Radical Changes are needed. That is in how we build, how we operate, how we report and communicate ESG initiatives, but also in how we think as owners, operators, employees, and as guests.The biggest change the industry needs to address is the mindset. Mindset from all stakeholders involved is needed for a successful change.
In the dynamic landscape of the hospitality industry, orchestrating a sustainable paradigm involves a judicious fusion of incremental and transformative measures.
India's leading hospitality company, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) today announced the successful completion of nine pioneering pilot projects in collaboration with IFC’s TechEmerge Sustainable Cooling Innovation Program, within a short span of 18 months. This underscores the company’s unwavering commitment to fostering environmentally responsible practices to bring efficient, climate-smart, cost-effective cooling solutions to India's hospitality sector.
Considering the scale, scope and pressing nature of the major sustainability challenges at hand:
For me, it is not a case of which, it is about marrying the two. When it comes to radical changes or incremental shifts, action was required decades ago, the greatest risk of all is not doing anything. Therefore, the pathway to sustainability requires a thoughtful blend of continuous improvement and radical change.
In the hospitality industry - just like in the business world in general - a paradigm shift is necessary , which calls for radical changes. I see 3 priorities that are implementable by key hospitality stakeholders if they decide to work together (which can be a radical change for some of them already…): Hotel operators and their suppliers: Zero plastic Hotel investors and franchisors: Zero land take All: choose and aim for new KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for the industry, before and above financial results, which would inspire hospitality leaders in their mission.
The challenges facing decoupling and green growth in the hospitality industry are evident, with current mainstream practices yielding insufficient progress. However, a departure from the prevalent notion that decoupling and tourism growth can happen simultaneously, coupled with a redirection towards an alternative paradigm of value creation in the form of regenerative hospitality, shows a more promising futureproof path for our industry.
Accor Greater China is pleased to share its latest initiative in creating more environmentally sustainable hotel experiences, by giving travelers the option to reduce their carbon impact while staying at Accor hotels in Greater China. Accor and Trip.com have introduced a new feature in the Trip.com booking app that allows travelers to make an eco-friendly choice while booking their stays at Accor hotels across Greater China. The new app option was inspired by the educational whitepaper that Accor, Trip.com, and McKinsey & Company released in 2023. One of the key findings was that Chinese travelers are open to traveling more sustainably if they have the support and tools to do so.
S Hotels and Resorts PCL (SET: SHR), the international hospitality company from Singha Estate PCL (SET: S), has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maldives’ Ministry of Climate Change, Environment & Energy to preserve this idyllic island nation’s natural environment, share knowledge about the importance of conservation, and support CROSSROADS Maldives’ rich marine biodiversity in an area covering 3.15km² – about 31% of the total project size – as part of an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) programme.
UNWTO has concluded the Gastronomy Tourism Project, designed to make Ubud, Indonesia, a global hub of sustainable gastronomy tourism. Within the framework of Indonesia’s annual Tourism National Coordinative Meeting, the project’s final report was presented to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, and to the Gianyar Regional Government.
A new nationwide study released today has delved into the dynamics of neighbourly relationships and behaviours, finding that 6 in 10 (61%) Aussies admit to being caught short at some point, leading them to have borrowed an item from their neighbours. However, while on average, the nation is borrowing once every two months, 2 in 5 (40%) of Aussies confess that the thought of this makes them feel uncomfortable.
Should we stop building hotels in risk areas? That's a loaded question and depends on how risks are assessed. Has the assessment included all "natural" hazards like earthquakes, floods, GLOFs, hurricanes, landslides, heat waves and drought? What about anthropogenic hazards like industrial accidents and terrorism? More importantly, does the assessment include the impacts of climate change over time? It has to.
Coming from a hotel asset management perspective and based on my empirical observations these last years, it seems to me that hotel values (both of existing properties and of development projects) dangerously ignore climate risks.
As hotel asset valuations are increasingly linked to sustainability features and environmental risk exposure, do you foresee this trend changing the overall approach to hotel development and, if so, how?
Climate change will impact all aspects of tourism, particularly lodging. From construction to operations, from changes in market mix and demand to risk mitigation, we must adapt to the new reality.
Prohibiting development will not necessarily achieve the desired results. Tourism is a force for good and can change lives through job creation and other benefits to the destination. The mitigation strategy that is missing is education.
The good news is that hotels can achieve decarbonisation more easily if compared with airline or shipping industry. At least looking at Scopes 1 and 2 of the GHG protocol, changes in energy sources can be achieved in relatively short time by making investments, as the technology, i.e.
Like many other sectors of the economy, the hospitality sector assumes that forecasts and strategies for the future can be derived from a look at past developments. In view of the transgression of planetary boundaries (including climate change and the loss of biodiversity), our world will undergo massive change.
Accor Greater China announced a new partnership with China Hospitality Association (CHA) for the purpose of designating its hotels across the country with Green Hotel Certification, in line with national standards. Accor is the first international hotel company in China to sign a network-wide sustainable certification agreement with CHA. The initiative will provide consistent, reliable, and independently audited information on Accor’s hotel operations, while helping consumers to make more eco-friendly travel choices. The signing ceremony between Accor and China Hospitality Association took place on November 29, 2023 at the 8th China International Hotel Industry Conference in Haikou, Hainan Province.
On Us: The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children, an initiative of the Australian Childhood Foundation, has released new research demonstrating a major knowledge gap among business decision makers and leaders, with 65% of businesses believing that child exploitation could not occur within their industry. Yet, in Australia, child abuse or neglect is reported by a child every two minutes, with harm extending well beyond the home.
Dorsett Hospitality International (DHI) and their parent company Far East Consortium (FEC) announced the opening of a new Chinese Medicine and Culture Research Center (CMCRC) and D20Roots (德根盛園) research farmland on Friday, November 3 2023, in partnership with the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong’s (THEi) Chinese Medicinal Pharmacy.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) is delighted to announce the inclusion of Melco Resorts & Entertainment (Melco) as its newest donor member and founding member in Hong Kong.
Payap "Pong" Khunkayan joined the team at Conrad Koh Samui a decade ago as a bellman, proudly greeting guests at the luxury resort overlooking the Gulf of Thailand and transporting luggage to and from 81 hillside-nestled villas.
An estimated one in five children live in poverty in Vietnam, many of whom are forced to move from their villages to major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. There, they live on the streets in an attempt to financially support their families, leaving them exposed to danger and violence.