20.11.21

Checking into the future

“The hospitality industry is active across all ecosystems, from greening urban areas, rewilding gardens and cleaning up our rivers, it plays a very important role in society and communities, so it is equally about individual actions as it is civic duty as it is a business responsibility.” —Sustainable Hospitality Hackathon Report Volume 3 June 2021

A sustainable hotel is one that is designed respecting the environment and whose operation does not have a negative impact on the place where it is built or its surroundings.

According to the “Ecological and Sustainable Tourism: Profiles and Trends” report, 66% of tourists are willing to pay more for sustainable hotels and brands. The data confirm that the tourism industry is responsible for around 5% of global greenhouse emissions, of which 1% corresponds to the hospitality sector.

A study carried out by Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Hotel Technology Institute (ITH), 90% of the travelers surveyed would choose a sustainable hotel to stay, and 34% of them would be willing to pay more for this type of accommodation.

A decade ago, sustainability in the hospitality sector was a nice-to-have; now it is a business imperative as more and more people not only make sustainable travel choices…

“73% of global travelers intend to stay at least once in an eco-friendly or green accommodation in the year ahead.” —Sustainable Travel Report 2019.

… many are willing to pay more for them.

“53% of global travelers are willing to pay more for products that demonstrate environmental responsibility – 13% more than a year ago.” —Skift Research 2019.

Sustainability built-in: Hotels are building sustainability directly into their properties’ core infrastructure. In building new properties, there is a “three-zero-concept” approach: using local construction materials and skills (zero kilometers), prioritizing energy management and lower emissions (zero carbon dioxide), and introducing life-cycle management into the building process (zero waste).