In recognition of Earth Day, Kerzner International has become a member of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, marking a key step in its commitment to sustainable hospitality. The Alliance unites over 100 organizations to push forward environmental and social responsibility in the hospitality sector.
The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, continues to advance its sustainability journey by accelerating the use of renewable energy across its portfolio. Under its ESG+ framework, Paathya, IHCL marked a significant milestone in FY 2024-25 with 51 hotels drawing power from clean energy sources including 13 operating on 100% renewable energy, through a mix of on-site installations, off-site sourcing, and strategic power purchase agreements.
Banyan Group, a leader in sustainable hospitality, unveils its 2024 Sustainability Report—One Banyan, One Sustainable Future. The 19th edition reports on the Group’s advancements in driving action and impact across key environmental, social, and economic dimensions, reaffirming sustainability as a core foundation of its business.
Staypineapple, the national boutique hotel brand, has continued to build on its sustainability achievements over the past year. The company is expanding green practices across all properties and at the corporate level. With these efforts, it is positioning itself as a forward-thinking leader in the hospitality space.
In June 2024, on World Refugee Day, over 120 million people and counting have been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This number is higher than ever before, as global conflicts and humanitarian crises–including the climate crisis–continue to force people around the world to flee their homes. As families who have had their lives upended resettle in new communities across the US, finding employment is one of the most pivotal, challenging, and rewarding steps in being able to provide for their families and reestablish roots.
Reflections after fifteen years of driving sustainability in Europe, North Africa and Asia's hospitality sector.
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.
As a candidate for UN Tourism Secretary-General, Harry Theoharis is a strong advocate and reaffirmed his call for launching a Global Tourism Fund and explained why UN Tourism, under his leadership, will be in the best position to manage it.
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, a collection of independent resorts and hotels by Pyramid Global Hospitality, announces a new partnership with the leading ocean cleanup company and Certified B Corporation, 4ocean, to remove thousands of pounds of trash and plastic from the world's oceans, rivers, and coastlines. Kicking off just ahead of Earth Day (April 22) and continuing through 2025, a dozen of Benchmark’s coastal escapes – from Chatham Bars Inn in Cape Cod to Wayfinder Waikiki in Hawaii – will roll out experiences that encourage guests to explore and enjoy the local waters while supporting cleanup around the globe.
Projeto Biodiversidade and BIOS Cabo Verde, two environmental conservation organisations from Cape Verde, have presented the outcome of the 2024 loggerhead sea turtle nesting season. Both of these organisations receive support from RIU Hotels & Resorts, the hotel chain that operates six establishments in the destination and is involved in biodiversity protection and conservation initiatives as part of its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy. The births took place in the hatcheries set up by these organisations on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, which help make Cape Verde home to one of the world’s most important nesting populations of this species.
Half-finished plates of food, vegetables that spoiled in the walk-in, and a few stale pieces of toast from the breakfast buffet don’t sound all that shocking. After each service, restaurant and hotel food waste isn’t very dramatic, but over time all the wasted food really adds up.
Food has always played a central role in hospitality—but its meaning and impact are rapidly expanding. As outlined in our newly released Food & Wellbeing Trend Report 2025, developed at EHL with a diverse group of global experts, food is no longer just about nourishment or indulgence. It’s about connection, regeneration, and the pursuit of personal and planetary health.
Scandic’s Annual and Sustainability Report is available as a PDF in Swedish and English atwww.scandichotelsgroup.com. The Swedish report is also available on Scandic’s website in European Single Electronic Format (ESEF).
In my experience, most of the independent SME accommodation owners with whom I have worked start on their sustainability journey with positivity and engagement, yet few continue to maintain both over time. The problem seems to lie in the underestimation of the time and commitment required to overhaul the operational processes in every department, a procedure essential to achieving continuous sustainability outcomes over time. Despite making business owners aware that their sustainability journey will require fundamental changes from the outset, it seems they do not fully grasp what this actually means until we move forwards. Then as we do, and awareness sets in, so does what I can only describe as reticence, or is it really fear?
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.
UN Tourism has welcomed Vienna as the newest member of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO). With this, Vienna becomes part of a global alliance of 46 destinations dedicated to monitoring tourism’s economic, environmental and social impact at the destination level.
As the founding brand of Accor, Novotel has been at the forefront of hospitality innovation for more than half a century. Today, with 600 hotels in 68 countries and a strong global pipeline, Novotel remains a driving force for Accor, demonstrating high profitability and visibility, leading through innovation, sustainability and positive impact. Novotel remains at the forefront of hospitality, shaping the future while maintaining its core values, crafting unique experiences - such as the newly launched Novotel Legendary Rooms worldwide offering guests an immersive PSG experience like never before - serving both business travelers and families eager to share quality moments while contributing to the health of our planet.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has published a new report to showcase the impact of the community partnerships it has forged in East Asia & Pacific. With 334,000 lives improved in 2024, the report shines a light on the inspirational partnerships established by IHG teams across this geographically diverse area.
The QHotels Collection has announced that all of its 19 hotels and resorts have achieved Green Tourism accreditation, signifying its commitment to sustainability.
Sustainable travel is not a trend that will fade. It is shaping how people choose where to stay, how they get there, and what they do once they arrive. More travelers, especially younger generations, want their trips to have a positive impact. They are paying attention to how destinations manage resources, support local communities, and minimize environmental harm. If your hotel or resort is not making sustainability a priority, you are losing more than bookings. You are losing trust.