Business travel is reckoned to account for over 20% of those corporates’ total supply chain emissions.[1] So, it’s hardly surprising that sustainability is now one of the biggest factor in where we stay when travelling on business, but it’s not just business travellers and travel managers that are giving this top priority.
The big corporates now insist on the provision of sustainability-related information for a hotel to be given preferred supplier status. 65% of travel buyers prioritise hotels with sustainability accreditation in their programmes. The same applies to meetings, where sustainability is the top sourcing priority for just under a third of meetings managers.[2]
Meanwhile, hotels and venues have responded enthusiastically, recognising the opportunity to seize a bigger slice of the rapidly returning corporate market, reap the financial rewards of lower energy consumption, water usage and responsible waste disposal, and drive profitability.
That’s why so many properties are building their sustainability objectives into new construction and renovations by using environmentally friendly building materials, adopting high-efficiency building-automation systems, water-treatment solutions and even onsite renewable-energy generation.
Results
So, what does ‘good’ look like when it comes to UK hotels putting principles into practice? Amongst the chains Marriott says it has already reduced water usage by 15%, food waste by 50%, carbon by 30% and that 30% of their energy needs now comes from renewables. Hilton predict that by 2030 it will have cut carbon reduction by 61%, waste and water usage by 50%
Choice and Wyndham Hotels are two chains that have set up their own green certification.
Choice Hotels’ Room to be Green programme is a three-tier initiative that, at the basic level requires its hotels to swap to 100% LED or CFL lighting, offer a towel reuse programme to reduce water use, provide recycling for all guests, and replace all Styrofoam with sustainable alternatives.
Wyndham Green Certification is a self-measuring system designed to align with other green travel standards like Green Key and Trip Advisor Green Leaders which themselves mirror other certifications such as the LEED programme.
Enigmatic
Other great examples of how hotels are putting sustainability at the heart of their customer offerings have caught our eye too. Here are just a couple of examples.
Turing Locke is an avant-garde style aparthotel comprising 180 apartments in the sustainable district of Eddington, just outside Cambridge.
It claims to be the most sustainable hotel in the south of the country, having applied eco principles through building and design (the property won the Best Architecture Award at the 2022 Serviced Apartment Awards); energy, waste, sourcing, and the local community.
The hotel’s sustainability initiatives include beehives on the roof that produce Locke honey; electric buses into town from the bus stop outside; a partnership with Cambridge University to explore how to build and manage sustainable communities. Fresh, seasonal ingredients are also on the menu thanks to a herb and vegetable garden being planted for the use of the in-house restaurant and guests.
Eastender
Fifty miles south of the dreaming Cambridge spires lies The Corner London City. This dog-friendly hotel based in London’s East End claims to be the greenest in London, having achieved Silver in the Green Tourism Certification Programme.
Its green credentials include achieving an average 41% less water consumption than other UK hotels, and 67% less CO2 emissions than the industry average.
Guest rooms include unique, all-in-one pods comprising bed and bathroom, equipped with recycling bin to separate plastic, paper and general waste; organic toiletries in reusable containers and shower heads that mix air with water to cut water usage by 25% per minute without affecting the water pressure.
Variety
There are many other unique eco-friendly hotels across the UK. Like The Pig at Combe, Devon which uses recycled glass, paper, and plastic while recycling coffee capsules and menus to make coasters, and plastic soap bottles.
Then there’s The Treehouse in London’s Langham Place. The guestrooms combine decorations made using pre-loved materials with modern amenities such as bedside USB points, digital newspaper, Nespresso coffee makers, rain showers, and organic bedding.
Or what about The Green House, a 32-bedroom Victorian hotel in Dorset? The hotel has implemented over 100 changes to protect the environment without denying its guests a spot of luxury. Solar energy, eco beds, wallpapers made with vegetable inks and recycling everything from oil upwards to prove there’s no limit to hoteliers’ commitment to sustainability.
Venues
It’s not just hotels that are keen to show off their eco credentials. Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) are long standing champions of sustainability and are continuing their support of ethical meetings through their Meetings for Change initiative, which is leading on carbon labelling. LVP uses carbon labelling to show transparent information around the food it serves. The new initiative is being rolled out within many of the portfolio’s venues and will show the carbon footprint of every dish on every menu, putting power into the hands of organisers and delegates to make sustainable choices while at events.
Sustainability is also part of the ethos at The Kia Oval. The iconic cricket ground won the ‘Sustainability in Sport’ award at the Sports Business Awards in 2021 and was only the third venue in Britain to be accredited Platinum EcoSmart, an industry standard accreditation, awarded to hotels and meeting venues that can demonstrate an eco-friendly service approach.
Zero waste is another initiative that features highly, with ExCeL London sending nothing to landfill since 2012, helped in part by an on-site wormery that segregates food waste produced from its kitchens and across the venue.
Priority
Sustainability in hotels has many drivers. Under the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, hotels must reduce their carbon footprint by 66%. As we have already seen, accommodation programmes are reflecting traveller demand; 83% of global travellers say sustainable travel is vital.
And with governments offering economic incentives for the construction of properties that incorporate green technology, hotels have the opportunity for tax write-offs, financial grants and premium discounts for insurance. So there’s no longer any barrier to ‘doing the right thing’.
With chains, independent hotels, serviced apartments and other accommodation concepts all adopting sustainability, the key to competitive advantage is no longer paying lip service – or ‘greenwash’ but to living, breathing and embracing environmentalism in all its forms.