As a hotelier, there’s a lot you need to think about, and responsible tourism should be one of the big ones. Below are a number of things you should be considering as complete essentials at your hotel.
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With all the recent advancements in technology, consider switching to LED lighting. With LED’s, up to 95% of the energy is converted into light and only 5% wasted as heat. Refrigerated cooling with inverted technology can give you zero running costs if powered by solar arrays.
There are many ways to reduce your water footprint. Toilets can be equipped with dual flush mechanisms, and showers with eco-friendly shower heads.
It is possible to find eco-friendly mechanical ventilation systems and ensure top quality inside air. Natural products such as citrus leaves can be used for bedroom areas and products with green labels can be used in all areas of the hotel.
Kitchen smells easily propagate and must be controlled, and areas such as those around photocopiers need special attention.
It is now common to arrange for green meetings at hotels involving recycled paper, whiteboards instead of menus or schedules on paper, water dispensers instead of bottled water, which is often wasted.
Waste separation and disposal equipment is now a common sight everywhere and all hotels should be duly equipped. It is sometimes forgotten that the hotel can, indeed should, make sure that waste collection is done in such a way as to avoid landfill to the maximum possible extent.
It is essential for staff to be trained and there are eco-friendly hotel management training courses available. This helps staff feel committed to the hotel’s green policy, especially if the management encourages feedback on environmental issues from staff, guests, local residents and all other stakeholders.
If there is close interaction with stakeholders, there should be an environmental charter available for reference, or a statement of management commitment to an eco-friendly policy.
It is possible to save paper with electronic purchasing software, with suppliers informed of the hotel’s green policy.
There are now many agreements between hotels and suppliers for collection and reuse of packaging.
Cleaning and washing should be with biodegradable / phosphate-free products.
Locally sourced building materials should be used in the hotel wherever possible.