Easy Ways To Go Green With Your Hotel
Sustainability has been a recent buzzword in the hospitality industry and with good reason. Hotels aren’t exactly known for good environmental practices, but plenty of brands are making an effort to change that. For instance, a growing number of hotels are doing away with mini toiletry bottles in favor of refillable soap and washing containers to reduce plastic waste.
As society collectively grows more aware of environmental problems, making eco-conscious design and procurement decisions in your hotel can be a huge draw for guests while also doing your part to help mother earth. Here are a few ideas that are not difficult to implement if you’re looking to go green:
Materials Matter
One way to make your property more sustainable is with eco-friendly procurement. Choosing partially or wholly recyclable furnishings will help reduce the hospitality industry’s collective waste products. Carpet tile with backing made from recycled materials is becoming an increasingly popular flooring option, which also helps cut down costs in the event of a stain or damage as hoteliers can replace a single tile rather than uplifting the entire carpet.
Material selections can also cut down on electricity bills in certain situations. For example, window treatments with UV control will lessen heat from the sun and the need for air conditioning. The size of your FF&E also can have an impact on sustainability, such as placing minifridges rather than full-sized refrigerators in guest rooms to decrease energy usage.
Smart Automation
Guestrooms are often a huge energy suck, even when they aren’t in use. From lighting to televisions, busy travelers may not always remember to shut off in-room devices before exiting, leaving technologies and other amenities running unnecessarily. To solve this, you can program sensors and master switches to automatically shut down equipment after a certain time frame of guests leaving their room.
Encourage Good Behavior
It’s easy for guests to get caught up in the little luxuries hotel stays provide, such as daily turndown, without thinking about the larger environmental impact that extensive washing and drying can have. You can incentivize guests to forgo certain housekeeping services in exchange for extra rewards points with a note on how the decision can improve eco-friendly efforts. This win-win type of program helps the environment, housekeeping staff, and operational costs alike.
Public areas also provide opportunities for guests to make smart, sustainable choices. Disposable cups in hydration stations quickly increase a property’s plastic usage, but equipping your hotel with water fountains for guests to refill their own bottles can help eliminate significant waste. Certain hotel brands such as Marriott even offer complimentary glass bottles that they encourage guests to use throughout their stay to substitute for the use of plastic bottles.
While sustainable design and procurement choices can sometimes be higher in cost initially, you’ll actually save money in the long run on energy consumption and operations. Are you ready to take the plunge to become a greener property? Contact Innvision Hospitality today, and we’ll make sure your hotel meets the mark environmentally and for all your other hotel needs.
