The English Language in Hotels

July 3, 2007

Under the guise of welcoming guests to take popular "guest room amenities", the guest is in fact being warned that if he steals anything his credit card will be charged.. and at an exorbitant rate. In today's business-speak it would be too jarring to outright warn a customer against stealing the towels and pillows. (Strictly speaking, I doubt that this is legal.. as I have always understood that the customer must authorize each charge.. and posting some plastic sign in the bathroom hardly gives authorization.)

This is an example of a line that is taken nowadays by just about every hotel. In order to save water and use less detergent the customer is asked to signal which towels should be replaced and which left as they are. It is a decision that does not quite add up to Saving the Planet. The benefits of these actions to the hotel are obvious (less money on water and detergent, less labor). In these conditions the appeal to environmental concerns make those very concerns seem ridiculous.. or so it seems to me.

I find business-speak getting more and more annoying..