Key Cards That Switch Off Electricity
General Hostel Operations
What do you think of this idea -- It's a card attached to the guest's key that turns on the electricity when they enter the room and shuts it off when they leave (lights, AC, etc.)...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85317552@N00/853926573/
Seems like an environmentally-friendly idea, though some travelers are blogging about it as being annoying.
- Comments
16 years
What do you think of this idea -- It's a card attached to the guest's key that turns on the electricity when they enter the room and shuts it off when they leave (lights, AC, etc.)...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85317552@N00/853926573/Seems like an environmentally-friendly idea, though some travelers are blogging about it as being annoying.
I've stayed in a hotel once which featured the same system. It was weird for the first time but i got used to it, so didn't had to turn manually off all lights on the way out, for example. As a constant traveler I disagree with some of these posts.
I don't like wasting. Especially nowadays when energy is going expensive, and producing it causes global warming. I know that I paid for the room and the services when I'm on a holiday, although I don't go to abuse any lodging's services, regardless how much I paid for.
Running the aircon while I'm not there is a complete waste. A good aircon can cool the room down in some 30 minutes which I can wait for. 8 hours of aircon running means 240 hours running of a 100W light bulb, so it is a lot to waste.
Also I would charge my phone, laptop or camera during the night, while I'm asleep in the room, and the outlets work meanwhile, especially when I need them during the day. When I work on the computer, I leave it on the charger, so it would charge while I'm there anyway.
I don't really understand this post... especially because it is on a budget travel related website. Or is it a new trend to pay 10EUR for a hotel in Asia and use the aircon for the worth of 5EUR?
16 years
I stayed in a double room at Alessandro Palace, Rome. They have that.
It makes sense to get the air condition turned off. (Alessandro´s doubles have a/c).
It is annoying though if you have AA batteries to charge (my camera runs with those). They don´t charge overnight - one set of tham takes about 24 hours.
You also have to be careful if you have windowless bathrooms - you don´t want to lose the ventilation if the room is empty to avoid mold.
The whole systel does not make sense for dorm rooms, because then, everybody would have to stick his card in, which won´t happen.
16 years
Had this once in hotel room - nice touch is that u search for that swich in dark until you get used to it's exact position. I think that at end i was just leaving it in room and room unlocked :). Later I found that credit card can do the trick of replacing key card.
Probably has some economical and safety benefits but must be quite expensive to install. And also if someone is paying for room I guess he or she has right to use it's electricity. Air condition also uses less power if it maintains temperature all time and not working with biggest power.
14 years
Had this once in hotel room - nice touch is that u search for that swich in dark until you get used to it's exact position. I think that at end i was just leaving it in room and room unlocked :). Later I found that credit card can do the trick of replacing key card.
Probably has some economical and safety benefits but must be quite expensive to install. And also if someone is paying for room I guess he or she has right to use it's electricity. Air condition also uses less power if it maintains temperature all time and not working with biggest power.
Your hotel is paid for, and if you choose to stay in 24hrs then yes you have the right to use the power, but by wasting it in such a careless manner will just increase the price of the room the following year, if we all take measures to reduce power consumption then prices can stay low, I offer a AC hotel room for under 10Euros, how can I keep those prices if everyone had such selfish attitudes. Perhaps you think it's wrong of me to make a profit, on that bases there would be no hotels which allow you the freedom to trot around the globe.
On the point of searching for the hole, mine have an orange glow light, which goes out once the key is inserted, I also have a sticker on the switch, if you insert foreign objects (eg. credit cards) there is a 10euro charge for removal, as we are a small guesthouse it's very easy to police, as yet I have only ever charged one guest, his selfish attitude went so far as to bend and insert one of my customer information cards in order to keep the room cold for Mr. Nobody. So you want rooms to be available, you want them to be under 10 euros, and you want to use as much electric as possible, you are such a nice person.
On the point of 24hr charging most rooms that use key-cards also have a 24hr (always on) socket otherwise how does the mini-bar remain ON? Anyway our rooms have this, plus we indicate it as 24hrs, so again no reason to complain.
If you are not as selfish as the above person, you are welcome to visit us, search englishman's retreat thailand in your browser.
Best Regards
Glyn
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