How Sustainability Can Help Hotels Prepare for Change

As the hospitality industry looks to become more sustainable, hotels are increasingly turning to green initiatives to help them prepare for change.

Water Usage

One of the most fundamental ways a hotel can become more sustainable is by taking a close look at its water usage. At the end of the day you can't control how much water each individual guest uses, but you can use water more efficiently across the board. There are a number of ways to conserve water, such as installing low-flow shower heads and toilets, using greywater for irrigation, and collecting rainwater. A key focus is recycling the water you're already using so as to reduce overall impact. 

Look at what you're using and recycle as much as possible

Single-use plastic has been a big issue that many governments have outlawed altogether. Even though you may have removed single-use plastic, you can still do more. For example, did you know that you can use room keys that are made out of bamboo? A biodegradable option that is cheap and easy to produce. Furthermore, consider local environmental initiatives that can help you recycle what you use. Food is especially important in this and it will help you drastically reduce your waste. 

Become Paperless

Who needs to recycle paper when you don't have any on-premises? This is most easily achieved in your internal processes. By implementing systems that don't require paper, not only are you reducing your environmental impact, but you'll also find that your teams become a lot more efficient in their processes. Moving your processes can reduce double handling and also enable automation. You'll never lose a copy of BEO and have to reprint it because it's sitting in a central digital format. Have an integral member of staff sick? It doesn't matter because everyone can access the information they need while that member of staff is away. This means that in the future it won't matter where your staff are because they'll always be able to access what they need. 

In November 2020, Comwell Hotels unpaused its pre-pandemic strategy to restart a chain-wide implementation of cloud-based initiatives. Though aimed in part at maximizing group sales amid Denmark’s rapidly rejuvenated post-pandemic meetings business. Seeing the many benefits of a cloud-based platform, Comwell tapped iVvy for its new integrated Sales & Catering system. This saw an immediate reduction of paper consumption by 25% and they have now gone paperless. 

All Comwell sales activity now moves through one singular channel, whether the communication is conducted through its websites, CRS, phone or email, including the RFP process. The system also helps to empower each individual team member to act on bookings, rather than potentially miss opportunities while awaiting approval. This has helped them reduce the time taken to produce reports by 50% and team members are now more autonomous. 

Energy

Energy-efficient lighting is one way that hotels can save money and become more sustainable. This type of lighting uses less energy than traditional lighting, which can help to lower a hotel’s electricity bills. In addition, energy-efficient lighting often lasts longer than traditional lighting, which means that hotels will have to replace their light bulbs less often. Remove any fluorescent lighting you may still have and move to a more modern, energy-efficient bulb. Not only will your power bill thank you, but so too will the eyes of everyone in the building. 

Solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal systems are all ways that hotels can generate their own clean energy on-site, though we'd recommend starting off with solar panels. This not only helps to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint but can also provide a cost-saving measure as the hotel will be using less energy from the grid. You can also invest in electric vehicle transport for guests. Whereas in the past this was an incredibly expensive option, with the industry diversifying it has become much cheaper. Nothing says a futuristic hotel quite like a fleet of electric vehicles. 

With just these basic changes implemented in your venue, you will be considerably more prepared for change. Increase in power bills? You'll be covered with solar input. Paper shortages? Not a concern, because you don't need it. Take it as far as you want - with enough changes you can even become a leader in your industry, which could lead to a great deal of press coverage.