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HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

MAY FOCUS: Eco-Friendly Practices

 

Sustainable Hospitality: Aligning Businesses to Society's Values

By Raquel Noboa Founder & CEO, Fifty Shades Greener | May 2022

Customer demand for Climate Action and for all industries to play their part is at an all-time high.

Right now, tourism & travel account for 10% of all global carbon emissions but at the rate tourism and remote work travel is growing as an industry each year, I can't help but wonder; will tourism become the most polluting industry worldwide within a few decades?

Travel, at present, has mostly positive associations; time off to rest, engage in hobbies, let off steam, take time with the ones you love, but what will happen if it becomes a "dirty" activity, a polluting industry that people choose to disengage with? If this becomes the case, how do you imagine it will affect the future of our businesses?

Society is changing, according to the Travel Agent central statistics, over 70% of travellers say they want to travel more sustainably. We need to align the industry to our customer's values so we can create a type of industry that continues to evolve and thrive for years to come.

So, what are you doing, at your hotel or restaurant, to commit to running a greener operation?


Being Green Can Save You Money

It is frustrating that the perception of the majority of hospitality owners and managers is that running a greener business and making sustainable changes are going to cost them a fortune. This could not be further from the truth.

Environmental sustainability means reducing our impact on the environment and there are 3 things every person and business in the world can better manage. That is the energy and water we use, and the waste we produce along the way.

I have worked with hotels to lower their Carbon Footprint by reducing their use of energy, waste, and water for the past 5 years. When you reduce your business utilities, you are not only minimizing your carbon footprint and your impact on the planet, you are also going to save money. It all comes down to becoming resource efficient and only using what you need to run your operations.

Running a Green business is not just the "trendy" or "kind" thing to do, it is the "smart" thing to do. But when was the last time you took time out of your day to measure your utilities output?

Stay Away from Green Washing

Having an Environmental policy on your website is great, but what is a policy without a plan of action? It is just words. It doesn't fix anything and it certainly does not reduce your business' Carbon Footprint.

Action is required in order to achieve change, having a Green Team and developing a culture of sustainability amongst entire organisations is the only way to improve, and environmental data, is the single most important piece of information businesses can have.

Environmental data provides transparency and honesty, it demonstrates a business is really serious about their impact on the planet. So, what is the first step towards becoming a green business? MEASUREMENT.

When you measure something, you can manage it, and when you manage something, you can reduce it. 


Measure & Monitor

The very first thing you need to integrate into your monthly routine is measuring and monitoring your business' use of energy, water, and waste. This is quite easy, the information needed is given to you in your monthly utility bills. They are going to become your best assets to monitor your green journey.

The figure you need to find and use as a comparison baseline is:

  • Your energy consumption per customer per day
  • Your waste production per customer per day
  • Your water use per customer per day

Those are your Green Key Performance indicators and the figures you will use to monitor and compare your use of resources on a monthly basis.


Learn from Your Building

Once you have established your green key performance indicators, it is time to start learning from your building; where and when are you using energy, where and what type of waste are you generating and what is your business's water flow rate.

Your building has all the clues you need to identify opportunities for improvement. All you need to do is dedicate some time, every week, to learn from it. You might also want to assign other members of your team to take responsibility for these tasks. You can assign someone the duty of observing your bins for a couple of weeks, and really learning what waste your business is producing. Or you might want to assign an energy manager, that will identify your business equipment consumption and lighting needs.

Whichever way you do it, just make sure you block off a couple of hours every week, to learn from your business' utilities.

Building a Culture of Sustainability

Staff awareness & training could be the single most important step to success.

I am sure if a member of your team was lacking in customer service skills, you would insist on their learning and being trained in order to improve. The same applies to sustainability, if a member of your team is constantly turning on equipment that is not necessary at that exact moment you need to train them on how to conserve energy.

It is part and parcel of their job and yours.

It is essential that you identify the need for training, and they need to learn how to improve their approach to their work. If you have not taken the time yourself, to observe and learn from your building and your team's behaviour and habits, you are never going to be aware whether your team requires sustainability training.

As professionals in our industry, it is hard to admit that there might be a better way to do things, but we have to be open to change. We have to be willing to admit the errors of our ways, and learn new skills that will allow us to run more efficient businesses.

The secret is that it all starts with behavioural change, with a willingness to learn something new and apply it to your daily routine.

When you implement an environmental management system at your property, you will need to embed new systems and processes to your team's daily routines, that will ensure you are only using the utilities that are necessary in order to run your business, without wasting them.


The Green Manager

Industries and roles within these industries are an ever-changing landscape. Who would have thought that Hotels and Restaurants, would need Green Managers in 2022?

I became a Green Manager myself in 2012, when that title barely existed, and it was one of the most rewarding positions of my career to date. Fast-forward 10 years, and appointing the right Green Manager is one of the most important decisions you will make that will affect your business over the next 5 years.

The only thing that is required right now for any professional in the industry to become a Green Manager is TIME.

Time to upskill.

Time to learn about sustainability.

Time to create a greener business.

The perfect Green Manager does not need to be a standalone job, it can be combined with another role, and it could be someone that is already working in your organization.

Some key characteristics for this person should be:

  • Someone that likes a new challenge
  • Someone that enjoys learning and up-skilling
  • Someone that enjoys working with numbers, analysing figures and reporting
  • Someone that is liked and respected across all departments of your hotel

Once you have appointed the right person, you will need to support them in different ways:

  • Allow them to spend one day a week on their new role
  • Allow them to join a training programme that will help them kick start your business' green journey quickly and efficiently
  • Allow them to make decisions across all departments and organise in house training for all employees

While some business owners still fail to see the benefits of sustainability one thing is for sure, if your business is left behind, your competitors will flourish faster than you, they will have access to the new market of green travellers, and your pocket will suffer the consequences.

The Green wave is here to stay, society is asking for change, and it is a clever business decision to align your business to your customer growing values.

So, if you were to appoint your new Green Manager today, who would it be?

Is there someone in your organisation with the right characteristics?

Could you spare them for one day a week from their current role to invest time on a Green Programme?

As my grandmother used to say: Do not leave for tomorrow something you can do today.

The Benefits of Running a Greener Business

The benefits of running a green business are many, the way I see it the number 1 reason is that "it is the right thing to do", it is an ethical decision for us to do the best we can to ensure the next generations have the same opportunities to live on this planet. Of course, from a business point of view, it aligns the business to your customer values, which is key to improve your reputation and customer loyalty. You are also going to save money by reducing your use of utilities and you will enjoy the benefits of green marketing.

One more benefit we have seen emerging post-pandemic is that a well implemented green programme can assist with staff retention. Millennials will favour working for an organisation with a sustainability ethos and strategy, and retaining talent in the Hospitality sector has never been more important than now.

Sustainability in business does not have to be a huge mountain to climb - a point in the future that you can never reach. Sustainability needs to make sense to your business, it needs to be a new standard of procedure implemented with your team, that will allow you to take control and reduce your business' carbon footprint and utilities.

Hotel Doolin, Ireland

Change is possible, we see examples of really successful businesses embedding sustainability at the core of their strategies. A hotel that has put these ideas into practice is Hotel Doolin, the first hotel to be certified as carbon neutral in Ireland in 2019.

Some of their initiatives include the transformation of their oil-based heating system to an ambient air to water system and the replacement of an events marquee with a passive Eco-Barn for weddings and events. The hotel staff also plant ten native trees locally in partnership with Hometree, a local charity, for every wedding held at the hotel. All single use plastics are completely banned in the hotel and rainwater is harvested. In addition, 70% of food supplied to the hotel is sourced within 50km and they have decreased food waste by 28% per customer.

"We're delighted to be the first Hotel in Ireland to be certified as Carbon Neutral. We've always recognised our Community and Environment as key stakeholders in our business here and every decision we make takes this into account. We're only a small hotel in the west of Ireland but we do feel a responsibility to lead the way in providing sustainable hospitality. Hopefully, bigger companies will see what can be done with a bit of creativity and teamwork and can be inspired to follow suit."

"Not only has our investment ensured that we can follow through on our ethical beliefs, but we have also seen our business grow by 30% since we began sharing our story of commitment to sustainable practices. Our customers, be they overnight guests, restaurant patrons or wedding couples, are increasingly taking sustainability into account when making their decisions. Our guests choose Hotel Doolin to enjoy the natural beauty, culture, and food that is in abundance in our area, so it is our responsibility and duty to respect it and safeguard it." Donal Minihane, General Manager.

The Falls Hotel, Ireland

The Falls Hotel located in the west of Ireland, is another example of a business that has implemented these practices. They are now carbon neutral; they produce their own renewable electricity through a hydroelectric turbine on the river alongside them. They have a tree planting programme, beehives and wildflower gardens on their property and have significantly reduced their use of single use plastics.

They are dedicated to becoming "greener", and have encouraged all their staff, contractors and suppliers to become involved also.

'Being based in an area of such natural beauty as the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, we were conscious of trying to reduce our environmental impact on the area around them. It was a natural move to look to the river alongside us to provide us with a source of energy.  Our hydro turbine plant now provides us with up to 80% of the electricity needed to run our hotel of 140 bedrooms, leisure centre and spa. This consequently reduced our carbon emissions by 70%. We love knowing we have a clean, renewable energy sourced from outside our door, powering the hotel!' Michael McCarthy, Owner & General Manager.

The mindset required to build a sustainable society and a sustainable tourism and hospitality industry is possible, all we need, is a willingness to do better, a willingness to upskill and learn how to work in a different way.

Personal responsibility for climate action matters, but making that mindset change, is up to each of us.

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If you choose to purchase a subscription, member subscription payments can be made in U.S. Dollars, as well as a variety of international currencies. Membership terms are Annual Recurring, and Monthly Recurring. The Annual Recurring subscription is an annual commitment and subscribers will be charged each consecutive billing cycle. Annual Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first billing cycle and within 30-days of the billing date for a full refund. Monthly Recurring subscriptions are ongoing and subscribers will be charged each consecutive monthly billing cycle. Monthly Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first month and within 7 days of the monthly billing cycle for a full refund.

12. PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Payment for the services provided to you in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive may be made by automatic credit card, debit card, direct debit, bankwire or Paypal and other approved payment means offered in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive, and you hereby authorize HotelExecutive and its agents to transact such payments on your behalf.

You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

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