Originally Posted by
craigthemif
Agreed, but it still makes far more "green" sense for a hotel to offer a filtered or bottled water dispenser for guests to refill their own containers. At best these things are hidden away in the gym, rather than in the lobby or executive lounge.
You mention two parts of the world where indeed you don't want to be drinking from the tap, but also can't rely on the plastic being recycled or treated in a responsible manner.
It's not like those "parts of the world" don't have any hotels that deliver water in refillable glass bottles to the rooms; these hotels are just generally more upscale, boutique-y, or eco-themed. I suspect that for large chain hotels like Hyatt, you wouldn't get hotel owners onboard. A bigger problem still may be that in those "parts of the world" not a small number of travelers will be conditioned to expect bottled water as the "safe" option.
Even in places with safe drinking water, there may be travelers who are not monsters and still would like to receive the water bottle the program promises -- for instance, business travelers who take the water bottle to the car to the morning when they leave the hotel.