotel lobby obviously! Well lets say you are staying for the work week, five days worth of coffee, and if you are me, probably two cups a day. That is 10 paper cups, 10 plastic lids, 10 stirrers, 10+ plastic coffee creamers, 10 paper sleeves, and that is all just for a cup of coffee. I travel a good bit for work and I'll tell you what, its not possible to be perfect in such a wasteful establishment, but below are some of my hotel specific travel hacks on how to be more sustainable.
1. TRY TO NOT USE A HOTEL: Airbnb hosts for work travel. When using an Airbnb you are typically using peoples personal appliances and no one is coming in to change the sheets everyday. This means less plastic, less waste, and less trash. However if you are like me and do not always have the option;
2. HOTEL "GREEN" PROGRAM: Not all, but most hotels have a green program where essentially you leave a card out that states the sheets, towel, etc. do not have to be changed everyday. This is a simple, LITERALLY EFFORTLESS way to take initiative.
3. WRITE A NOTE: If a hotel does not have a green program (I had this situation this past week in a hotel in Indiana) then write a note for the employees placed at the corner of the bed or on the nightstand stating your preferences. When you bring your personal belongings into a hotel room feel comfortable taking control of the situation. I leave a nice note asking that the sheets on the bedding not be changed, towels be left in the bathroom, and that I do not need the garbage changed until I leave or if its full. If anything, you are saving them the work!
4. DRINKING WATER: Bring your own water bottle. Simple enough. I have a personal connection with my water bottle, god bless my Nalgene, it goes with me everywhere. If you do not feel comfortable drinking water out of the tap, find somewhere to refill your bottle. I personally seem to always use the water tower in the hotel gym to refill mine. However you can also check the breakfast area or hotel bar for filtered water as well. Just do not resort to a new plastic water bottle everyday.
** And if you forget your water bottle, buy a plastic bottle, hold onto it and refill it all week then do not forget to recycle.
5. FIVE MINUTE SHOWER: This is more of a reminder if anything; I know its tempting to turn on the hot water and just hangout for awhile (especially when its not going to show up on your water bill) however be mindful of your water consumption. Just because you are not paying for it, doesn't mean you should leave it run.
6. BRING UTENSILS: I bring my camping utensils to the hotel. Not only is it more comfortable to eat using a hardier fork and knife then plastic but it quickly becomes extremely wasteful when every morning you are grabbing a new fork for breakfast. I also bring a container to eat out from. Any Tupperware with a lid works or I use an old army canteen handed down from my grandpa! This makes it convenient if I am in a rush, want to bring food back to my room, or on the go.
7. METAL STRAW: Spend a few bucks on a metal straw. I bring this with me if I go out to eat and I even use it to stir my coffee. You can buy them with a convenient travel container and brush to clean it out. Buy them off of amazon below!
8. SAMPOO AND SOAP: What happens to the mini soaps they provide you after you leave? I would assume they throw them away. Even if they look untouched, hotels probably cannot assume so and provide new samples for the next guest. I am picky about my body products however I do eventually use these because I'd rather they be used then thrown out in full. I wait until the last day so that they are not replaced by staff half way through the week or I take them home with me after the trip is over and give them to the boyfriend (who isn't nearly picky about what he puts in his hair compared to myself)
** I would love to hear more about this topic though, what actually happens to those little guys? Are they reused or thrown out? Please comment if you have information regarding this ^
9. WHERE IS THE RECYCLING: Why do I never see recycling at hotels? Nonetheless, I simply hold on to recycled items until I am somewhere I can dispose of it properly. In my case this is never much more then a plastic bottle or so. It truly becomes habit and doesn't cause too much of an issue. Its comparable to packing out in the wonderful outdoors, collect it neatly and toss it later!
At the end of the day, I am hoping you're like me and would much rather just choose the tent life. But being mindful in every environment takes practice and is truly a skill. These tips start at home and eventually become so habitual when you are traveling it feels weird to not recycle or throw away plasticware after every meal. Being aware of our consumption is the first step.
I hope this gave you some ideas and tips for your next hotel stay!
And as always, thanks for reading.
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