How Hotels Are Getting Smarter About Stopping Waste
When you plan your vacation getaways, you're probably scouring the web, checking out Yelp, Trip Advisor, and hotel websites to compare accommodations, activities, spa services, location, and prices. It's doubtful that you're looking into a hotel's environmental initiatives. Nevertheless, behind the scenes the travel industry is getting serious about going green.
True, most hotel companies are not going as far as Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently bought Blackadore, Caye — 104 acres of unpopulated, wild land off the coast of Belize with the intent to restore the island, regenerate "the entire ecosystem to bring it back to its original form," and create an eco-conscious resort. But they are taking significant steps that go far beyond the greener housekeeping we've all come to know: The little card from management left on the hotel bed or bathroom sink advising us what to do if we want our sheets and towels changed. Here, some examples of what's happening on the hotel green scene:
HYATT
Hyatt has set aggressive goals to increase energy efficiency, reduce water use and waste, and find sustainable alternatives. At the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa (shown above) the 4,000-square-foot hydroponic garden produces 120 pounds of lettuce each week — a great way to reduce water, pesticide use, and carbon dioxide emissions. Green waste is all composted, bulbs are LED, cooking oil is processed into bio-diesel fuel, and solar panels provide renewable solar power. Comfy guest robes are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and filtered water dispensers are located near all ice machines to encourage the refilling of water bottles.
STARWOOD
Westin, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Le Meridien, Sheraton, and Four Points are among the well-known brands that fall under Starwood's umbrella and are charged with achieving a 30% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per hotel room in 2020, plus reductions in water, energy and waste. In Oahu on Waikiki Beach, The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, installed a Smart Timer Irrigation System that is linked to a water station on top of the hotel. The water station records rainfall, wind, humidity, and sunlight in order to regulate the amount of water used to replenish the gardens. The Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa and the first hotel in Waikiki, features farm-to-table menus by serving local produce, sustainable seafood, fair trade and organic food and beverages — in addition to focusing on increasing energy and water efficiency, reducing waste, and using recycled, biodegradable and recyclable materials.
FAIRMONT
The aim of Fairmont's Green Partnership program is to make operational improvements in all their properties that result in energy and water conservation as well waste management, to educate guests about and promote environmental issues, and to develop community-outreach programs and ensure that local ecosystems are protected and preserved. At the famous Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada, they've worked with Audobon International on an initiative called Greening our Greens to set guidelines for an international system of wildlife and environmental conservation. Green cuisine efforts include listing organic and/or biodynamic wines on their hotel wine lists, serving free-range and hormone-free offerings whenever possible, and working toward Ocean Wise accreditation through the Vancouver Aquarium.
Going greener may initially be an expensive commitment but ultimately it can help a hotel's bottom line. At the Grand Hyatt in Kauai, for example, 500,000 gallons of water are saved each year as a result of asking guests whether to have linens refreshed daily and LED light replacements have reduced kilowatt hours by 70%.
It's not clear how guests feel about green advances made by hotels. In fact, a new J.D. Powers study reported on guest satisfaction across eight hotel segments but did not ask respondents how they felt about their reactions to environmental initiatives.
What's good to know, though, is that most hotels are making an effort to be transparent and you can almost always find information about a hotel's green programs on its website. You might want to check out some of the hotel properties you love. You may find that there are now even more (green) reasons to love them.
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