Hotel action areas
The innovation hotel is a showcase of some of the best ideas in responsible tourism. These focus on four key action areas:
Energy
Our hotels are consumers of energy as they are hosting guests 24 hours a day.
Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are all sources of energy for our businesses and our communities. When they burn they produce carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
To cut down on the amount of fossil fuels used, our hotels invest in energy-efficient products and offer environmentally friendly alternatives for our guests. Our hotels are also exploring more sustainable sources of power, such as solar and wind power, as well as biofuels.
Waste
Recycling helps to conserve resources and energy.
It's important to think about the environmental impact of materials over their whole lifecycle: whether they are from a sustainable source, how they are gathered, processed and transported and whether they can be recycled and used again.
Making something from recycled material creates less pollution and uses less energy. It also helps to conserve resources and reduce what is sent to landfill.
Our hotels will look to reuse or recycle wherever possible.
Water
Water is a precious resource so hotels need to manage the effect they have on local supply.
The answer is a combination of good operating practices and investment in low flow technologies and equipment.
These measures need not affect the quality of the guest experience or be expensive. For example, water-efficient showerheads and toilets save water without compromising performance, while rainwater can be collected and replace tap water for watering hotel grounds.
Community
Hotels don't exist in a vacuum. They should be sited, designed, built and operated in a responsible way.
It is vital that hotels respect and work with their local community.
Destination conservation is about initiatives that help to root hotels in their local community – its environment, culture, heritage and the well-being of its citizens.
