From Harm Reduction to Healing: Why True Hospitality Must Become Regenerative
Glenn Mandziuk argues that hospitality must evolve from “doing less harm” to actively regenerating the ecosystems and communities it depends on. Building on the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality and shared data platforms like Vera-FY, he calls for accountable, place-based leadership and cross-industry collaboration that leaves destinations measurably better than we found them.
For over three decades, my career has taken me from the front desks of local hotels to the boardrooms of global brands and the policy tables of regional alliances. This journey has given me a profound appreciation for our industry's recent sustainability revolution. We have moved measurement from the margins to the core, embracing science-based targets and rigorous ESG reporting under the watchful eyes of regulators, investors, and guests. This progress, driven by the understanding that 83% of travellers now see sustainable travel as essential, is real and commendable.
Yet, from this vantage point, I also sense a collective unease. Despite better data and sharper targets, the systems we depend on—our climate, biodiversity, and local communities—remain under profound strain. We have become adept at measuring our footprint, but we must now ask a more courageous question: Is reducing harm enough?
The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Sustainability Edition
The HYB 2026 The Regenerative Question: What Hospitality Must Become tackles regenerative hospitality's fundamental tensions. Moving beyond sustainability buzzwords, contributors will explore three perspectives: purists advocating holistic living-systems approaches; realists demanding measurable frameworks for accountability and scalability; and strategists seeking pragmatic balance between transformation and implementation. This edition serves as a critical forum to interrogate the divides, identify synergies, and define actionable pathways forward. By convening industry experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs, we transform contested concepts into constructive dialogue and, ultimately, clarifying what regenerative hospitality authentically is and isn't.