Tips for a clean green future
You’ve built your business to last.
And since over 75% of hotels are independently-owned, you may be have a personal motivation for that.
Passing on family businesses is something of a tradition in the hospitality sector.
But of course, there needs to be a future for that to happen.
As such, a focus on the environment is important for any hotel.
What’s more, green credentials are increasingly important to consumers.
Some are willing to pay up to 75% more for hotels with sustainability certifications.
So what can you do to improve your hotel’s ecological footprint? Read this article to find out.
Secure your team’s support
We’re preached this countless times on this blog, but as with any change to your business, the first step in the process is to make sure you have your team behind you.
Changes are much easier to implement when everyone is pulling in the same direction, and they’re more likely to do that if they understand not just what is changing, but why.
Brief your team on the positive impact that more green initiatives can have in your business and open the floor for discussion.
You may not only receive suggestions for improvements that can be made, but you might even find yourself with volunteers to be green ‘champions’ within your hotel.
This is a great way to give ambitious employees additional positions of responsibility, allowing them to prove themselves and develop new skills. Such opportunities are one the ways we suggest you retain and maximise the impact of your best employees.
Make smart swaps
Once your team are on board, a simple first step is to look for possibilities to make straightforward swaps within your hotel. An obvious example is single use plastic, which has rightly become much maligned of late.
Find out where it is being used and explore alternatives that can offer comparable costs and performance in the same situations. With some plastic coverings, it may be as simple as realising that the items don’t need to be wrapped at all.
Paperwork is another area where hotels can see quick and significant improvements. Reducing paper forms, receipts, and information cards in favour of digital alternatives can cut down on paper usage.
Continuing the trend of adopting more modern technology, lighting is an area where hotels can save money and the planet at the same time. Energy efficient light bulbs can slash your electricity bills and are definitely a bright idea!
How about adding water refill stations as well? Giving your guests somewhere to fill out reusable bottles can make their lives easier as well as reducing reliance on bottled water. You could even introduce branded bottles as an additional revenue stream.
Be aware that you might not be able to make every swap you identify, since some may not make sense for a number of reasons. Proper analysis of each potential substitution will allow you to work out and prioritise which ones to carry out and which to save for a later date.
Hopefully by then, the range of green products will have improved and made the swap feasible!
Add veggie options to your menu
In a similar vein, the food you serve in your restaurants and bars is worth examination. Meat-heavy dishes tend to have a higher carbon footprint than plant-based alternatives.
Giving your diners additional choices that are more environmentally friendly will naturally reduce your overall emissions over time, as well as catering to wider tastes and preferences.
Reuse linen
This is now common practice in many hotels, so if you have implemented a similar system, you’re behind the curve on this one. Give guests the option to keep the same sheets and towels for longer while preserving their right to ask for changes when they need them.
You may be surprised by how many guests are happy with far fewer linen changes than you are used to providing on a regular basis.
Encourage recycling
Our final suggestion is another change that can be made within individual rooms, and again gives guests the power to make changes themselves. Providing segregated bins to sort out recycling and waste can make it easier for you to dispose of and allow your customers to feel good about the part you and they are playing in the future of the environment.
It may seem like a small touch, but it will quickly add up, and alongside the other tips in this article, can quickly make your hotel a far more sustainable destination.