Sustainability in Hospitality (41)

Annual reports are a key source of ESG information in hospitality, combining financial and non-financial data on sustainability performance. Increasing alignment with CSRD and frameworks like ESRS, GRI, IFRS improves comparability, though challenges remain around data reliability and aligning corporate- and hotel-level KPIs.At Hotelschool The Hague, the Business Resilience and ESG chair uses such data for applied research on resilience and sustainable transformation, combining document analysis and industry collaboration.

The Most Valuable Resources Are Still Human OnesFour years ago, the challenge was finding good information. Today it is filtering it.When it comes to accuracy, I keep returning to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and UN Tourism.

I think the age of AI makes reliable sustainability resources more important, not less. AI can be extremely useful for summarising complex information, analysing hotel data, comparing options, and translating sustainability language into practical operational decisions.

Regeneration in hospitality requires more than efficiency improvements; it demands a shift from extractive models toward reciprocal relationships with place. Through the VIRTU Resort & Residences model, developed in partnership with the World Indigenous Business Network (WIBN), hotels are conceived as living systems participants rather than resource consumers.

At Sunlife, regeneration is not framed as an extension of sustainability but as a shift in how value is created. As stated in our 2025 Sustainability Report, hospitality has the power to regenerate, not just to delight… it is the strategy that shapes every decision, every investment, and every guest experience.

A case study I recently prepared can serve as a possible blueprint for hotels seeking to integrate circularity, community partnership, and ecological restoration into their core business model. Garden Hotels & Resorts transformed its operations in Mallorca through a circular partnership with local farmers.

Understanding Opting-In and Opting-Out Strategies Knowing the difference between opting-in and opting-out is essential when aiming to influence behaviour and drive change effectively. The "default option" principle can be applied to almost any business or operational process, allowing organisations to guide decisions without lengthy explanations or losing control over outcomes.

I would prioritize two things amid the myriad issues of opportunity and concern: 1) Improve measurement, data collection, data analysis, and reporting at the property level on sustainability performance, at least with energy, waste, and water, but then move on to other elements.

In 2026 hospitality should prioritise shifting from surface-level sustainability actions to systemic change through investment in leadership training. While technical improvements remain important, the primary focus must be on transforming internal mindsets.

“Facing sustainability deprioritization?” I think the concern is justified since a large section of the hospitality sector has traditionally operated on a ‘compliance-first’ approach when it comes down to sustainability commitments.

The delay to the CSRD may offer temporary regulatory breathing space, but it highlights a deeper truth: sustainability in hospitality and tourism must not depend solely on government mandates. If our industry remains reactive, driven only by compliance, we risk falling environmentally, socially, and economically behind.

Indeed, there is a real risk that goals driven by political ambition, political agenda in the best sense of the word, may be deprioritised. I recently wrote a piece titled "Where Do We Stand Now?" to better understand the current state of play.

Hotels have focused their attention on utility-related metrics. As a result, the measurement of hotel consumption data and KPIs feels like a tick-box exercise. However, when it comes to social metrics—such as well-being, employee retention, education, human rights, or the suppliers audited to ensure compliance with the company's code of conduct—these indicators are crucial.

Share price and value are correlated to current and expected future profits, which can depend on decisions from governments with short term priorities who legislate for GDP growth as a solution to most of their problems. We should be pushing for a lasting global commitment to change the collective vision of success, and to accept that success shouldn't be measured in purely economic terms.

What do KPIs, certificates, and ESG ratings have in common? They're all tools we use to measure impact and performance. But can one metric, or even one system, capture everything at once? Probably not. As we navigate ESG reporting, the challenge isn't just what to measure, but how much, how specifically, and how meaningfully.

What a great topic, indeed 'failures' are great learning opportunities for the organisation itself as well as others when shared publicly. A mindset of continouus improvement, that is for example inherent to ISO certifications, would enable companies to shift the 'failure' vs 'success' narrative and culture.

Many SME accommodation owners begin their sustainability journey with enthusiasm but often fail to sustain long-term change. A key barrier is underestimating the time and commitment needed to overhaul operational processes across departments.

To make progress on sustainability, I believe we need to build a culture that values curiosity over criticism, encouraging people to explore what works, what doesn’t, and why. That means treating new ideas as experiments, not tests to pass or fail.

As companies face increasing pressure to report their GHG emissions, the role of business travel, mainly flights, is coming under great pressure. Business travel contributes significantly to a company's carbon footprint. In my opinion, hotels will be less affected than airlines, but they will need to relearn to focus more on short—and medium-distance travellers.

The growing interest in sustainability and events is shifting competitiveness in a new direction. For those hotels and events venues that have been leading the way for decades by implementing sustainable management practices and measuring the carbon footprint of operations their hard work is paying off.

The role of sustainability information in business travel is increasingly critical, particularly for hotel groups like Radisson Hotel Group, as corporate clients prioritize sustainability in their procurement processes. A growing requirement for sustainability data in corporate RFPs significantly impacts the competitiveness of hotels.

Properties should take resilience measures not just to lower insurance premiums but also to keep their doors open and stay in business. Insurance companies can protect their own profits and keep their customers by offering lower premiums to owners who better protect their properties.

While I would like to suggest that there is a massive "Game Changer Opportunity" presented here in accelerating sustainable best practices though engagement from the Insurance Industry, that is going to have to wait and see what comes unless someone has more information related.

To fully embrace their role as enablers and game changers, insurance companies could focus on two aspects that would make a difference in the way hospitality professionals make decisions. The first one is the availability of data about present and future risks (catastrophic events…) and their correlation with some hotel features (construction materials, construction year, location of technical equipment in the building…).

With new ESG regulations coming into force (e.g. the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), there will be an even greater need and demand of environmental and social auditing.

At GSTC, we're pleased to see more hotels pursuing certification, demonstrating the industry's commitment to sustainability. While demand for certification grows, we emphasize the critical role of auditing in ensuring rigorous implementation.

Could there be a bottle neck of skilled auditors - absolutely, but we know that legislation will require skilled auditors to assess certified properties so the question shouldn't be will there be a bottle neck, it's how are we training a new wave of auditors.

Hospitality largely relies on legacy technology to operate and remains very slow in adopting more useful, more user friendly and faster replacement/ enhancement solutions. AI is moving forward very rapidly and Hospitality must get on board quickly before finding itself behind.

The Role of AI in Net Positive Hospitality The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance champions Net Positive Hospitality, where AI emerges not as a panacea but as a potent catalyst for sustainable transformation. The synergy of AI, traditional technologies, and human-centric strategies is paramount.

AI is just a tool just like any tool it's up to how people use it. It has potential usage in Energy Efficiency and Management. For example, optimising the distribution of electricity and managing demand. In climate predictions where it can help determine weather patterns.

The reality is that the majority of professionals do not measure food waste. So not having the data is the first issue. The second issue is, once you have the data and understand the amount of waste you actually produce, how do you reduce it?

One of the biggest challenges we face is the very idea of hospitality. There is still a (strong) perception that to be hospitable means to be generous. That by giving more we are adding value, delivering a better experience, serving better.

Intuition tells us that what holds us back is the combination of all three aspects: our individual decisions, managers, and leaders. However, based on experience working with a restaurant chain in Brazil my short answer will be that organizations and their leaders are best positioned to lead a shifting course with the necessary speed if desired.

The main barrier to assessing the social aspect of ESG reporting is to first bring its importance in line with environmental sustainability. A recent study asked hotel guests to rate a list of circular economy practices based on a) their willingness to pay, b) their importance, and c) their intention to reserve a stay.¹ The results are extremely valuable for business owners when deciding how to combine environmental sustainability investments with enhanced guest satisfaction.

There are several factors and variables to consider in reporting about social sustainability. For example, VIRTU Resorts is currently focusing on measuring culture and well-being, extending to include Indigenous knowledge. VIRTU's enriched business practices are rooted in the holistic connections between communities and the environment paired with the latest in technology.

When it comes to incorporating the social aspect in ESG reporting, prioritising the well-being and investment of staff members is paramount. Companies should focus on revaluing their workforce by allocating resources towards training, retention strategies, and ensuring fair compensation.

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.

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.

Sustainability is critical in crafting meaningful guest experiences that go beyond comfort and convenience. It is about engaging guests in a journey of learning and contributing to sustainability, making them feel part of a larger purpose.

The way we look at sustainability is mostly driven by doing less harm than contributing positively to a better world. But we need to move on from a footprint approach to a handprint logic, which focuses more on how tourism can change attitudes and values if we really want to create change.

For me an experience is meaningful when it touches my essence as a human being and helps me to understand myself, others, and nature more profoundly. This summer I was a guest at the TCI Marina di Camerota Village (Italy). I went reluctantly to accompain my ageing parents.

The most effective strategy - start with talking to your financier.....they are the experts and will know the options that are available and how your business aligns with requirements. They will also be able to unpack and present the best solutions for how green financing options suit your needs, strategies and sustainability journey.

"There is sufficient global capital to close the global investment gaps but there are barriers to redirect capital to climate action." (IPCC Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023, p. 80). The hospitality industry is increasingly turning to green finance to fund projects that seek to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability.

Our role as an alliance is to unify the hospitality industry and propel it towards a state of Net Positive, where the industry thrives and enriches destinations. Today I am confident the sustainability movement is underway and we are seeing a subtle shift to a "pre-competitive" mindset where hotels share best practice, including information about financing sustainable initiatives.

If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together" - this saying has accompanied our work in Futouris e.V. from the beginning. We are a partnership of tourism industry companies, working together to find and implement solutions to move that sustainability needle".

Collaboration is essential in social and environmental sustainability, and misaligned interests can cause serious setbacks in efforts to become more sustainable. The need for such cooperation is particularly emphasized in tourism destinations that fight with various sustainability challenges, including those created by overtourism.

Since Food Waste represents on average ~50% of a hotel total waste, and knowing how poorly waste in disposed of/managed in most places, targetting this issue with a collaborative lense seems of the most overlooked issue of all.

The more crises we experience the more important it is to be resilient as a business or destination. And the best way to be resilient is to be sustainable ecologically, socially and economically. Ecological sustainability means energy independence and maintenance of the very assets that tourism relies on.

We are in the middle of various interrelated crises that affect tourism, but most people tend to forget that tourism has been intregal in causing these very crises. Tourism is ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Oil and gas have been sourced from the worst places, cheap beating responsible.

One of EarthCheck's favourite sayings is you can't manage what you don't measure. Investing in a system that enables understanding of pressure points and consequently overspend, drives performance and value. Data-driven decision-making turns tactical implementations into savings that are good for business and good for the planet.

Personal Carbon Allowances I am fundamentally against these proposals for a number of reasons It keeps making the Climate Crisis an individual problem and lets the 100 companies worldwide who are responsible for 71% of all emissions off the hook – blame the individual, make us all feel guilty.

Whilst on the surface the concept has merits – it assigns personal responsibility to impact and forces individuals to shift behaviour based on their actions – but in reality, who would manage, ensure compliance and cover the costs associated with such a significant program?

It is becoming more and more difficult to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming well below 2 degree C. It is therefore understandable that PAC is back on the table. In my vision of sustainability, developed with George Curiel back in 2012 and entrusted to the 'Three Levels of Sustainability' book recently published in a second edition, we argue that responsibility should be taken not only at the level of societies and organisations, but also at the individual level.

The failure of circularity so far has a lot to do with the perceived bennefits for companies, and the hospitality industry is no different. The purpose of circularity is not clear for managers if it is not connected to key performance indicators at corporate level.

Circularity as a concept faces restraints in hospitality companies. One explanation could be that hospitality managers hardly ever control the entire product or resource cycle from cradle to grave/ cradle. That being said, efforts for 1) improved recycling, 2) waste reduction and 3) utilization of used and recycling materials and resources has become a reality in most companies.

Embedding circular economy principles into hospitality is not a myth, but a necessary ambition. It is crucial that the industry transitions away from a linear and extractive business model to a circular model with regenerative environmental impacts.

Yes, we need hospitality development to both cater to growing demand and to ensure conservation of biodiversity. It is not sustainable to rely exclusively on tax or donor funded conservation. We need the business community to be a part of it, and to make it financially viable.

The central question posed to the panel is: should the hotel industry refrain or not from developing in remote or rich natural areas? Although I may be accused to have imbibed too much of the Dutch directedness, my immediate answer would be that it should!

I believe the answer to these questions lies in the desired reason for a new project build, and the intrinsic ethos of the decision makers. If the anticipated outcome for development is purely economic, then the planned tourist accommodation build should not take place.

In order to grasp a vision for a preferable future, it might be useful to rewind to our past. According to Prof. Em. Conrad Lashley, the origins of tourism and hospitality lie in "hospitableness", or the human faculty to welcome and host strangers.

Of course, the question is a false dichotomy. We must do both - Think and act locally; think and act globally.Global standards, like the GSTC criteria, provide comprehensive frameworks designed to ensure holistic approaches to sustainability.

Certifications that I am familiar with that have the most flexibility are EarthCheck and ISO 14001. As management systems, they are not points-based checklists that many times allow a property to be doing well in one area, without a focus on other areas.

For the technical stuff, a GSTC accredited certification organization. For sustainability leadership insights, stories, advice (e.g. how to get started, how to succeed, pitfalls to avoid,..) the Sustainability Leaders Project, Sustainability-leaders.com.

I was finding it hard to explain the difference between net zero and carbon neutral in an easy way that everyone would understand. Everything I found online was too long, too complicated or just not succinct enough until I found a fantastic blog by Ecologi that puts it into simple and understandable terms.

I don't have go-to websites for sustainability matters but we launched last year the Hospitality of the Future Think Tank, focusing on providing information and actionable tools and ideas around sustainability and following the UN SDGs.

Restoration and regeneration are seen by many as the next frontier of sustainability in general and sustainability in hospitality and tourism in particular. NHL Stenden Hotel Management School (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands) has joined forces with Smart Travel Lab and the Ryerson University Hotel Management School to launch a challenge for hospitality management students: "The Regeneration Collection".

Hospitality businesses should develop detailed plans that enable them to eliminate their carbon emissions in the next one to two decades. The plans should include the achievement of periodic milestones. There are three steps to eliminating carbon emissions, and they don't need to be completed in order.

Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss can seem like a huge challenge and getting started is often the hardest part. I believe concrete action number one starts with you, the business owner. The process of integrating more sustainable practices that help tackle climate change and biodiversity loss into a business does not have a start and a finish.

COP26 is important, because if we ALL don't finally take action against climate change, things will get tight. But what is even more important is the COP15. Am I too late or did I get the numbers mixed up? No, from October 11 - 15 the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (the CBD) will take place - and there, unlike with climate change, it is not about the question "how will we live in the future?" but about the question "will we live in the future?"

The hospitality industry has tried hard for long to live in its own bubble, feeling that until recently, the pressure (from customers and other stakeholders) to become genuinely sustainable was not high enough. Times have changed dramatically, alongside the realization that changing mindsets, processes and technologies to drastically reduce negative operational impacts was no longer a question of IF, but of WHEN.

The COP26 website defines its importance in one line: “The world's best last chance to get runaway climate change under control.” The hospitality industry cannot afford not to care about what is discussed and decided in Glasgow.

It is exciting to see first attempts of hospitality procurement moving away from a mere risk-driven CYA approach to more holistic, impact-driven initiatives. Procurement strategies should be aligned with company sustainability strategies.

Buyers of hotel space and land transport services, whether for corporate travel or leisure travel, seeking sustainable suppliers can either conduct massive analysis of the self-made claims of individual suppliers or they can turn to external verification programs of sustainability claims.

Supply chain management allows a hotel to have a much wider impact than through its operations alone, since it links to many other key topics such as waste management, human rights or carbon emissions. Furthermore, hotels can address many of the SDG's through responsible purchasing.

Many businesses continue to consider sustainability as something that is costly and necessary, rather than to get certified, to engage in additional measures on a voluntary basis and to then communicate all of these efforts pro-actively.

How should the industry communicate the added value of sustainability (rather than added cost) that resonates with guests that espouse similar values? There should be no added cost – in 2 decades of working with hotels on environmental sustainability I have never found a hotel that spent more than they saved – even with large capital investment projects as the savings paid for the investment.

Rather than focus on sustainability, communication should center on more fulfilling experiences that guests will enjoy and the higher quality which such measures often mean. This combined with sharing stories of people and communities who are part of it or benefit.

The value of being outdoors has been thrust into the spotlight by the pandemic and is now prized more than ever before. This is a perfect moment for urban hotel owners to leverage this demand by increasing access to, and encouraging use of, green areas.

When I took note of the topic of this new viewpoint, I felt compelled to step out of my office to go immerse myself in nature to ponder on it. As I was walking mindfully along the banks of the nearby swamp on a sunny spring day, surrounded with blossoming fragrant trees and lulled by the birds' warbling, a delightful sense of serenity and bliss took hold of me.

Climate change is about "how do we live in the future?"; biodiversity loss is about "do we live in the future?" So the question "should we act?" does not arise. Hotels in the urban settings should design their facilities to be biodiversity-friendly and take the issue fully into account in procurement.

The UN IPCC states that to avoid climate catastrophe, the world needs to cut its carbon emissions by almost half by 2030 (from the 2018 level) and close to 100% by 2050. That's quite imaginable for new hotels, but much more challenging for existing ones.

Sustainability-driven legislation should not be only falling on the governments, but also be a responsibility for hospitality operators and investors, using the various legal documents they have at their disposal: design standards, lease/management/franchise agreements, operating guidelines.

I see the biggest potential of legislation in bringing down green premiums for hospitality businesses. Especially in the fields of green energy supply and circular economy solutions, those premiums are still very high and likely to discourage investments into a sustainable future.

Let customers review how sustainable a hotel is by having up to 5 green stars (on top of the existing star rating). Booking.com and TripAdvisor and other such platforms could adopt such a feature not just for hotels but other hospitality businesses too (If they do feature other types).

The perception of sustainable business practice is intrinsically linked to the way it is communicated. Acceptable actions and solutions are framed through language choice and messaging approach. The unexpressed concern that “green” is interpreted as cost-cutting and reduced quality must be eliminated.

Presently travelers have a hard time identifying which hotel goes well in line which what the “green guest” is actually looking for. Two problems arise: First, most tourism operators know too little about their impact on the environment and tools for how to measure and reduce it.

The temptation to type the word People 5 times was too great. But I think People X 5 is still not good enough. So I shall say People in the power of 5! Prior to COVID-19, we were talking about the great need for more hospitality people and how we entice more young people and talent in the industry.

Sustainability is often - and unconsciously - translated as dispense of things we'd like to do or goods we'd like to have. Abandon flying, stop eating meat… But what if we changed not only the narrative but also our attitude? What if we'd rather focused on everything we gained from changing the way we do business, we consume, and we travel?

All stakeholders are becoming more environmentally aware and looking for quantifiable actions, carbon reduction strategies, and clear messages from the businesses they interact with – no more so than the hospitality sector which has a substantial environmental footprint.

The problem is far wider than some may estimate. Hospitality is not just any business. It's the type of business that provides an escape from day to day troubles, it's essential to wellbeing and a vital medicine to society's ills.

Part of the mental balance brought by our professional activities is based on our feelings of contribution and progression, which seem to be two axes that companies can continue to foster. A time of low (no) activity can be an opportunity to organize special theme committees to contribute to the company's improvement and resilience.

The COVID-19 winding road: Personal experience & Importance of CommunityRunning out of energy is exactly where I find myself. I went from an active interpersonal schedule with 200-300 people a day to forced isolation, alone, in Miami, Florida.

Whether hoteliers will do what they can to use the current crisis as an opportunity to be (better) prepared and (more) resilient when the next crisis hits - and the climate emergency for many destinations will be a question of survival - probably depends on their own values and purpose of doing business.

We continue to have a culture and structure problem that blocks a "green recovery". I frequently hear students who work for chains say they read about sustainability initiatives on the corporate website (not a job requirement; it's a class assignment), but then do not see evidence of those commitments at their property.

Readiness and willingness are only two aspects to a “build back better” turnaround to sound eco-friendly and sustainable hospitality industry. Even if both exist, we'll often see a lack of expertise on how to deal with biodiversity and ecosystem services in a manner that makes the difference between greenwashing and responsible business development.

Micro-certification - while certainly useful for hospitality businesses in that they could pick what they need and thus experience a lower entrance barrier to sustainability assessment - would complicate things as customers have no idea what kind of factors contribute to a specific badge or label.

We can learn from how other sectors are grappling with this. After I read the question, I went to my pantry for a selection of items with various certifications - an average of 4 per product. Some labels I always look for (Certified Organic or Humane), others I try to find (B Corp), and others aren't necessary but serve as a trust-building bonus (labels related to allergens or a hodgepodge of ingredient specific ones).

Yes, there is a role for micro-certifications companies who can prove to properly apply international protocols covering specific issues, which are at the top list of the hospitality industry and the international demand. Beyond that particular role, there is also an open space to be full-filled by these organizations adding value through close collaboration and advisory services, helping companies improve their performance in different aspects such as climate neutrality.Micro-certifications are growing in number and outreach and so far, experience shows that there are here to stay.

Whilst we are seeing an increase in some types of SUP due to COVID-19 (hopefully temporarily), we are also suggesting to accommodation providers that this is a great time to break some old habits, particularly around hotel room amenities.

Our devastating dealing with nature and natural ecosystems led to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have scientific proof that the destruction of tropical ecosystems will increase the frequency at which such pandemics will occur, speed up climate change, and exacerbate the global refugee crisis.

I believe our industry over-uses the terms: hospitality and hygiene without focusing on the proper expertise and knowledge and by trying to answer the question of how they work in sync, I want to start by introducing their common meanings: Noun: hygiene is conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness.andSustainability is the ability to exist constantly.

While people are still struggling to survive, some theorists say, they do not think of the common good. Yet what this crisis has shown (for some surprisingly for some not), is that this is not by definition true. In The Netherlands, for example, we see locked-down restaurants offering meals to hospitals' personnel, who have no time to kook for themselves but need more than ever substantial and healthy food.

Covid-19 is a zoonotic disease - one that is transmitted from animals to humans. More than half of all diseases that emerged in the last decades belonged to this group. Scientists believe, that the present pandemic is just the tip of the iceberg.

Comparing the current Covid-19 crisis to a prospective climate crisis solely on the basis of both being crises does not make sense to me. It is more than obvious that each crisis has its own character, cause, and outcome. It is true that both have a serious impact on the hospitality industry, but, would we call it a crisis otherwise?

This is a great question and one closely linked to our recent Sustainability Leaders Project panel question - whether sustainable tourism leads to more and better jobs. The panel's conclusion was that there is a notable relationship between sustainable tourism and jobs, mostly in terms of staff retention (because of more caring, fairer workplaces and a stronger sense of commitment and shared values).

Green teams!! I hear comments like "we tried that once" or "it's the last 15 minutes of our safety committee meeting" or "our executive committee is the green team." None of those is a solution to culture (or sustainability, quite frankly).

When working with hospitality clients on sustainability we found one key success factor: a healthy organization. Without an healthy organization, sustainability cannot be embedded into the corporate culture. This might then keep efforts narrow and superficial.

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.

As Xavier Font suggested in his interview with the Sustainability Leaders Project: "Put the customer at the centre of the sustainability experience, and tell them how they will have more fun. But do it honestly and without exaggeration." I think this sums it up nicely.

Greenwashing mainly involves claiming to be sustainable or being an eco-hotel which usually does not make any impact on the guests. The best & most effective to way communicate sustainability is by providing it is as a part of service quality.

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.

It is comfortable to believe that technological development will deliver solutions to the pressing challenges of today and tomorrow - without us changing along the way. However, we need to understand that business, as usual, is not an option at all.

1) Renewable energy, because everything pretty much hinges on it... 2) A digital thermostat, for those archaic hotels that still don't have one - let's not forget that while we need to advance more technology and solutions, we also need to get the majority of the world's hotel stock to get in the game with basic proven solutions...

Findings from research that we conducted in the Netherlands suggest that guests are increasing willing to support or even push for sustainability. However, they also argue that hosts should take responsibility first. On the other side, hosts repeatedly stated that guests are generally not interested in sustainability.

I will only address part of the question, in my view, it is also important to see which actor does what, at what point in time. We can easily recognize certain stages of innovation in the process towards a more sustainable industry.

Basically, several factors always play a role. In the hotel and hospitality industry, there are always new trends and customer needs. Sustainability is increasingly becoming the focus of the industry's increasing demand. But if the hotelier or restaurateur does not recognize this and is not convinced that he should be more committed to environmental and climate protection in order to remain marketable, then the processes will not change.

Here are a couple of thoughts from my perspective: Too much opacity in the brand-ownership model. Brands make the commitments with little or no teeth at the operational/ownership level. Owners can benefit from the halo effect of corporate announcements without (full, immediate, consistent) implementation.

As a sustainability consultant to the hotel industry, there is very slow movement toward sustainable hospitality. The major hotel brands that have set goals do so for the properties they own and manage, which is perhaps 10% of the hotel inventory world-wide.

The referenced ITP scenarios are based on the clear forecast that the hotel supply will grow immensely in the coming 2 decades. Sustainability needs to be addressed from the beginning of the hotel project, even before operator selection when initial feasibility is done and/or capital investment is decided.