Author

Simon Martin

Head of Development Hospitality-Catering at IECD

Simon has spent more than 15 years in the hospitality industry and specifically working on sustainability, environmental concerns and social entrepreneurship. After working in Thailand, France, Canada and China for prestigious hospitality brands such as Groupe Alain Ducasse, InterContinental or Shangri-La, in 2013, he joined the European Institute for Cooperation and Development (IECD) a not-for-profit organization leading education and training programs for disadvantaged communities. Simon took a variety of roles including hospitality school Director, Country Representative for Myanmar and South East Asia Program Manager. As Head of Development of the Hospitality Program, Simon currently oversees the strategy and the development of new projects in Asia, Middle-East, Africa, from IECD’s head office, in Paris. Simon holds a Master Degree in International Hotel Management from La Rochelle University and earned, with honors, a Master Degree in International Tourism Development from University of Paris, Panthéon-Sorbonne.

How can sustainability be communicated beyond clichés and greenwashing?

To avoid falling into the „greenwashing trap” business need to be transparent, honest and modest. Since “greening” is not the core business of most tour-operators, hotels or resorts, investing in the wrong project or a poor strategy might turn into a slippery slope to reputation damage.

Hotel Sustainability: Top 3 Technologies to Implement in 2020

I believe solar PV systems should be a high priority, to relieve dependence on fossil fuels while reducing Opex. I'll go with waste heat recovery, IE using a heat exchanger to preheat water entering hot water tanks, by using the exhaust heat from either HVAC or diesel generators, etc.