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Look beyond the financial aspects
Floris Licht and Linde Borger of Hotels for Trees.

Look beyond the financial aspects

Sustainability in the hospitality sector

Around the world, hotels are increasingly implementing initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint and operate in a more environmentally friendly way. While these are certainly steps in the right direction, the focus often still seems to be one-sidedly on financial costs and benefits. Other important aspects are overlooked. It is time to look beyond the numbers and recognise that sustainability is not only about profit and loss, but equally affects staff, guests, image and the hospitality sector in general.

Novotel Schiphol 3
Bottle the water your guests pour yourself.

More sustainable business practices can be a powerful tool to attract and retain young talent. After all, the new generation of employees values sustainability and ethical business practices. Hotel businesses run in a green way not only attract people who share these values, but often retain them better. Motivated employees who are proud of their employer's sustainable initiatives contribute to a positive working environment and will themselves come up with innovative ideas to improve sustainability and ethical business practices.
efforts of the hotel to improve.

Engagement 

Sustainability is increasingly a decisive factor when guests, event planners and businesses choose a hotel. Environmentally conscious travellers look for hotels that are actively reducing their impact on the environment. Hotels that invest in green energy, waste reduction and water conservation, and also communicate these efforts, are attracting a growing segment of the market. Sustainable hotels often have higher occupancy rates and can justify premium rates, as many customers are willing to pay more for an eco-friendly stay. This not only results in higher revenues, but also in building a loyal customer base.

Image

A sustainable image is invaluable at a time when companies are being judged on their social responsibility. Hotels that actively pursue sustainability establish themselves as committed members of the community and can count on support from both governments and wider society. This can result in subsidies for green initiatives, among other things. It can help the hotel and even the entire hospitality sector build valuable business and political relationships. The hospitality sector needs to realise that sustainability is not just a cost, but an investment in the future. An investment that can strengthen the corporate culture, increase revenues and improve the image of a specific hotel or even the entire hotel industry. 

Hotels can take these steps to take a holistic approach to sustainability:

  • Promote internal engagement: Actively involve employees in sustainability initiatives. Encourage ideas and reward commitment. Make sustainability an integral part of the corporate culture.
  • Making guests aware: Communicate clearly about the hotel's sustainability efforts, both on the website and in the rooms. Inform guests on how they can contribute to sustainability during their stay.
  • Work with local partners: Work with local organisations and partners to achieve sustainability goals. This can increase community support and ensure a positive reputation.
  • Set measurable targets: Set clear targets for sustainability and measure progress regularly. Transparency in reporting results is essential to maintain the trust of both staff and guests.

Sustainability has potential to attract and motivate staff, engage customers and promote a positive image in society and with government. It is vital that hotels embrace these wider benefits and start seeing sustainability as an integral part of their business strategy. Only then will they not only be sustainably profitable, but also have a positive impact on the world. 

So get to work on reducing food waste, buy sustainably, bottle your own water or let guests plant trees through Hotels for Trees instead of cleaning their room again. There are plenty of options to start making an impact today!  

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