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Opinion Articles

HN Original
Opinion Article

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.

By Henri Roelings, Founder, Hospitality Net
Opinion Article

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.

Olivia Ruggles-Brise
By Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Vice President of Sustainability, BCD Travel
Opinion Article

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.

Adam Mogelonsky
By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
Franschhoek, South Africa
Opinion Article

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.

Are Morch
By Are Morch, Digital Transformation Coach for Hotels, Are Morch, Digital Transformation Coach
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Opinion Article

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.

Robert Mandelbaum
By Robert Mandelbaum, Director of Research Information Services, CBRE Hotels
Opinion Article

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.

Ryan Haynes
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
HN Original
Opinion Article

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.

By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
Opinion Article

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.

Kara Freedman
By Kara Freedman, Complex Director of Marketing, Conrad New York Downtown & Conrad New York Midtown, Hilton
Opinion Article

Sustainability in the hospitality industry: Going the extra mile

What’s holding hotels back from doing more than basic eco-friendly gestures, like reusing towels or reducing plastic, and embracing sustainable hospitality by adopting a green culture into their business? This article takes inspiration from a recent publication by Dr. Laura Zizka et al. that delves into current hotel green challenges.

Beatrice Venturini
By Beatrice Venturini, Hospitality Insights content editor, EHL
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Opinion Article

How Eco-Friendly Practices Can Transform Hotel Market Appeal

As climate change concerns increase, growing consumer demand for sustainability from brands has grown to help drive more positive changes. As the hospitality industry has a significant impact on the environment due to high resource usage, energy consumption, and waste production, consumers are becoming more interested in hotels that are making an effort to adopt eco-friendly practices.

Indiana Lee
By Indiana Lee, Freelance Technical Writer, Indiana Lee Writes
Opinion Article

Myth busting 2: Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD) vs Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)

There's a common misconception that the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) are interchangeable or always need to be discussed together. While both regulations aim to enhance transparency and sustainability in business practices, they serve distinct purposes and target different audiences. The CSRD focuses on corporate sustainability reporting, applying to a broad range of companies across sectors. On the other hand, the SFDR is specific to financial market participants and advisers (Figure 1), ensuring transparency in how sustainability risks are considered in financial products. Although they complement each other in the EU’s broader sustainability agenda, their scopes and requirements do not inherently overlap, and one does not automatically necessitate mention of the other. There is never enough myth-busting. Therefore, in this article, I will explain what you need to know about the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). 

Melinda Ratkai
By Melinda Ratkai, Dr. Professor of Hospitality Business, Hotelschool The Hague