Hotels can save per occupied room* per day on laundry by using a simple towel-rack hanger, and sheet-changing card being offered by the "Green" Hotels Association®. The saving can go over $6.50 per day per room.

The towel-rack hanger encourages guests to use towels more than once, and says "Please decide for yourself. Towels on the rack mean ‘I'll use it again.' Towels on the floor or in the tub mean ‘please exchange.'" The sheet-changing card says, "Sheets are customarily changed daily, but if you feel that this is unnecessary, leave this card on your pillow in the morning, and your sheets will not be changed that day."

"Asking guests to consider using linens more than once is a win, win, win situation for hotels," says Cornell University Hotel Management Professor Robert Chase. "The first win is an economic one—savings on water, electricity and gas, detergents, toweling, sheets and labor. The second win is a laudable one—taking a commendable and praiseworthy step on the part of the hotel. The third win is for our environment—really doing something to save our planet."

"This simple recycled-paper towel-rack hanger and sheet card will save money, tons of detergent, millions of gallons of water, energy, labor, wear and tear on linens, wear and tear on equipment, as well as our environment," says Patricia Griffin, President of "Green" Hotels Association®." She continues, "Guests as well as hotel management are very enthusiastic about our linen program."

Hotels are extremely large-volume users of water, detergent, cleansers and other chemicals that can be detrimental to our environment, and hotel managers must be aware of the hotel's impact on our life resources. Hotel managers must care for and protect the reason their guests come whether it's a beach, lake, historic district, etc. Hotel managers who ask guests to participate in the hotel's environmental programs find that guests are pleased and enthusiastic to help protect the beautiful destinations we all love to visit.

Almost none of us wash towels after one use or change sheets every day at home, and guests understand how frivolous a waste it is at a hotel. More hotels should institute a linen program because guests appreciate the hotel being environmentally aware. Hotels have been participating in GHA's towel and sheet program for over nine years—since 1993, and many properties report 70% to 90% guest participation. An early user of our cards, the Sheraton Rancho Cordova, reported that they were saving 5% on utilities alone.

The towel and sheet cards are available with one side in English and the other with translations into Spanish, French, German and Japanese. A "Third Day" sheet card is available for hotels whose guests' usual stay is 4 to 7 days. Customized versions, other languages and quantity prices are available on request.

Free samples of the cards are available from "Green" Hotels Association®, P. O. Box 420212, Houston, TX 77242-0212, Fax 713/789-9786, Voice 713/789-8889, www.greenhotels.com or green@greenhotels.com. The laminated towel-rack hanger is available for $45/100 or $185/500. The laminated sheet-changing card is available for $33/100 or $135/500. Save money, laundry expenses, and become GREEN by placing these towel rack hangers and sheet changing cards in your guestrooms.

* National Association of Institutional Linen Management's Membership Survey 2000-2001