‘Green hotels’ are on the rise globally, and your hotel can benefit from joining the trend.
According to the 2017 Green Lodging Trends Report, more and more travelers are preferring to stay in an eco-friendly hotel. Given this, up to 68 percent of hotel owners have assembled a “green team,” designated towards implementing green initiatives for their hotels.
If you aim to impress these sustainability-savvy travelers, we recommend these three eco-friendly practices:
Garden attraction
Gardens are always a welcome sight for your guests. It’s a place is where your guests can relax and take time to appreciate nature.
But not only does a beautiful garden add to the allure of your hotel, but you can also use it as a means to source your food locally.
The Paris-based AccorHotels has committed to growing vegetables at 1,000 of its hotels. This initiative is part of the company’s ‘Planet 21’ sustainable development program, which kicked off in 2012.
Under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments, AccorHotels aims to cut food waste to zero by sourcing food locally. Also by having gardens in their hotels, the company plans to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings by making them carbon-neutral.
Surely, a garden attraction will not only make your hotel more attractive, but you can also take advantage of this to grow your own food. ; Start planning your hotel garden with the help of a commercial landscaping company or a digger hire.
Strong recycling program
Guests, especially those coming from big cities, will be used to sorting their waste.
Offering recycling to common materials like paper, aluminum cans, and plastic containers is another way of not only impressing them but making themselves feel good.
Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel has already reduced landfill waste by 67 percent, thanks to its recycling programs. The hotel partners with commercial recycling facilities that recycle glass, aluminum, plastic, newspaper, and cardboard waste. Used soaps, meanwhile, are either sent to shelters or companies making laundry and carwash products.
Promote recycling by placing bins for recyclable items in guest rooms, as well as in other high-traffic areas like the lobby and lounge.
Towel/linen reuse initiative
Guests might not realize how many resources it takes to keep their towels and linens clean every day of their stay. According to The Smithsonian, laundry accounts for 16 percent of hotels’ water usage.
By politely asking your guests to use their towels and robes more than once, your hotel can save on water. You’ll not only save on water but also on the electricity used in washing machines and dryers.
You can place a small card in each guest bathroom, asking them to re-use their towels and robes. You can also place more signs in the fitness center, the pool, and the sauna to encourage guests to take only the number of towels they need.
By implementing a few green practices, your hotel can impress more guests. Not only will you attract more guests, but you can also play a big part in saving the environment.