GREENING OF THE HOTELS: THE ORGANIZATIONAL BENEFITS

Introduction:
The present day tourism industry is increasingly becoming more conscious to operate in a
sustainable manner. But just planning for sustainable tourism or just including sustainable
tourism as a part of the National Policy does not give us much benefit. Thus the tourism
products, promoted by the service providers and the components, based on which an area
becomes a successful tourism destination; need to be “GREEN” in order to ensure sustainable
development of tourism. The future of tourism lies in the Greening of its major components.

The need for Go-Green Campaign in Tourism:

Climate change is no more a fancy term used in a Board room meeting of the Bureaucrats but a
stark reality today. The world is waking up and inhaling the pollution – and it’s not a pretty
scent. Resource depletion and plundered eco-systems have caused water shortages and madly
fluctuating fuel prices. No longer just scientific jargon, global warming and the extinction of
species are issues being addressed in schools and debated in the UN. All human activity from
eating and drinking to manufacturing, from entertainment to travel, is now measured against a
standard of sustainability.

Climate change is a common concern faced by all countries. Concern is not to decide who is the
major contributor- Developed or the Developing Countries, but to

ACT towards it in a way:

 ACT Now- Acting now is essential, or else options disappear
 ACT Together- Acting together is the key to keeping the costs down and effectively tackling
both adaptation and mitigation.
 ACT Differently- Acting differently is required to enable a sustainable future in a changing
world.

Each person from each corner of society has to participate into it. No wonder we have seen an
advertisements of a famous mobile company where a celebrity comes and asks people to reduce
paper use and start using mobile; “Go Green campaign” started by famous TV news channels.
Time has come to ACT, otherwise days are not far when man has to leave earth and go to
‘Pandora’ in search of resources. Go-Green Campaign in tourism is an endeavour to assess how
aware we are and what we as individuals are doing to fight against this climate change.

The Concept of Green Hotels:

According to the “Green” Hotels Association – “Green Hotels are environmentally-friendly
properties whose managers are eager to institute that save water, save energy and reduce solid
waste—while saving money—to help PROTECT OUR ONE AND ONLY EARTH!”

The “green hotels” strive to be more ecologically conscious through the efficient use of energy,
water, and materials while providing quality services. Green hotels conserve and preserve by
saving water, reducing energy use, and reducing solid waste. They have seen benefits such as
reduced costs and liabilities, high return and low-risk investments, increased profits, and positive
cash flows. Identifying these benefits and incentives has allowed the popularity of green hotels to
grow. Hotels are consistently becoming greener. The most costly and wasteful use of resources
in hotels are usually in the consumption of non-renewable energy, excessive water use, and the
generation of waste. From adding “Drinking water served on request only” to the menu to
installing new HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, and with every
measure in between, “Green” Hotels Association® encourages, promotes and supports the
“greening” of the lodging industry.

As aptly said by Dave Jacobs, General Manager of Hyatt Regency, O’Hare “Our hotel is
committed to being an industry leader in ‘Going Green’. It is our duty to preserve natural
resources and do our part to help with environmental conservation. We are dedicated to
encouraging both our staff and guests to make thoughtful Earth- friendly choices on a daily
basis.”

As the hoteliers take a decisive step forward in their “Go-Green Campaign” to do their bit in
making our home (mother earth) a better place, they have to introspect in every act they
do…………Green Hotel concept is just a small but a significant contribution.

The Current Customer Demands:

Swank and impeccable service is no longer parameters enough to judge a hotel. An educated
environment-conscious traveler looks for more – and the word is “GREEN”. As fresh air
becomes the most-coveted luxury, the travelers rate the hotels on the green-o-meter. “Green
cleaning”, which encourages the guests to show their concern for the environment by getting
their bed linen changed every other day instead of every day, in addition to prudent water use.

As reported in Lodging Magazine by Ron Berger, General Manager of the Sheraton Rancho
Cordova, Rancho Cordova, California –
“People have written in with lots of positive comments, saying they appreciate us trying to make
a difference. The efforts have afforded the property a 5 per cent drop in utility costs alone.”

Greg Parsons, General Manager for Radisson Hotel Arrowwood Resort, Alexandria, Minnesota.
As reported in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press –
“I went into this with the belief that if one customer said they didn’t like it I would stop it,
because we’re very sensitive about perceptions of cleanliness. To my amazement, I haven’t had
one complaint in more than four months. Some days, housekeeping staffers, who usually clean 15
rooms a day, don’t change a single bed” He hasn’t done a formal study of cost savings, but
estimated “with confidence, that 70 per cent of people staying more than one night participate in
the program.”

Roger Ellis, spokesman for Steigenberger Reservation Service which handles luxury hotels, as
reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer –
“Hotels are finding that guests like to know hotels are doing their part to conserve and cut
down.”

According to Larry Miller, Owner, River Run B&B, Fleischmans, New York –
“I’ve never had any one single thing change my life the way your Towel Hanger has. I’ve always
spent all day Saturday gathering up towels, washing, drying, folding and putting them back in
guest rooms. Now my Saturdays are MINE. Now, with the Towel Hanger, only one in every 30 or
40 guests will want fresh towels on Saturday.”

Bob & Stephanie Melvin, Innkeepers at Westchester House B&B, PARTNER MEMBER,
Saratoga Springs, New York via e-mail to “Green” Hotel Association –
“We have probably reduced our towel laundry for stayovers by something like 2⁄3rds by simply
putting up the ‘Green’ Hotels sign in the bathrooms. We should have done this a decade ago.”

Benefits for the Hoteliers:

Why business houses would indulge in ‘Green’ activities? ‘Green’ appliances, fixtures and
process most of the times attract extra investment. As a business house the hoteliers must have
benefits of ROI to initiate or continue with the ‘Green’ activities. Let us find out how a win-win
scenario can be created for the hoteliers, where on one hand they will earn benefit and on the
other hand environment would also not be harmed. Few of the reasons for which the hoteliers are
opting for ‘Green’ establishments are as follows –

1. Higher long-term value of the property.

2. Bring guests back again and again.
3. Keeping staff long-term because management clearly cares for their health and well-being.
4. Being green means guests, staff and management are healthier.
5. Any green property will demand a higher price because its value is much enhanced by lower
utility bills per square foot.
6. Enhances the media attention, thus surrogate publicity is accomplished.
7. Most owners go through the ‘GREEN’ certification process because they already believe that
minimizing their environmental impact is the right thing to do. Green Business Certification
becomes an extension of their values and helps them to make sure that they are doing all that
they can to operate sustainably.
8. More consumers are looking to support companies that demonstrate a commitment to
sustainability. In fact, a recent Nielsen survey concluded that, “Going forward, brands have
to define a credible, relevant social purpose, deliver greater social value, and communicate
that value effectively to attract and retain consumers.” Businesses that can demonstrate that
they stand for more than just making money will have the competitive advantage in the
future.
9. Being green goes directly to the bottom line
i. When energy-saving measures are introduced, such as energy management systems,
fluorescent bulbs, ceiling fans, linen cards, lights out cards, motion sensors for public rest
rooms, meeting rooms, exercise rooms, etc., energy bills are much reduced.
ii. When water-saving equipment and techniques are introduced, such as low-flow
showerheads, 1.5 gpm aerators, serving water on request only in restaurants, 1.6 gpm
dishwashing valves, low-flow toilets, waterless urinals, toilet tank fill diverters in older
toilets and linen cards, water bills are reduced dramatically.
iii. Waste hauling is a huge expense for a hotel which can be lowered drastically through
recycling and avoiding wastefully-packaged products. Hoteliers can ask vendors to
deliver products in minimal wrapping. Vendors can even be asked to deliver products one
day, and pick up the packaging materials the next day.
Conclusion:
For a hotel to change its traditional ways of operating takes time and the ability to look past the
expectation that if something is sustainable is will be more costly and will have a slow payback
rate. A hotel can begin its green hotel process by something as simple as setting out recycling
bins or asking guests to turn off the lights in their rooms when they leave. The staff may ask
guests if they would like their room to be cleaned daily if their stay is longer than one day. These
steps are simple, and are less costly than many other green approaches, and they do make a
difference in developing a green hotel.

A very important factor in becoming green is to realize that, while some steps may be small,
none are insignificant. The hotel can target the lighting in those areas where the energy use is
highest. Then they might set a goal of lowering their energy use by 20% over a one year period,
or replacing the current lighting fixtures with compact fluorescent lighting. Setting goals and
targets and monitoring results are great tools for observing your progress in energy use as well as
your declining energy costs.

Bibliography:
 Hall Michael C, Allan Williams; (2008) ―Tourism and Innovation; Taylor and Francis;
London.
 Shoval Noam and Isaacson Michal (2009) ―Tourist Mobility and Advanced Tracking
Technologies; T & F Books; USA.
 LIVING, The Park Magazine.
 Centre for Science and Environment, June 2011 ―Aviation and Environment-A Working
Paper by Arushi Stefan Drews
 www.greenhotels.com
 www.zerowaste.org
 www.touristplacesinindia.com/eco-tours/green-hotels.html
 www.ecogreenhotel.com
 www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com
 www.topics.treehugger.com
 www.gogreentravelgreen.com
 www.khabarexpress.com
 www.petergreenberg.com
 www.breakingtravelnews.com
 www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/documents/ger/GER_11_Tourism.pdf
 www.strategy-business.com/media/file/sb60_10304.pdf