Opinion Articles

Invest in Our Future: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Industry

The theme for the Future Hospitality Summit - FHS World 2024, taking place from 30 September -2 October at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai is ‘Invest in Our Future’. The conference programme will comprise numerous content tracks under the main theme including Investment & Development;, Destination & Urban Development; People, Planet, Profit; Tech & Innovation; and Real Estate Hotelisation. In the lead up to the event we asked several industry partners about how they’re investing in the future in 2024 and beyond.

How Innovative Business Models in Gastronomy lead to social impact

The gastronomic industry is undergoing a revolution, as entrepreneurs redefine how food businesses operate by intertwining culinary art with social impact. Instead of merely serving delicious meals, pioneers like The Melting Pot Foundation, Thought for Food, and Comida para Todos have transformed restaurants and food systems into platforms for community empowerment, social responsibility, and innovation. We had the pleasure to host the entrepreneurs behind these ventures for a panel discussion at EHL Hospitality Business School and they demonstrated that food businesses can be more than profit-driven; they can become vehicles for meaningful change.

One Crucial but Easy Step to Food Waste Reduction at Business Events: Where do I put My Rubbish?

I cannot be alone. I am sure we have all looked at those waste receptacles/rubbish bins with questioning eyes and asked ourselves, what goes where? Although you will often be given a list of appropriate items, there is no way to include every possible allowable item. If you are like me, what you have in your hand is a plate or container of mixed items requiring multiple bins, further complicating the problem.

Cultivating local food at EHL's 1893: Cultifutura's vertical farming

In this interview, we speak with Emilia Konert, the co-founder and CEO of Cultifutura, a pioneer in vertical farming technology. Recently, Cultifutura's innovative solutions were implemented at the 1893 restaurant of EHL Hospitality Business School, marking a significant step towards sustainable local food supply. Emilia shares the story behind Cultifutura, discussing its origins, the challenges faced, and the opportunities realized. She also highlights the benefits of this technology for the EHL community, including fresh, locally-grown produce and hands-on education in sustainability. Join us as we listen to Emilia's vision for the future of urban farming and its impact on hospitality and sustainability.

Sustainable Hospitality: Using Technology to Go Green Means More ‘Green’ for Hoteliers

In 2023, the World Tourism Organization spotlighted an impressive trend: a significant 73% of global travelers now prefer hotels that adopt sustainable practices. This shift is driving hotels to incorporate green technology extensively in their operations. According to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, by 2025, green technology will distinguish industry leaders in the hospitality sector.

What is sustainable travel: 10 best practices

As academics specializing in the travel, tourism and hospitality (TTH) industry, we have trained and advised dozens of companies in their journey towards sustainable businesses. There is so much more to sustainable travel & tourism than the generic statements you see on brand websites - which are invarably an attempt to greenwash.

My plea for action: Why I’m calling for an entirely single use plastic free hospitality industry globally by 1st January 2025

The hospitality industry could be one of the most beautiful and united working environments on the planet. So why, in 2024, are we seeing such global discrepancy across international tourism efforts to become single use plastic free? Tourists are the single biggest culprit of single-use-plastic waste and it is down to the hotels to motivate each other to take immediate action.

Embedding Sustainability into a Hotel Starts with Leadership

Organizational structures and job titles grow and evolve the same as every other facet of running a business and adapting to the times. Two decades ago, we may have written about the dawn of online room sales and how hotels would be wise to carve out a ‘social media manager’ role which was quite novel at the time. Today it’s all but anathema to not have a team member solely devoted to this area or specific responsibilities assigned to the marketing director, depending on the size of the company.