Why going green as a hotel starts with the right partners

Tuesday, May 8, 2018   Hospitality

Australians have long been interested in going green at home – from recycling their waste to purchasing organic food products. 

In recent years, however, they've also been taking their eco-friendly attitude on holiday. Over the 2016-17 financial year, Ecotourism Australia's certified business partners had a combined revenue of $1.1 billion. 

It's clear that making your hotel or resort more sustainable isn't just in the best interest of Mother Earth anymore, it could also boost trade. But how do you get started? 

How can I make a real, sustainable change in my hotel?

The answer, unfortunately, isn't in encouraging guests to reuse their towels or placing recycling bins in every room. For hotels to significantly reduce their environmental impact, change needs to start from the top down by addressing the resort's most critical systems.

Despite competition from the peer-to-peer sector, the Australian hotel industry is thriving. Hotels and resorts performed well across a number of key indicators, including room occupancy, which reached 68.5 percent in 2017, according to Deloitte. This shows no signs of slowing, either. Austrade research forecasts 15 million international visitors in the year 2026-27, thanks to annual growth of 5.8 percent between now and then. 

In such a booming industry, it's essential for hotels and resorts to keep sustainability in mind throughout every stage of the management and decision-making process. That's why we've identified three key areas where all environmentally conscious hotels needs to go green. 

Essential hotel functions to make more eco-friendly

Procurement

If you really want your hotel to become more sustainable, start with the products you buy. Procurement, after all, tends to be one of the largest functions in major hotels and resorts, which is why you should ensure you practice responsible procurement or hire a company who does. 

In addition to being more socially, ethically and environmentally responsible, green purchasing can also help your hotel cut costs and even receive tax breaks and incentives. 

Waste management

The average hotel guest generates around 1kg of waste per night, according to the International Tourism Partnership. Factor in what is thrown out by other functions of the hotel and you see why sustainable waste management is so essential. 

To this end, ensure you shop around and choose an eco-friendly waste contractor. Beyond that, make every effort to reduce waste with initiatives like:

• Asking guests to reuse linens,
• Placing recycling bins in every room,
• Stopping the distribution of newspapers,
• Doing away with disposable products,
• Choosing toiletries with minimal packaging.

Cleaning and maintenance

When room occupancy is at 68.5 percent, housekeeping becomes one of your busiest departments. Everyday, housekeepers look after not only the rooms of your hotel, but also he common areas. In each, they're using heaps of cleaning products – so why not ensure these producs are safe and environmentally friendly?

At ACW Hospitality, we understand the importance of green cleaning, which is why our professional housekeeping services come backed by an ISO 9001 certification in sustainability. Reach out to our team today to learn more about going green with ACW Hospitality.