What Is an Eco-Friendly Hotel? 5 Real Changes

Hotel owners are trying new things to win over the “woke” millennials. They go green by building eco-friendly hotels.

However, an eco-friendly hotel is more than a marketing way to attract more people, it is about making our environment more sustainable by committing to different parts of life. And this trend is here to stay.

Then, it raises the question: what exactly is an eco-friendly hotel? It’s more than collecting raindrops for flushing down toilets.

Energy

Today, the best practices for reducing carbon footprints often mean using green, recyclable energy like solar, and windmill energy.

For hotels, solar panels are a great way to get into a more sustainable future. By adopting solar panels on the roofs and other parts of the hotel, a hotel can generate electricity for its daily operation, eventually cutting down the electricity bill. Installing enough solar panels for hotels to make a difference in the energy bill might not be in a small number, but it’s definitely a worthwhile long-term investment.

Electric Carpool and Charging Stations

Electric cars are far superior in terms of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide compared to gas cars. With electricity from green energy sources, electric cars can be another sustainable commitment by hotels.

Hotels are also installing electric charges with common plug adaptors for EV owners in the parking lots. There are even apps for EV owners to find hotels with electric car chargers. Hotels can now be the destination for the guests to stay and their EVs to charge overnight.

Paperless Check-in & Out

The smart hotel check-in system offers features like checking in and out without signing any paper. You can even use your phone to open your hotel room. Smart systems can also help turn off lights when a room isn’t being occupied by any guests.

Recyclable & Green Amenities

Reducing plastic is a huge part of cutting the use of oil and carbon emissions. It’s been forever for hotels to offer a lot of bottled water for their staying guests. But it might be changing.

Hotels are installing water purification systems with ultra-filtration. Hotels also offer recycled, properly disinfected glassware for drinking. So the staying guests can drink water without making more plastic waste.

Hotels that offer laundry services will also be likely to stop offering laundry bags. Replacements like cotton bags are most likely. Other hospitality amenities like one-time shampoo or shower gel will likely be in staff-open, refillable soap dispensers, in an attempt to save the use of plastic.

Food

Companies that develop plant-based substitutes for meat products claim that making their products use 95% less land and 74% less water. It emits about 87% less greenhouse gas than making a ground beef burger patty from cows. Additionally, the plant-based "meat" has more protein, less total fat, no cholesterol, and less food energy than a same-sized hamburger beef patty.

As more hotels are becoming more eco, they are experimenting with different aspects of hotel daily operation. Some hotels are embracing this because they are trying to appeal to environmentally-conscious clients or while some are really committed to making a difference in the environment. Whatever the case may be, this trend to embrace eco-friendliness is here to stay.

Source: acslocks, hotel-icon, tatlerasia

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