Hotels and laundering towels

Many hotels I've been in the past few years have laudably posted signs that we can help the environment (and their costs, of course) by using towels more than one day, that if we wish to do that, to hang up the towels. If we want fresh towels, to leave them on the floor. However, I have found that at just about everyone, even IF I hang them up, the maids STILL change them for fresh towels. I don't know whether this is a training issue or a language issue, or whether something else is at work, but the signs aren't working.

The other thing that prevents it from being a successful campaign is the lack of good towel racks to hang the towels ON. Most hotels have these skimpy racks that work fine for folded towels but are lousy for hanging wet towels that need to be dried. There's never enough space for them. I imagine more people would be willing to use the same towels the next day if they thought they had a prayer of drying. I've even tried hanging them on hangers in the closet, when there were ENOUGH hangars, another rarity.

So, there's one of my pet peeves. If they really want this campaign to be successful, save water (a critical issue here in Florida where we are in the midst of a drought), save money, and benefit the environment, they need to train their maids to FOLLOW the rules and put decent towel bars in the rooms.

I think I've written about this before, on this blog, and I've sent it to Ann Landers or Dear Abby, too. Maybe someone will "listen."