Originally Posted by
Rebelyell
I've stayed at one hotel in particular (in Venice) where management has gone to a key card, but they still expect you to turn your key card in if everyone leaves the room. They aren't quite as nasty about it, but will tell you when you don't do it. So it's a one key per room system, and the electricity only worked with the room key, not with a key from another hotel, a piece of paper, a cruise card, or other device.
I'm actually planning on staying at this hotel again soon, because I like the location and can get it cheap. But I was just curious if anyone had faced a similar problem, and it sounds like no.
Just back from Rome; our hotel there had the same key policy, so perhaps it is an Italian "feature" of modern hotels. However, as we didn't have A/C in the room, the situation was not quite the same.
On the "Europeans are much more energy conscious than Americans" theme: we would shut off the lights when we went out for day, but as soon as we returned and put our key in the slot, every single light, including the two in the bathroom, would come on - that's the way Italian housekeeper left them.