Would you stay in a hotel that charged extra based on your water usage?
From minibar charges and paid Wi-Fi access to exorbitant parking rates and sneaky taxes, travellers often end up paying more for their hotel bill than expected.
But what would you do if your accommodation charged you extra based on how much water you used during your stay?
A South Korean study looked at travellers’ habits while on the road and investigated what it would take for them to act in more environmentally friendly ways.
Researchers at Hanyang University found that participants would be more likely to actively conserve their water and energy use if they had to pay more for it.
If power, water, linen services, and heating or cooling were shown on their hotel bill, travellers would automatically use these services less, the study showed.
However, if they were instead offered a discount based on low water usage, that incentive wouldn’t be enough to conserve their use.
According to 2024 research by Tourism Management, water usage in hotels is around 300 litres per guest per night – significantly higher than an average person’s daily water usage of 144 litres.
This isn’t just due to people taking extra-long showers or hot baths while on holiday. Hotels are engineered for comfort – daily operations also include laundry services, on-site kitchens, landscaping, and swimming pools.
Surprisingly, a large portion of travellers say they’d be happier paying higher nightly rates for a hotel that actively tries to reduce water use.
Nearly half (44 per cent) would pay a premium to stay in a hotel that had installed water-saving devices in rooms – though the average they would pay is only $7.
Hotels around the globe are introducing features to help guests conserve energy and water usage, both for sustainability and to keep their overhead costs low.
Most of us are familiar with the signs in hotel rooms asking guests to hang up their towels to be reused.
One traveller shared a photo of the “shower challenge” in their Barcelona hotel room, asking guests to keep their showers under four minutes.
Single-use toiletries and small plastic bottles are being phased out in favour of bulk dispensers mounted on the wall. Many hotels also use smart room technology like occupancy sensors to control heating and cooling.
Source: nine.com.au
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