From rooftop beekeeping to ditching single-use plastics, many hotels are embracing environmental sustainability. The pandemic of 2020 has only boosted the trend: In an April 2021 poll by global agency Virtuoso, 82% of luxury travelers reported that the pandemic made them want to travel even more sustainably going forward. But is there enough supply to meet growing demand? And on which areas should hotels focus for the biggest impact?

For owners and brands, developing a hotel from scratch — versus retrofitting an existing property — is a unique chance to seamlessly integrate technologies and infrastructure that remove friction from the guest experience while reducing environmental impact. Thankfully, today"s global hotel construction pipeline is at a record high; this translates to countless opportunities for developers to innovate.

In this webinar, hosted by the Cornell School of Hotel Administration"s Center for Hospitality Research, hotel design and engineering leaders will explore ways to build smarter and more sustainably, and address what that means for guests — as well as the future of hotel development and of our planet.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • The current state of sustainability and smart technologies in hotel development
  • How smarter, more sustainable hotels are changing the guest and employee experiences
  • Innovative construction practices and new technologies to reduce carbon emissions and waste, increase efficiency, and improve the guest experience
  • Future predictions and how to integrate key sustainable development goals

 

SPEAKERS

  • Bob Winter "85, PE, DIRECTOR OF HOSPITALITY, IMEG Corporation
  • Lisa Chervinsky "89, AIA, NCARB, Lisa Chervinsky "89, AIA, NCARB, LECTURER, Cornell School of Hotel Administration
  • Shane O"Flaherty, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOSPITALITY, Microsoft
  • Tyler Lavin, MMH "10, VP, DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT – NORTH AMERICA, citizenM