We waste time, money, and momentum repeating mistakes that others have already made, simply because no one talks about them. I truly believe that sharing failures, in any operational capacity isn’t a weakness, it’s a responsibility, and not just the responsibility to speak up, but for leaders to actively create an environment where others feel safe doing the same. This won’t happen in a business where there is a culture of blame. Line managers and directors need to encourage learning opportunities over finger-pointing.

I’ve come across a couple of similar patterns time and time again in terms of well-meaning sustainability efforts that don’t quite land as expected. Being forewarned helps hotels put monitoring processes in place, so they can spot issues early and adapt quickly when things don’t go to plan.

Firstly, with a focus on food waste. One hotel introduced a simple operational change by switching to smaller serving platters toward the end of buffet service. The idea was to offer the same variety, just in smaller quantities, to avoid throwing away untouched food, and in terms of waste reduction, it worked, but complaints from guests started to rise. Those arriving late at the buffet said it looked sparse and limited. Even when signage explaining the concept and why the change had been made were placed on the buffet, guests still reported feeling short-changed.

The signage, while well-meaning, had an unintended effect. Instead of building understanding, it drew attention to what was missing. This created a “win-fail” situation: reduce waste (win) and risk guest satisfaction (fail) or prioritise guest experience (win) and sacrifice sustainability goals (fail). In this case, and many others like it, it’s not just one team dealing with a setback or failure. Kitchen teams risk missing their waste reduction targets, while guest relations staff risk not meeting complaint ratio targets. Unless a thoughtful balance is found, someone ends up missing a KPI and is likely to “blame it” on the other party.

It’s a classic case of a strategy that works on paper but fails in practice without the right mix of design, messaging, and understanding of guest behaviour. The hotel is now exploring other options like using decorative, reusable items to fill empty buffet space instead of relying on signage, but the broader challenges remain: how do we make sustainability visible in a way that feels positive, not punitive, and how do we create a win-win situation?

Another example comes from the well-known switch from single-use bathroom amenities to refillable dispensers. While this clearly reduces the volumes of plastic waste, some hotels noticed that overall product consumption actually increased. Why? Because the dispensers made the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel easier to access and use, meaning guests used more per stay. The plastic footprint went down, but the consumption of the actual product (shampoo etc) went up. So, the sustainability win was only partial because the root issue of overconsumption wasn’t fully addressed and to make matters worse, costs increased despite the usual expectation that buying in bulk for refills would lead to savings.

The solution in this case lies in the details: selecting dispensers that release the right amount of product per use, but this requires input from housekeeping and sustainability teams, as well as the supplier who would ideally all work together to test options and find something that can ultimately tick all the right boxes.

The main issue I think we all need to face isn’t the failed idea itself but the “I told you so” attitude that so often follows. This kind of reaction stalls progress, creates barriers between teams and reinforces the belief that sustainability is harder than it needs to be. Every setback fuels the fire against sustainability making the next change feel like it’s going to be even harder. Instead, imagine if managers encouraged staff to treat both scenarios (and any other suggested changes) as mini challenges, and not only that, but staff are rewarded for discovering what doesn’t work as well as what does? It would shift the mindset from blame to curiosity, and regardless of the outcome, it becomes a win. Creating a ‘failure board’ to log changes that didn’t go as planned can help normalise trial and error, spark new ideas, and show teams that every idea, even the ones that fail, moves the hotel closer to smarter solutions. These outcomes can be transformed into knowledge that can be shared beyond the hotel or brand, so others don’t waste time, money, and momentum making the same mistakes.

Obviously, not every strategy will have the same results in every hotel, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for failure or wins. Something that is a success in winter with one guest profile may fail in summer with another, but this is the beauty of implementing consistent monitoring and a curious mindset. Failures should not be dead ends, they should be celebrated as stepping stones to success, but this will only happen if we are willing to talk about them, learn from them, celebrate them and support others in doing the same.