Guests keep the bathroom lights on

[Rima180]

Hi All,

did any other host notice that guests usually keep all the lights including the bathroom lights on?

I notice as it makes a noise in the boiler room when the bathroom light is on, I even left a note on the door to not do that, but that is ignored. 

So just wondering is it like a cultural thing?

There is a table lamp in the room so I cannot think of any reason for that.

Kind Regards,

Rima 

 **[Title edited in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Dale711]

Hi @Rima180 

Some guests do believe that turn on the lights in the bathroom helps rid the house of all the negative qi or unwanted beings.

This is also help boost the positive energy and stay put of the good fortune in the house. 

Installations the  lights sensors as motion detectors or times and dimmer reduce your energy consumption by automatically controlling your lights efficiently.
That’s can automatically recognize when there’s someone is coming in or leaving the bathroom.

Hence, you won’t need to worry about turning on and off the lights when the guest leave the bathroom .

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Rima180 Our (English) guests left the bathroom light on all night for 6 months. It cost us £2.20 in electricity. I suggest you don't stress about this or suggest it is down to the race of the guest.

[Adriano78]

@Rima180  i have the same problem with the American guests

American customers have an electricity consumption twice as the European guests.

Air conditioning even turns when the exterior temperature is very pleasant when it would be enough to open the window to bring fresh air.

Washing machines that run almost empty, lighting  on  when the customer leaves the apartment.....

[Debra300]

@Adriano78,

You've made an interesting assertion about energy consumption.   Please share the source for your information.  Before we installed compact washers in the suites we did all of the laundry, and most of our guests, regardless of nationality or residence, would request to wash small amounts of clothing, because they packed lightly.

I've also observed that most guests run the AC in ways that I am pretty sure aren't like how they use it at home. I put this down to the hotel-holiday mentality.   I've turned down/off the AC during most of my stays at hotels in different countries only to come back later in the day with it blasting, because the cleaning staff turned it on while I was out.  Guests become accustomed to having the AC on all day when they are staying in a temporary rental.

We've installed switches and meters to help encourage energy conservation,  but at the end of the day, we've done like @Inna22, and  adjusted our rates and fees to cover the additional utility cost, because it's probably just a brief period when the guests get to live differently than they do at home.

[Inna22]

@Rima180 I think micromanaging guests makes for pour customer service. Build in small breakage and some extra usage into your prices. You will feel better yourself and will have happier guests.

I don’t think I’d bother to turn the lights off as much as I do at my own home when I am staying somewhere. I’m not Asian.

[Adriano78 · Accepted solution]

@Debra300  I think there is a big difference in mentality between Europeans and Americans.
Americans can't live without Ac, when I go to the USA the temperature in trains, malls........ is just horrible!! is so freezing everywhere.
In Europe we prefer to open the windows to cool and breathe air.
Personally, I hate air conditioning.

I have family who live in the USA and I'm sorry but the energy consumption is very different from what I can see in Europe. Electricity in the USA is very cheap and people consume it without paying attention.
In the city where I have my accommodation, there are a lot of Americans and the hotels and apartments have had to increase their prices a lot because American guests have a very huge electricity consumption.

What is sad  is that European customers who are very careful about ecology and electricity consumption are forced to pay for people who consume without paying attention

[Debra300]

@Adriano78,

Energy consumption and  AC usage varies greatly depending upon where a person lives.  I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, and my husband is an air conditioning technician, yet we didn't have a unit in our house, because of the temperate weather in our area, and ceiling fans sufficed during the 10 hot days per year.  We now live in Atlanta, where the summer temperatures average over 90F/32C, and the pollen count is extremely high.  Most people, who didn't have allergies before usually get them when they move to Atlanta (like I did).  Almost everyone has AC and in their homes (often central AC units), and they use them during most of the time that they are home, and keeps their windows and doors closed.  Smart thermostats and allergy medicines are extremely popular.

In St. Lucia, most don't have it, but more homes are getting AC, and mini-split systems in the bedrooms are the most common installation.  For locals, air conditioning is used at bedtime when open windows and a whirling fan are unable to do anything to lessen the affects of the thickly humid stagnant air that makes you sweat so much that the bed linen becomes damp.

It's been my observation, that guests from North America and Europe use air conditioning equally.  I've also noticed that they had usage of the dishwasher and laundry appliances in the self-contained apartment.

I believe that people who live in very urban or rural areas tend to be the most energy aware, because they regularly experience outages or limited availability.  Plus, the rates usually are higher than the national average.  Those who live in states or municipalities that don't have a high energy tax or levy tend to be less concerned about their electricity usage, because their rates a pretty low.

I don't doubt what you said about your American family members heavy electricity usage, but I am willing to bet that my Northern California family members probably use the same amount as a European family who lives in a similar climate.  A lot depends upon where you live, how energy conservation has been taught, encouraged and enforced.