Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
This kind of thing works well in some of the more eco-conscious countries in Europe, but it’s 1. a very different culture and 2. Hotels generally don’t try to charge 1,000% markup. I’d also be somewhat sceptical of any filtered water procured or produced by a Marriott hotel, starting from US tap water which is often not up to international drinking standards.
Trust Marriott to do the right thing the wrong way.
I do not agree with this initiative and think these reusable bottles will be thrown out before they are reused enough to have less environmental impact than a traveler who uses a thin single use water bottle or two. I also question the sanitation of said reusable bottles (could you just use it for your stay then leave it in the room when you leave? what if the prior guest who didn't take it wanted that space to put stuff on and threw the reusable for sale water bottle behind the toilet in the bathroom then the maid put it back in place while cleaning the room for the next guest)?
However, I do want to point out that most bottled water in the US is simply bottled tap water from some plant somewhere, sure it is "filtered" but so is the water in the hotel gym... assuming they have replaced the filter in the gym water dispenser... not sure how much different that is from the bottled water is... However if the gym water dispenser filter is of concern, you probably don't want to consume any food or drink on hotel property either as the filters need to be replaced on the water equipment in the bar/restaurant too.