Did The Pandemic Sabotage Hotel Sustainability Trends?
The pandemic forced hotels to alter how they operate, pushing health security to the forefront of the hospitality community's consciousness. But given these safety measures came with the onset of disposable goods that range from masks to menus, experts worried was that this new focus would derail the burgeoning industry trend to make your next stay more sustainable.
The pandemic has failed to dissuade luxury travelers from their quest to find eco-friendly hotels. According to a new poll from Virtuoso, a global network of agencies that specialize in luxury travel, half of the travelers surveyed said it's important to choose a hotel, cruise line or travel company with a strong sustainability policy. And 70 percent said that traveling sustainably enhances their vacation experience. In fact, 82 percent of respondents reported that the pandemic made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.
But it's a false choice to suggest that hospitality companies can't enhance safety without lowering sustainability standards, says Hervé Houdré, a 20-year expert in sustainable hospitality who also helped create the initial phase of Forbes Travel Guide's inaugural sustainability standards, which debuted today. "If a property is deep into sustainability, they would not have slowed down [during the pandemic] because they keep saving energy, water."
