Your Guests Want Sustainable Solutions

 2020 finally be the year of sustainable business in hospitality? Your guests are hoping so.

If you pay attention to news in the hospitality industry, you’ve likely noticed there’s been quite a few studies and articles released lately focusing on sustainable travel and consumer perception. Here’s a quick summary of the more notable headlines:

• Sustainable Travel and the Impact on Tourist Perceptions
  While more companies pledge to help combat climate change, travelers are becoming more savvy on who and what is negatively affecting the planet. Full story at STR.
• How Has the Sustainability Movement Affected Hotels?
  “Going green” isn’t some corporate gimmick to cut down on housekeeping expenses — our planet is at stake. More insights from Ask Anthony Melchiorri.
• Is 2020 the Year of Sustainable Business in Hospitality?
  A recent study found that 90% of brands that were marketed as sustainable were growing faster than traditional competitors. Full story at Hospitality Net.

Will 2020 be the year? While we’ve been touting sustainable solutions for 15 years, we certainly love seeing consumers bring it to the forefront. If we can help improve guest satisfaction and reduce our environmental impact, all while saving a few bucks, we’re all for it. Here’s a few ways you can make a difference at your hotel:

1. Eliminate Single-Use Plastic: As we mentioned in our previous blog, single-use bans are making their way through the country, and it’s only a matter of time before it hits your state. Those who get ahead of the trend will start seeing many benefits, including improved guest satisfaction, cost savings, and, of course, helping the planet.

Dispensed amenities offer a simple solution to this growing issue. What’s more, some of the major players—and independent cohorts—have already started implementing this solution, some as far back as 2011. And we can attest, the designs are only getting better.

1. Use Recyclable Products: This might seem like a no-brainer, but some hotels still haven’t switched over to simple sustainable solutions such as eco-friendly paper towels, recyclable to-go food containers, paper straws, etc.
2. Implement Water-Refill Stations: This is another simple, yet savvy, solution to eliminating even more plastic in our environment. This solution is more likely to be seen on the West Coast, but much like the single-use plastic ban sweeping through the states, we’re willing to bet this also will catch on.For instance, in November 2019, Hyatt shared its plan to install more water stations in its hotels’ public spaces to provide a more sustainable solution for guests.

   “Plastic pollution is a global issue, and we hope our efforts will motivate guests, customers and, indeed, ourselves to think more critically about our use of plastic,” Hyatt President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said in the news release. We commend Mr. Hoplamazian for caring about our planet, and we certainly hope to see more initiatives like this from the major players.

No matter which sustainable solution you choose to pursue, investing in eco-friendly practices at your hotel is beneficial to the property’s bottom line and the community as a whole. We hope that we can get to a place where hoteliers don’t have to justify spending money on green practices, where making these choices is just second nature to everyone in our industry. We’re on a mission to help hoteliers get there.