Sheraton Shares Savings With Guests Who Make "Green Choice"

UPDATE 6/16/11: Should've said this is a Starwood Hotels program, so you may find it at a Westin, a W Hotels, etc.

Forget 5 cent fees and rewards - Sheraton Hotels are putting some real weight behind their effort to get customers to buy in to conservation efforts. And since hotels can save big bucks on staff time and water costs if they don't have to strip and wash your still-clean sheets every night, why shouldn't conservation-conscious customers share in the savings?

With the Sheraton's Green Choice program, guests who decline housekeeping service get a $5 voucher per night towards food and non-alcoholic drinks:

Worth noting that Sheraton has also been a leader in going smoke-free.

I would show you a picture of the food I purchased with the vouchers, but it's long gone. After a long couple of days on Louisiana's Bay Jimmy, I was in no mood to conserve the freshly-fried fish in front of me.

Green Milestone: In-Room Hotel Recycling

The Green Miles has spent years keeping an eye on green hotels as I've traveled, mostly chronicling disappointment. But for once, I'm happy to report progress!

The first in-room recycling bin I've seen, courtesy of Seattle's Hotel Max:

My only suggestion would be to make the recycling side of the bin blue to differentiate it from the trash side, would let guests know this isn't an ordinary waste bin.

Slate's "Green Room" Blog: Going Green is a Drag

As Gristmill and Media Matters have detailed, the managing editor of Slate has decided to use the site's "Green Room" blog to slam efforts by businesses to go green. You see, this whole saving the planet thing just isn't worth it if it means Jill Hunter Pellettieri doesn't get her hotel towels and sheets washed whether they need it or not every single day:

I'll admit that I sometimes choose not to participate in this [green choice] program and request fresh towels and sheets every day. Before you write in scolding me for being a wasteful person, let me qualify that by saying it's not the program, in theory, I'm against. I'm all for saving the environment. But I don't want to be guilt-tripped into going green. It's the two-facedness of it that gets me-save our planet! Conserve our resources! It's up to you, hotel guest. Forsake that washcloth (or two!), or those crisp sheets that are your right when you pay for the room, and to what end-so the hotel can save money on laundry? How many natural resources are wasted printing all of these little signs? Here's an idea: Instead of printing out a placard for every room in the hotel, wash my towel.

Pellettieri goes on to claim that any green efforts that also save business money are "eco-not-so-friendly schemes." Apparently, in Pellettieri's world, the only genuine green efforts are ones that lose money?

At the bottom of the article, an email form asks, "How are companies taking advantage of you in the name of Mother Earth?" Hmmm. How about by starting blogs called "Green Room" trying to draw environmental readers, then throwing huge hissy fits about the tiniest effort to reduce environmental impact? Maybe Slate should look in the mirror.

Making the Best of an Ungreen Hotel

The Green Miles is in Miami this weekend for the National Wildlife Federation-sponsored Carbon-Neutral Sailfish Tournament. I'm staying at the Royal Palm South Beach. It's a decent hotel, but if it wasn't right on the beach it would be nothing to write home about.

One thing that makes the Royal Palm so ordinary - its lack of green features. They give you a newspaper every day whether you want it or not, but there's no recycling anywhere - it's not even accepted at the front desk. About the only positive I noticed was the compact fluorescent light bulbs.

One little thing I do when I'm staying by myself is to leave the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob, letting the cleaning staff know that the room doesn't need service. Do I really need new soaps, shampoo, towels, sheets, etc. every single day? I'm fairly confident they can survive more than one use.

Keep an eye on the the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program. While relatively few hotels have been approved so far, there's a long list of applicants. Once the list expands and there are more choices, it should be a lot easier to find a green hotel.

Genuine or Greenwashing: Water-Saving Hotels

A quick post from Rhode Island's TF Green Airport ...

The Green Girlfriend and I stayed in the Providence Biltmore Hotel this weekend. Cards in the bathroom trumpet the hotel's "Green Program," detailing efforts to change sheets and wash towels only when necessary.

But like every hotel The Green Miles has ever stayed in, there was no recycling available in the hotel. Not in the room. Not anywhere else on the floor. Not even in the lobby.

And all over the room? Incandescent light bulbs. Considering hotels nickel and dime you for internet service, movies and room service, why is the Biltmore passing up the chance to save $3 per bulb per year on light bulbs?

I first saw the sheet/towel card nearly a decade ago. At this point, it's not eco-friendly, it's standard operating procedure. If a hotel can't bring anything more to the table than that by 2007 yet is still trying to get credit for being "green" ... sorry, Biltmore. The Green Miles' verdict? Greenwashing.

I wish I could link you to a site to help you find green hotels, but it doesn't look like there's a great one. Grist's Ask Umbra can give you a good rundown of what to look for in a truly eco-conscious hotel.