Keep it going guys! Keep giving Chris ideas to bring back to HQ...lol

Jinx on you if it gets implemented. :td:

I've known since Marriott introduced their new bedding package that this little "backdoor" policy change was coming.

From Marriott's point of view, they committed to improving the look and feel, and perceived cleanliness, of their beds chain-wide.

Except that means washing duvet covers, which have not been laundered before, at every checkout. (You were lucky in the past if your bedspread was dry cleaned every quarter.)

Every Marriott has the exact same number of washers and dryers at their properties as they had before the new bedding rollout. But now, they're adding 33-50% more items to the laundry every day. It didn't take long for them to realize that their laundry costs would skyrocket if they didn't do something.

So, they quietly moved brand-wide to a standard of changing sheets every three days, unless the guest says otherwise.

Logistically, it was about all they could do, short of purchasing hundreds or thousands of new washers and dryers - and passing that cost to guests. (Or, perhaps adding an overnight shift of laundry workers in an already labor-short market, paying them a premium to work in off-hours, and passing that cost to guests.)

It'll be interesting to see if the backlash is major or minor. One thing working in their favor: Daily sheet change seems to be perceived by baby boomers and older guests as almost a right; but by Gen X and Gen Y, who have been brought up on eco-themes, as a waste of natural resources and a source of water pollution. As the population ages, it appears that daily sheet change becomes less and less a critical item to the overall population.

Fair enough, but few people have a maid to clean up every day. Or a valet to park cars. Or a cook to prepare meals. Or a concierge to provide advice. Or a front desk to make wake-up calls.

I read somewhere that some hotels in Germany ship their sheets to Poland daily to get washed. How long before we see that in the US? (well, maybe not to Poland, but Mexico?)

I don't have a problem with the 3 day thing, as long as I can still request daily if need be, especially if it means getting rid of polyester bed spreads that get washed every 3 to 6 months. Yuck!

As long as the sheets are freashly washed when I get there. I don't mind having them changed every 3 days. (I'm usually in a hotel room no more then 2 days) I prefer to have freash towels everyday.

If the hotels are so concerned with the environment, they can offer financial incentive for the guests not to request daily sheet change. For example, $3 credit per night without change? Just like how you get a $0.5 credit for refusing newspaper delivery.

Just don't tell me its for the environment when it is really for the profit.

I think what they've done is to react to the market in the most cost-effective way they could.

I think they came to the conclusion that even in the moderate hotel sector (no less full service) that triple sheeting was becoming standard and they'd have to emulate it (non-concierge/non-executive rooms).

The hygiene issue attendant to rarely-cleaned standard bedspreads was getting much play. But it doesn't take a brain surgeon to understand that from the point of view of cleanliness (and retention of, shall we say, undesirable things left by previous guests) the "bare" blanket was very suspect as well.

One solution would be standard triple-sheeting, but there was another factor - the much ballyhooed, much-imitated, and very well-received Westin Heavenly Bed which the competition was responding to in various and sundry ways.

However, there was no "easy" way of implementing (and getting customer acceptance) of an across-the-boarda standard of linen changes every three days in a FS segment.

But, the "new" Revive bed design gave Marriott a couple of opportunities.

One was to emulate (with the white duvet) the "look" of the heavenly bed (and also counter Hyatt's new "Grand Bed."

But, it did something else - in a way, provide a semi-reasonaable facsimile of triple sheeting (and, coincidentally, the Heavenly Bed's appearance) but at the same time, at the worst case, guarantee that even if the guest opted for replacment of sheets, "two" of a Revive bed's three "sheets" would still be on a three-day rotation/laundering schedule.

These guys aren't the world's biggest hospitality company for nothing.

For the newbies I just want to correct a typo above....alcoholic beverages in the concierge lounge are from the honor bar (in all of my years it's been this way)

If you mean paying for the drinks at the honor bar, not that I recall at the properties I stayed at when I first started staying at Marriotts. I don't remember all the properties I stayed at then, but I do believe I remember no honor bar/no charges at the Baltimore Waterfront (later changed to an honor bar). I remembered my surprise at the Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale, when there was an honor bar rather than gratis beer/wine, but attributed that to the fact that it had Ren lineage rather than Marriott. There's no doubt Soc, that every domestic Ren/Marriott I've stayed at in recent years with a concierge lounge, had an honor bar. Other chains seem more variable as to whether the alcoholic drinks are gratis or not. For example, the Westin in St. Louis had free drinks, but the down the street Marriott had an honors bar. But I will concede to your expertise Soc, and if you say the Marriott lounges always had honors bars, I'll believe you and attribute my recollections to creeping old age.

Correct. Plus as I said earlier, few of us pay $150+ per night to sleep in our own beds.
For the Green Peace folks who are happy with this disturbing issue, I say fine. Everybody to his/her own.
Personally I expect my hotel sheets and towels to be changed daily.
And this is an issue I pledge to be very vocal about.
I can overlook a lot of stuff as I travel about the world but this is where I draw the line.

It could be that your time goes back farther than my own but since the early 90's Honor bars were a standard....but there were differences like you've pointed out above, a number of hotels had GM receptions weekly where the bar was open etc (I'm not sure what Renaissance had before the purchase in the mid/late 90's) Ritz-Carlton has an open bar in their Club Lounge

I agree that the whole idea of claiming this as an evironmental isssue is bogus, but it doesn't really bother me. Often times when I am travelling for a night or two I will just leave the do not disturb sign on so no one comes in and messes with my mess....

Sheesh - who do you think "brought up" the Gen X/Gen Y'ers??? They came upon the eco-themes all by their lonesomes????

Eco-themes, as you call them, have been around since the 70's, at least.

I for one don't need new sheets every day, and I can make a towel do for more than one shower. If we're reducing the hotel costs at the same time it's fine with me. It may not show up in the bill this week, but will help keep rates from going up faster.

GPG (Boomer!)

I, for one, don't watch much television, and wouldn't miss it in the rooms. Why not eliminate free television in the rooms and charge guests who want it? That why only people who want it will pay for it, the hotel revenues will go up (thereby keeping rates from going up faster), and we will be friendly to the environment by reducing electric power consumption. Same with those folks who take showers longer than is necessary to get clean. Charge them too; saving water for the environment and keeping rates from going higher. I'll bet there are lots of other good "green-friendly" ideas to increase hotel revenues or keep down hotel costs.

It used to be commonplace in Europe, especially France, to find placards chastising hotel guests to use hot water minimally. Tiny, in-room hot water heaters had the effect of enforcing this rule.