The Regenerative Question: What Hospitality Must Become

Dr Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner argues that the real shift hospitality needs is not from “sustainability” to “regeneration” as buzzwords, but from short-term optimisation to long-term contribution to ecosystems, communities, culture, and commerce. Regenerative hospitality is framed as a collective, long-horizon practice that embraces complexity, openly navigates trade-offs, uses standards and technology as tools, and puts responsibility and...

Dr. Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner

The conversation around regeneration in hospitality often begins with a search for definition. What does it mean? How is it different from sustainability? Has sustainability failed?

From my perspective, this framing risks missing the point.

Read the full article on hotelyearbook.com

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.

Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner is the Executive Director of The Long Run, a global community of nature-based tourism businesses committed to driving holistic sustainability through the 4Cs framework — Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce.

The Long Run is a global community of nature-based tourism businesses committed to a holistic balance of Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce (the 4Cs). Founded in 2009, The Long Run supports its members to deliver measurable impact and create a better future for people and planet. Together, members of The Long Run safeguard over 23 million acres of nature, improve the lives of more than 350,000 people, and prove that tourism can be a...