Hotel Yearbook 2025 Sustainability Tech Edition: A Summary
Here is a summary on what to expect from the Hotel Yearbook 2025 Sustainability Tech Edition.
Opinion Articles
Green Practices in the Hospitality Sector
The hospitality industry has always been synonymous with luxury, comfort, and convenience. However, as the global community becomes increasingly aware of environmental challenges, the sector faces the pressing need to balance guest satisfaction with sustainability. Green practices in hospitality not only address environmental concerns but also appeal to the growing number of eco-conscious travelers who prioritize sustainable choices. Let’s delve into the significance of green initiatives in hospitality, the strategies being employed, and the long-term benefits for businesses, communities, and the planet.
By Prince Sanders, Hospitality Managing Director, Prince A. Sanders
EU Green Deal: A Growth Strategy for New Economic and Business Models
The tourism and hospitality industry is particularly vulnerable to climate change, energy transitions, and environmental degradation—existential threats to Europe and the world. To tackle these challenges, the European Green Deal aims to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, ensuring:
By Melinda Ratkai, Dr. Professor of Hospitality Business, Hotelschool The Hague
Sustainability Trends: Strategies and Tactics Considered
Sustainability, eco-friendly, green, and other descriptors are marking what appears to be a sustained business trend. The headlines are continually using the term sustainability. However, my perception is that the term needs to be explained if not defined.
By Robert O’Halloran, Professor Director, School of Hospitality Leadership, East Carolina University
Building (And Renovating) for the Future: Lessons from Another Year of ESG
At the end of last year, Highgate Hotels reached our goal to have 150 third-party eco-certified hotels by 2024. We also published our latest environmental and social governance (ESG) report, which details forward-thinking initiatives involving green concrete, reforestation and regenerative agriculture, and using leftover cooking oil for sustainable aviation fuel production.
By Paul McElroy, Executive Vice President, Highgate, Highgate Hotels, L.P.
Babylonstoren in South Africa as the Pinnacle of Regenerative Tourism - Part Two
In this second half of the interview with Dalené Claassens, Hotel General Manager at Babylonstoren, a rural resort located near Paarl, South Africa within the Cape Winelands vinicultural region, we take a closer look at some of the key onsite features that make this property both a one-of-a-kind destination for any traveler and a world leader in regenerative tourism. Indeed, delivering a truly unforgettable guest experience at this caliber is wholly dependent on all the various agricultural, immersive culinary and wellness programs that are on offer for visitors.
By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
Meeting the Moment: How Sustainability Data Is Reshaping Corporate Travel
As the year 2025 unfolds, the business events sector—encompassing corporate travel, conferences, and other significant gatherings—finds itself at a critical juncture. The global imperative to address climate change and social equity has shifted market dynamics, compelling hotels and venues to provide ever more detailed sustainability data in response to corporate Requests for Proposals (RFPs). This “new normal” places higher expectations on hospitality providers to demonstrate robust environmental policies, socially responsible practices, and transparent reporting.
Top 8 sustainability trends impacting business travel in 2025
New reporting requirements will oblige companies to pay closer attention to their sustainability data and goals and the disclosure of their annual progress. With more transparency will come a greater expectation for business travel to play its part in addressing climate change. Less talk and more action will be needed to avoid accusations of greenwashing.
By Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Vice President of Sustainability, BCD Travel
Babylonstoren in South Africa as the Pinnacle of Regenerative Tourism - Part One| By Adam Mogelonsky
True hospitality is a story of people, the lands they live on, the foods they eat, the activities they do day in, day out, and all the cultural nuances that make life so joyous. Hospitality is also about giving back and stewarding the larger community, leaving the land better off for all stakeholders rather than a merely extractive enterprise catering to only travelers.
By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
Beware the Virtual Audit
Several large hotel brand companies in the United States, as well as hotel ownership groups, have now formally committed to require third-party sustainability certifications for their properties. These must be from an approved and generally known and respected nonprofit certification body like Audubon International. These companies have embarked on a sustainability transformation journey for their physical assets, along with program and employee behavior changes in their hotel operations. The goal is to positively impact team culture, their overall business, and the community. They deserve credit and recognition for showing such leadership for the hospitality asset class in commercial real estate.
By Greg Poirier, MBA, Global Director, Hospitality Certification Programs, Audubon International
How AI is Revolutionizing Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: A Holistic Approach to Empower Communities and Enhance Guest Experiences
The hospitality industry is at a pivotal moment, balancing the urgent need for sustainability with the demands of an increasingly conscientious traveler. Today’s guests seek more than token gestures like reusing towels and linens; they demand genuine, impactful sustainability initiatives that align with their values. Enter artificial intelligence (AI) – a transformative force capable of propelling the industry toward a future where environmental responsibility, community engagement, and unparalleled guest experiences coalesce.
By Are Morch, Digital Transformation Coach for Hotels, Are Morch, AI Champion
Integrating Wellness and Sustainability: Insights from the 2024 Conference
The Wellness & Sustainability Panel at the 2024 Cayuga Annual Conference explored the intersection of wellness and sustainability in the hospitality industry. Moderated by Susan Barry, the panel brought together experts Holleigh Alexander-Ramsey of Spalign Concepts, Candace Lynch of Zents, and Corey Clark of Honeycomb Strategies to share their experiences and actionable insights.
By Susan Barry, President and Queen Bee of Hive Marketing and consultant with Cayuga Hospitality Consultants, Hive Marketing
AI: Beyond Automation to Collaboration
As we close out a transformative year, Peter Moore, CEO and founder of Lolly, shares his thoughts on 2024’s key trends and innovations while looking ahead to the opportunities and challenges that 2025 will bring.
By Peter Moore, CEO, Its Lolly Ltd
Sustainability Practices Help Control Hotel Utility Costs
Ambitious climate and decarbonization efforts have heightened the demand for electrified and energy-efficient buildings. Regulatory frameworks are evolving from simple incentives to stringent compliance measures. Recently, states and cities have enacted building performance standards (BPS) that mandate energy performance and emissions reductions, as well as implementing benchmarking and transparency policies. As a result, real estate operators must meet these standards to mitigate financial risks associated with non-compliance, further motivating them to enhance performance.
By Robert Mandelbaum, Director of Research Information Services, CBRE Hotels
Hospitality workers are vulnerable…here’s how we can protect them
The hospitality industry has a concerningly high turnover rate, and things don’t seem to be improving. An astounding 42% of new employees in hospitality leave their jobs within just 90 days. More than 80% of hospitality operators are facing recruitment and retention challenges, and 46% of hospitality workers are only paid the National Minimum Wage – which further exacerbates the negative cycle. This isn’t a sustainable situation, and it’s leading to all kinds of problems. Luckily, some change appears to be on the horizon.
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
Sustainability in Focus: 2022 and 2023 Cornell Sustainability Roundtables
The Center for Hospitality Research at The Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University hosted annual Sustainability Roundtables in fall 2022 and 2023. In many ways, the two sessions were part of an essential conversation. For the 2022 roundtable, participants were back on campus and in person for the first time since 2019. With the most severe public health concerns of the Covid-19 pandemic in the rear view, participants were excited to return to Ithaca and embrace the core element of hospitality—gathering together. In contrast, the 2023 roundtable represented the other side of the communications coin—namely, to remove barriers to give people voice through virtual participation.
By Jeanne Varney and Aaron Adalja
Can You Deliver What You Promised? Expectations vs. Reality
We all have that one friend who excels at sales—the kind of person who’s smooth with words and can make you believe anything, regardless of the topic. They set high expectations, but eventually, you’re left to face reality (see Figure 1).
By Melinda Ratkai, Dr. Professor of Hospitality Business, Hotelschool The Hague
Sustainable Procurement Enables ESG as a Hotel Selling Feature
Having a strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy has become essential for hospitality. While the policies that a hotel enacts must pervade all operations and the corporate company, one particular area that presents challenges is the procurement department, wherein the latest explainer article from Amazon Business addresses three of these as well as three top tactics for more sustainable purchasing.
Hotel Marketing Trends to Help Increase Revenue Throughout the Year
The hotel industry has gone through a tremendous amount of change since March 2020. Depending on what market the hotel resides in, the ebbs and flows have varied by year and seasons, but as we enter into the end of 2024, things have leveled out. We, as an industry, have identified new need periods as a result, and can leverage marketing to help increase revenue with three key elements: consistency, planning and impact.
By Kara Freedman, Complex Director of Marketing, Conrad New York Downtown & Conrad New York Midtown, Hilton
Top 6 Environmental Management Concerns Hotels Should Consider
Sustainability is a growing problem in the hotel industry. The hospitality sector alone produces 1% of total global carbon emissions each year, with hotels consuming eight times more resources, like water, than their surrounding local communities.
By Indiana Lee, Freelance Technical Writer, Indiana Lee Writes