Sustainability has become an increasingly important consideration for travelers, but for hotels, the challenge is often not where to start—it is how to make sustainability visible, meaningful, and memorable for guests.
Many hotels have already invested in energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing. However, some of the most impactful sustainability initiatives happen behind the scenes, where guests rarely see them. The opportunity today is to combine operational improvements with guest-facing experiences that reinforce a hotel’s environmental commitment.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings, the hospitality industry is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions due to its energy-intensive operations, including heating and cooling, refrigeration, laundry, food service, and waste management. Hotels are among the most energy-intensive commercial buildings, operating 24 hours a dayyear-round. Meanwhile, the broader travel and tourism economy contributes substantially more through transportation-related emissions. Whenever possible, hotels and B&Bs should be looking to make changes and reduce their emissions.
After all, leisure and business travelers prioritize environmental responsibility: 87 percent of travelers want to travel sustainably, according to Booking.com. While there are some elements to travel that are bound to build a carbon footprint, small tweaks can be made without negatively impacting the guest experience.
The good news is that meaningful change does not always require major investment. Often, a series of smaller improvements can reduce waste and lower costs.
Here are four areas where hotels can make a difference.
- Make Energy Efficiency Part of the Guest Experience
If your hotel isn’t using LED lighting, why not? Softer ambient lighting makes a genuine difference to a guest’s stay, and the Carbon Energy Trust states that costs can be reduced by up to 50 percent by installing and implementing controlled lighting. LEDs can reduce the cost by up to 70 percent. Sensors are a great way to ensure that lights are turned off when they’re not in use, and the keycards that control lights allow customers to support this in a natural way.
- Rethink Guest Gifts and Amenities
Some hotel chains have incorporated plantable Sprout pencils into guestrooms, meetings, and conference settings as an alternative to traditional plastic pens. The pencils provide a practical writing tool while also supporting broader sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing single-use plastics.
The response from guests has been encouraging. Many choose to take the pencils home, and some have even shared photos after planting them and seeing the seeds begin to grow. The pencils can serve as a simple reminder of a guest’s stay while offering a small, interactive connection to sustainability.
It doesn’t have to be a pencil, of course. The most effective gifts at events, conferences, and hotels are those that are practical, relevant, and likely to be used. When items lack a clear purpose or value to the recipient, they often end up being discarded, creating unnecessary waste.
Organizations are increasingly recognizing that thoughtful, useful giveaways can have a greater impact than novelty items. By focusing on quality, functionality, and relevance, businesses can reduce waste while creating a more positive and memorable experience for guests and attendees.
Fortunately, instead of generic gifts, companies are now experimenting with more personal or symbolic ways to show appreciation. Small details, like personalization or a story behind the product, tend to matter more. More hotels are working with other eco-friendly companies to offer smaller, well-received gifts like toiletries, coffee cups, and chocolate.
- Tackle Food Waste Before It Happens
According to WRAP, the hospitality industry wastes the equivalent of 1.3 billion meals each year. 12 percent of the food is recycled, but 920,000 tons of food are still wasted. The hotel industry is advised to always remember the 3Ms by the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance— measure, maximize, and map. Using tools to measure food waste helps chefs stay on top of their waste, and awareness is half the work. Maximizing as much of the food as possible is also valuable. Mapping out the waste when planning the menu can make a substantial difference as well: creativity and taste are priorities, but sustainability should be on the minds of the kitchen team when planning their meals. Sourcing food as locally as possible is also recommended.
- Review Cleaning Practices
Checking the eco-credentials of cleaning teams is vital. Non-toxic and eco-friendly cleaners should be used wherever possible. Guests can be encouraged to re-use towels, and it is now standard for many hotel groups and owners to communicate this in bathrooms. Outdoor cleaning that is biodegradable and doesn’t aggressively damage stonework and decking is important, too.
As we all seek to include sustainability in our everyday lives, hotel businesses can ensure this is carried out while people travel. It’s not just an ethical decision, but it’s also a sensible business one. According to McKinsey and Co, 40 percent of travelers globally said they were willing to pay at least 2 percent more for carbon-neutral flight tickets.
Everyday changes really do make a difference.
