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Starwood Exec Perpetuates Fear of Dual-Flush Toilets in Hotels

August 4, 2008 at 2:23 PM | by | Comments (2)

If you've ever been to Europe, you've seen the toilets that have two buttons for flushing: one for a 0.8-gallon flush for liquid waste and another for a 1.6-gallon release of water for--ahem--solids.

A recent New York Times article, "Will Americans Accept Greener Hotel Rooms?" asks why so few American hotels have adopted the dual-flush toilet when such water-salvaging and more eco-friendly loos are standard in hotel rooms around much of the world.

Poor Brian McGuinness, a vice president with Starwood Hotels and Resorts who is responsible for Starwood's eco-friendly Element brand, bears the burden of answering this question on behalf of the American public: Because consumers expressed concern that the dual-flush toilets would not work, the Times quotes him as saying.

Whadda?

It's a toilet. It flushes. End of story. If Europe has been using them for ages, what evidence is there that the water-saving device wouldn't work across the pond?

This logic is even more curious once the Times points out that the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio saw a 60-percent savings on its water bill after implementing the dual-flush toilets--at first leaving the hotel to wonder if its meter was broken.

So we have to wonder, just where in the United States does Starwood survey consumers? Because we'd like to know which locales are purporting this asinine way of thinking so that we can stay far, far away.

Dual-flush toilets: Hate 'em or love 'em?

[Photo: New York Times]  

Hotels mentioned in this story

Comments (2)

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Return to » Starwood Exec Perpetuates Fear of Dual-Flush Toilets in Hotels


These work great

I would've put them in my bathrooms when I renovated had I known they were available in the states (and no, I didn't look for them, but should have).  There was also a good article in the NY Times this past weekend about US hotels adopting the card key-as-electric switch for rooms.  Interesting reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/realestate/commercial/03sqft.html

hartss on August 4, 2008 at 3:01 PM #Permalink

Definitely work great

I'd forgotten that these toilets aren't standard in the US. We've had them Down Under so long that I practically grew up with them, and I'm OLD! A tip for those survey-takers who fear they won't work: on the odd occasion that you pick the low flush option and it's not quite enough, just flush again with the big button. No drama and you still save tons of water in the long term.
amandak on August 5, 2008 at 6:53 AM #Permalink

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