Towel Reuse Program Spun as Part of Hotel Environmental Initiative

While staying at the Betsy last week as part of a belated birthday gift, I noticed the hotel's ambitious environmental initiative. Most of the items on the list included basic methods of conservation and reuse like the Towel Reuse Program which encouraged guests to reuse towels by hanging them up instead of throwing them on the floor (which would signal to the Guestroom Attendant to wash them). The most effective item on the list was a new climate control system, which determined–through motion sensors–if a room was occupied, thereby determining if a room needed heating or cooling. Heating and cooling a room consumes more energy than any other activity. So this is one of the best solutions because guests are almost always given the privilege of controlling the temperature and they almost never think about turning the heat or air conditioner off when leaving a room. Other items include: cloth laundry bags (instead of plastic), organic non-toxic cleaning products and Low-E window panes.