Three short stories about how small changes can make a significant impact \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Where\u2019s the soap?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We often stay at a Malmaison when we\u2019re away on fieldwork. The last time I stayed in the Leeds hotel I noticed they\u2019d removed the bar of soap and bottles of shower gel from the bathroom and replaced them with larger soap dispensers bolted to the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably it\u2019s a way for them to reduce plastic and the fact it\u2019ll save them a bit of money along the way won\u2019t hurt. But it\u2019s a shame \u2013 because you could take the old bottles home with you, and the products within were quite nice, it acted as a touch of generosity on the part of a brand aspiring to be fairly luxurious and above-average, something to remember them by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wonder if they\u2019ll regret it and change back: nothing says a budget, make-do hotel than finding the shower gel is screwed to the wall. Perhaps it would be better if they revealed the rationale for the changes \u2013 it might seem less of a wrench if they told us why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Ta dah!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not sure why, but the spirit and warmth of the London Olympics feel a lot longer ago than seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was reading about Danny Boyle the other day and how he organised the opening ceremony. A couple of nights before the event, the organisers held a full dress rehearsal, to which a capacity crowd of Londoners was invited to provide a live atmosphere. At the end of the run-through, Boyle stepped into the centre of the stadium to thank the audience for coming. From their response it was clear the show would be a big hit, not least because so much of it \u2013 James Bond and the Queen, for instance \u2013 involved unexpected events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How could he encourage people to keep things under their hats for a couple days? Reckoning that nobody\u2019s very good at keeping secrets, he took a different tack and urged everyone to \u2018save the surprise\u2019. It was a clever insight into human nature, because nobody likes to be a party pooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n