In many cases the hotel industry is just beginning to develop plans in order to seek a sustainability-oriented operation. By: Glenn Withiam*
Sustainability is the term that encompasses the many programs and policies a hotel can have to conserve resources, limit waste production, and operate as efficiently as possible. The Cornell Center for Hotel Research recently invited executives from the hospitality and tourism industry to hold a roundtable talk to examine where the hotel industry stands at a sustainability level. Overall, participants concluded that there is much to be done, but it is not entirely clear what needs to be done.
We know that hotel guests expect properties to be as sustainable as possible, but we don't always know how guests define sustainability. To make matters worse, guests become suspicious of those hotels that try hard to promote their sustainability efforts.
Hotels that promote themselves a lot are supposed to be "greenwashing" or trying to look "greener" than they really are. Roundtable participants stated that one way to avoid "greenwashing" charges is to ensure that the program is being well advanced and that your hotel has made the necessary progress in its sustainability goals before announcing the program publicly.
Guests are becoming very sensitive to the idea of companies announcing a sustainability initiative and then not following it. Instead, "green" programs should operate in the opposite direction, with the results at hand before making the public announcement.
Participants in the roundtable identified many other impediments to sustainable operation, especially for hotel chains. Local rules and regulations are different at each location, making it difficult for a chain to develop practices across the chain. It is also possible that the authorities will sanction new regulations.
To prevent this from happening, the participants in the roundtable thought that the industry should work towards self-regulation and the creation of its own standards. In any case, the cost of sustainable practices must be taken into account. Every practice must make economic sense. In addition, hotel operators need to work with owners to ensure that their goals are also being achieved.
Roundtable participants suggested that when hotels ask guests to make certain sacrifices for sustainability, the hotel should show them that it is also making its own sacrifices. One way to do this (something proposed by Hervé Houdré of Intercontinental Hotels) is to calculate the cost savings resulting from conservation efforts and donate a percentage of those savings to charities. Marriott has established a plan with the Brazilian state of Amazonas in which guests who make reservations are invited to make a donation to the Juma rainforest fund. Local hotel operator Juma Lodge has a similar program to offer financial support to the remaining jungles around Lake Juman in Amazonas.
When engaging customers in sustainability efforts, each hotel should have its own method that is appropriate for its brand positioning. For example, roundtable participants stated that Comfort Inn communicates its "green" program through recycling baskets located in the lobby. On the other hand, Ritz-Carlton hotels keep their recycling and other sustainability efforts clear, even though employees are trained to help guests and green facilities are in place.
Those attending the roundtable concluded that there is no magic "green wand" for sustainability. Rather, each chain and each hotel must develop its own programs and procedures. One challenge for the industry is that, except for Costa Rica, there is no type of rating system that allows hotels to be certified as "green." Costa Rica established its Certification for Sustainable Tourism in 1997, long before sustainability became a commercial necessity. This allows Costa Rica-based tourism operations to showcase their "green credentials."
Customer trends are constantly changing in the hospitality industry and there really is a chance that sustainability will finally become yesterday's newspaper. However, that doesn't seem likely given the keen interest in ways to operate in a more economical and sustainable way.
Rather, participants in Cornell's Sustainability Roundtable see this as a long-standing concern. Therefore, all hotels need to make their efforts to work towards a "green" operation.
* Glenn Withiam is director of publications at the Cornell Center for Hotel Research.
