Be Our (Eco) Guest

There is some delicious irony in hotels using so much paper and placards to exhort us to be good environmental stewards. But I appreciate the opportunity to take a pass on the daily changing of towels and sheets, something that really isn't necessary.

What would be more impressive is if hotels involved us as full partners in being good environmental stewards. At check-in, invite us to become an "eco-guest" and give us a checklist of additional behaviors we can commit to during our stay. These could include: (1) turning off the heat or air conditioning when not in the room; (2) shutting off lights not being used; and (3) not running water endlessly while shaving or brushing one's teeth. Give us statistics of what would be saved for each behavior we adopt.

Engage guests in productive habits during stays that are also transferable to their home energy consumption and use (and maybe point this fact out on our final bill). While trying on individual behaviors may or may not affect our overall disposition, reframing these choices under the umbrella of eco-guest provides an appealing status that could more fully engage our attention and commitment.

And the basic concept is transferable to almost any situation: what behaviors are you hoping to get members or customers to adopt and how might they be bundled assigned status to better attract interest and commitment?