5 Sustainable ideas for hospitality companies

Improving hotel sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing the hotel industry in the coming years. There are four main areas that should guide this mission: environmental, economic impact, social responsibility, and cultural awareness. Indeed, a sustainable hotel has a smaller carbon footprint, is more cost-effective, and is more profitable. At the same time, guests tend to prefer companies that are socially responsible, which means the hotel will win in the end.

Generally speaking, improving a hotel's sustainability is based on three changes: reducing water consumption and waste as well as saving energy. Reuse programs and motion sensors were the first steps toward sustainability and have become industry standards. Unfortunately, these measures alone are not enough. Here are some suggestions to adapt and improve your hotel's sustainability:

1. Collect rainwater

If a hotel has exteriors, using rainwater is the best way to keep green spaces well maintained. By storing rainwater in tanks to be used later to water plants, water consumption is reduced. Plus, it decreases the environmental impact during the dry months.

2. Use local and seasonal products

Bananas from Costa Rica, meat from Uruguay, hake from South Africa... While it all sounds great and authentic, transportation across the Atlantic pollutes the Earth in extremely high numbers. A good way to reduce a hotel's carbon footprint is to work on menus that highlight local and seasonal products.

3. Avoid disposable products

From plastic cups and cutlery to the disposable products each guest leaves in their rooms ... Just think how much plastic is used per month? If possible, replace plastic with glass bottles or washable materials (e.g. bamboo) and reduce overall waste.

4. Don't throw away leftovers

Between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hotels are likely to end up with a lot of leftover food. Instead of throwing them in the trash, companies should consider investing in a composting machine. This will allow them to turn the leftovers and peelings into fertilizer. If one isn’t available within the hotel grounds, it’s smart to consider finding a partner, such as a city hall, that could use it for parks and help the local community.

5. It's time to change the key cards

Most hotels use key cards for each room. They are usually made of plastic because they cost less than PVC. In order to use less plastic, hotels are urged to find more environmentally friendly materials, such as wood or bioplastic, which comes from used plastic bottles and biomass itself. The hotel’s waste material could be turned into key cards! It’s the perfect way to reduce waste and reuse all materials.

If you're already in the wonderful hospitality industry and dreaming of an environmentally friendly world, all you have to do is apply this to your hotel or establishment. Simple, right?
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