According to a recent Forbes article, sustainable hotels are getting more attention and are booking at higher rates compared to traditional ‘resource-intensive’ hotels. Some of the largest global hospitality brands, such as Hyatt Hotels Corp., Marriott International and Hilton, stay focused on reducing energy, water and waste within their operations, as well as educating their guests with in-room messaging. Some newcomers in the worldwide sustainable hospitality business are changing the overall notion of what a hotel is and other global hotels are designing and building net zero hotels or are using geothermal energy.
However, implementing smart building technology and the Internet of Things may also have sustainable effects. Water savings are vital for all hotels. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, bathrooms are the largest users of potable water – about 30 percent of hotel water use – followed by landscaping and laundry – each with 16 percent – and kitchens with 14 percent.
Sustainability initiatives not only have a return on investment, but also have marketing benefits to attract clients that like to spend their dollars with companies they believe are doing the right thing. Where they don’t have these benefits, self-preservation counts: spending time amidst wildfires, hurricanes, blizzards, mudslides and unbreathable air quality is not what people want.
