I find it so frustrating when I am staying in a hotel and the only sign of sustainability is their note on reducing the amount of washing by reusing the towels.  Unfortunately, this kind of singular and obvious thinking with regards sustainability is not unique to the hotel industry.  Many companies are only doing that ‘one very obvious thing’.

The response on Treehugger by Pablo Paster to the question “What makes a hotel green?” last week had me thinking about this topic more. This is what I would like to see one day in a hotel:

1. a welcome note which explains what their carbon footprint is per m2 and per occupant and their target to significantly reduce it. This would include the things they have done so far to decrease the footprint with explanations for each initiative and the impact in overall carbon metrics. For example:

• Improved Insulation
• More efficient air conditioning solutions
• More efficient lighting solutions
• Water saving features
• Increased use of recycled content in ceilings, furniture, carpet, etc

The proposed Song Jiang Hotel, China

I think it would be very effective to have hotels name all of their initiatives on paper otherwise they would tend to do only the most visible things even if the impact is small. By writing it on paper it would also reassure cynical clients like me!  A real ‘Just the Facts’ approach that would eventually generate competition within the industry.

2. they should also do some visible but meaningful things as well such as:

• avoid having the TV on with the welcome screen when the customer enters the room.
• all electrics and lighting should automatically switch on/off with the room key
• improve the speed of the hot water kicking in so as to reduce the use of water
• install more water efficient showers and taps

What are your thoughts on this?

Carbon Footprint | hotels | Just the Facts

Powered by Bookmarkify™

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.