Hourglasses in Hotel Showers: Could Self-Selected Real-Time Feedback Reduce Water Use?

Abstract

Water conservation is essential for sustainable tourism, but enticing tourists to take shorter showers is challenging. Electronic shower meters providing live water use feedback are effective but costly to implement and may raise autonomy and privacy concerns. This study proposes to overcome these challenges by using analog hourglasses with varying durations accompanied by targeted messages, and investigates the underlying theoretical mechanisms. A stated preference experiment (N = 1,000) shows that offering feasible shower durations (3, 5, or 7 min) combined with a sad anthropomorphized water message performs best in terms of both intended hourglass engagement and intention to stop showering once the hourglass ends. This intervention activates the targeted theoretical constructs (perceived anthropomorphism, empathy, self-efficacy), elicits only mild negative emotions, and increases inspiration. This low-cost solution offers hotels a practical strategy to promote sustainable water use while aligning with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals on water conservation.