Showcasing Sustainability in Hospitality
Makayla Haertel | Originally Published October 13 2021
For sustainability-minded travelers, whose numbers are growing by the day, accommodations can be a frustrating part of their planning process. It is not as easy as typing into a search engine “sustainable hotels in *insert city here*” and finding the most environmentally-friendly option for that location. Greenwashing certainly is an issue. But so is the complete opposite — not enough information for hotels that are actually doing spectacular things for the environment and the communities they serve.
Some hotels have had sustainability as a part of their business model for years, because it’s just good business. In fact, there’s a massive case for implementing sustainable practices into business, particularly hotels, lodging, and hospitality. It saves money, attracts new visitors while holding onto loyal return customers, and helps in employee retention. It may also showcase environmental and social nuances of the local region that often bring visitors to the area, such as protected wildlife or cultural heritage.
A survey conducted by Operto revealed that 85.6% of travelers would pay more for an eco-friendly choice of hotels. In fact, respondents to this study indicated that they are willing to pay significantly more per night —up to 75% more in some cases— to a hotel that can demonstrate genuinely green policies.
Photo provided by Inkaterra
What is a sustainable hotel?
Well, isn’t this the million dollar question?
Sustainability is a nebulous term in general, and when it comes to hospitality, so much depends on the region, local culture, and environment. And if we remember our 3 prongs of sustainability, hotels should strive for positive impacts on economic, environmental, and social elements.
Hotels might consider the following as opportunities to implement sustainable practices:
Consider local, sustainable materials for building and furnishing, wherever possible
Support the local community through tours, gift shop goods, and any external interactions they promote for their guests
Source as much food locally and present culturally significant foods
Pay fair wages
Employ locals, especially in managerial positions
Involve the guest in sustainable practices through educational opportunities (signage throughout the property, introduction to their sustainability goals at check in, guest surveys, guest speakers, and more)
Ensure accuracy of historical or cultural representations and avoid commercialized versions for profit
Select dependable, trustworthy locally-owned tour operators to recommend to guests
Promote accessibility and inclusiveness
Although there are innumerable ways, creative, unique or commonplace, to demonstrate sustainability, there are some standard practices that are recognizable to the masses as sustainable efforts.
Minimum sustainability practices for hotels
Recognizable practices may be the ones that hotels pursue because most people can understand the impacts. The following are some top practices that are likely to resonate with guests:
Using renewable energy in some capacity, with goals of being completely powered by renewable source(s) in the near future
Switching to LED lighting and fixtures in their hotel and in operations, and utilizing motion sensors to reduce unnecessary energy use
Reducing water consumption, for instance, by offering guests the opportunity to forego daily towel washings and sheet changes, and utilizing low flow water fixtures
Reducing or eliminating single use plastics, including straws and plastic cups at bars or restaurants
Utilizing low-energy appliances, such as dishwashers, washers, dryers, and HVAC systems
The aforementioned practices are not only significant in the pursuit of sustainability, but they are helpful in the pursuit of making sustainability visible, as the public is mostly educated at this point on how these efforts impact the greater good.
For more ideas, consider utilizing a variety of resources to determine various ways you might improve your lodging’s sustainability.
USGBC is a reliable source for sustainable building criteria. GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) has a great checklist for hotels to evaluate performance and advise on improvement.
Check out Florida Green Lodging for an example of a regionally specific tool for hotel sustainability.
Hotel sustainability best practices
The scale of sustainability practices and goals range from boutique hotels that are more visitor-focused but may be financially restricted, to large global brands that have the money but may be less focused on the unique visitor experience. Some hotel companies really go above and beyond baseline sustainability efforts, such as Six Senses, that have incorporated sustainability into every facet of their business model. Or Heckfield Place who take every aspect of sustainable living and double it over into doing good instead of just not doing harm.
Photo by GLP Films
Challenges travelers face in finding sustainable lodging
Most travelers put a lot of research and time into booking their travel plans. Finding sustainable hotels has proven to be quite the task, and what you find on a Google search may not be what it seems.
A lack of information
An expert in hospitality, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen says in a panel for Hospitality Net that “There is a major gap between the desire to do better on holiday, and the conscious search for accommodation that adheres to and promotes responsible tourism practices. This is due to low consumer literacy around the topic, but also because the main factors in choosing a holiday revolve around the location, type of accommodation, and price. The intent to stay in a hotel that does good in the world may well exist, but it is not yet an intrinsic part of the initial search criteria.”
Simply put, many people want to do the right thing, but when the information is difficult to find or understand, travelers may not continue to put the effort in.
Often, hotel websites only give a very vague blurb on their sustainability initiatives. Some hotels have an entire “Sustainability” tab in their menu, and yet only give a short paragraph and a vague description of what they’re doing. If you’re doing great things, tell the reader exactly what that is! And follow that up with proof you’re doing it, such as a reputable certification, partnership, news article, and/or specific metrics. Otherwise, you can’t expect to be trusted.
Traveler search habits
In researching this article, I found many hotels listed on Green Globe’s website (a global sustainability credentialing body), but nothing about their prestigious certification was on the hotel’s website where the everyday traveler would most likely be looking for it.
So, in order to find this information, a traveler would have to know about Green Globe, or other search platforms built specifically for sustainable hotels. And everyday travelers don’t search for hotels this way.
Sustainability criteria missing on major booking sites
In fact, most travelers use major booking sites to search for hotels in areas they haven’t traveled to before. Travelers tend to search for hotels by either booking from a hotel they know directly, or using a hotel search engine, like hotels.com or Travelocity.
However, some these platforms have not yet integrated ‘sustainability’ into the search criteria. So travelers looking to narrow down their hotels in this manner can’t do it effectively using popular booking platforms.
One of these reasons these platforms likely aren’t adding sustainability is because it is hard to prove, without an internationally agreed upon accreditation body.
With this being said, Booking.com has created a resourceful Travel Sustainable Handbook, written in collaboration with sustainability experts like the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, to showcase the latest sustainability data and science, as well as practical steps that properties can take to make positive changes for their businesses, local environments, and the industry as a whole.
Industry lacks recognizable certification
As mentioned, a lack of a single industry standard certification makes it hard for travelers and industry platforms to identify true sustainability.
There are several accreditations, but most are recognizable only to those embedded in the sustainability field, hotel industry, or avid sustainable consumers. The jargon, industry standards, and certification credibility is not yet commonplace or highly recognizable for everyday travelers.
So, what can hotels do?
Photo by GLP Films
There are many challenges facing the industry, both for making sustainability achievable and visible.
As a hotel, marketing yourself in such a way that highlights your sustainable achievements and goals can help you attract more travelers. Booking.com reported that 53% of travelers are starting to look for more sustainable ways to reduce their environmental and social footprint. A hotel that doesn’t put sustainability at the forefront of their agenda but then showcases it in their marketing strategy won’t win customers… as travelers are getting savvier and recognizing greenwashing tactics.
One major way to both improve your sustainability commitment and get recognized for them is visibility. Make your goals and achievements known, both internally to your team and guests, as well as externally to your digital visitors on websites, social media, and booking sites.
If you are already certified:
If you have an environmental certification such as LEED, Green Globe, Earth Check, Green Key, or are a member of reputable partner organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council or Sustainable Hospitality Alliance- then make sure customers know!
Put those certification labels on your Home or About page, linked to the certification or partnering body’s website, pamphlets, flyers, booking sites, images, and anywhere you can, so visitors can easily recognize this achievement. And make sure your staff knows about it too. Educate them so if on-site guests ask, they can tell them a little something about the certification. Be proud!
If you are practicing sustainability:
Add a sustainability-focused mission statement on your website in an easy-to-find tab that is backed by quantifiable claims, data, and proof. Also tell your site visitors exactly what you are doing for the environment and for your community. Adding pictures and avoiding jargon can help those who aren’t excelled in sustainability terms to understand what you’re saying.
Involve guests in sustainability by offering guests speakers, providing them information on your efforts, and always make the information available digitally, wherever your hotel is listed.
If your hotel wants to do better:
If your hotel isn’t yet at the sustainable level you want it to be, then put your goals for visitors and employees to see! Sustainable development is a continuous journey as new technology and strategies become available, and every company is at a different step in that journey. But if you don’t highlight your values and goals, travelers won’t know that you even have them.
And it’s really important to involve your employees in the journey. Get their ideas on how to be more sustainable!
Check out different certifications and tackle the low hanging fruit, for quick wins and motivation.
Photo by GLP Films
Sustainability done right
Need some real-life examples of sustainable marketing done well? Check out the companies below to see how they’re showcasing their sustainability initiatives on their website to make choosing them an easy decision for environment-minded travelers.
Global scale: Hilton
Main Attraction: Clearly stated, ambitious and dated goals
Hilton has especially gone above and beyond as one of the largest hospitality chains in the world. Their Travel with Purpose campaign highlights some of their most prized achievements and encourages customers to choose conscious traveling. They showcase their ambitious goals with dated targets, achievements with statistics and reporting, and give clear communication exactly what it is they are doing.
2. Regional scale: Six Senses (Southeast Asia)
Main Attraction: Showcased collaborative efforts with conservation projects like Blue Marine Foundation and International Union for the Conservation of Nature
With an easy to find “Sustainability” tab on their main menu, Six Senses goes in depth on their environmental and social initiatives. Stating their aim for LEED Silver certification for all new hotels, explaining their achievements in energy efficiency, and clearly stating their conservation efforts and partnering organizations, Six Senses hits the nail on the head for sustainable website marketing. Beautiful pictures and videos announce its luxury side that would be hard to say no to for any traveler.
3. Local and Boutique: Lapa Rios Ecolodge (Costa Rica)
Main Attraction: Actual pictures of their efforts bring their initiatives to life, such as a front and center view of the Carbonera School that they set about building.
They seem almost too good to be true. Clear communication with real life pictures on their achievements and efforts in biodiversity conservation, community and education, staff support measures, everyday sustainability, and their sustainability awards and memberships, it’s not hard to be inspired to book your stay immediately. Positive reviews aplenty, their sustainability page is chalk-full of good reasons you should definitely choose them for your Costa Rica vacation.
Having clear and thorough information on your website can be extremely beneficial in attracting new travelers that want to make better choices for the environment and global cultures. Sustainability isn’t just a nice thing for hotels to do anymore, it’s becoming expected by travelers. Even if sustainability is new to your hotel, it’s never too late to start now.
Photo by GLP Films