How to Go Green in Hotels & Resorts
[The Ultimate Guide]

Wondering how a hotel can go green? We have collected a list of our top sustainable hotel ideas to help establishments create greener practices.

Eloise Webb

4th February 2022

Hotels

Sustainable hotels and resorts are establishments that have practices in place to significantly reduce their environmental impact. This can be done through a number of areas such as maintenance, services, logistics, products and supplies. Their main objectives should be looking for new ways to reduce waste, save on energy and cut down water usage.

With the environment becoming more and more of a talking point and something at the forefront of the consumer's mind, many businesses are required to re-evaluate their priorities.

To illustrate how popular this is becoming, Tripadvisor is now offering a green initiative called the green leadership program where they will highlight the top green hotels in certain areas. For a Hotel to become a green leader they need to apply for the program with the link above and then their business will be ranked either Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. The higher the status, the greater the impact of the company's green practices.

So now we know the why, let’s look at the how!

Some changes can incur huge costs and would need a feasible amount of time to take action, however there are some simple changes that can be made today.

In a bid to help clear things up, we have curated a list of our top sustainable hotel ideas to help companies go green.

Outsourcing to sustainable Laundrys

An effortless way for a hotel or resort to go green is by outsourcing their laundry to a sustainable laundry company such as Oxwash. Every year the hotel industry producesses tonnes of laundry and, if not washed correctly, can lead to environmental harm.

A standard 10kg wash uses around 50 litre of water and 1.2Wh of electricity. Most traditional washing practices also still involve harmful detergents.

When you find a quality laundry partner, they will have high efficiency equipment that will ensure maximum efficiency and minimal damage and are designed to use less water on a maximised load.

Here at Oxwash, with our cutting edge machinery and processes, we are able to save 32 litres of water per eight kg by using water recovery and recycling technology. Interested in partnering with us, click here.

Ethical and sustainable Linen

Using sustainable sourced bed linen is essential. Linen is one of the most biodegradable fabrics in textiles. Not only this, but it is also strong, naturally moth resistant and naturally made. A great place to buy ethical wholesale linen is hotel suppliers.

Hotels should look to avoid mixed materials. They are often mixed with plastics that, when washed, can lead to microfiber pollution in the waterways. If you want to learn more about this topic, our blog on microfibers can help. Replacing linen can be expensive, so if you already own mixed-fiber linen and don’t want to cause more waste, try using Oxwash! Here at Oxwash, our washers have filters, so all those nasty micro plastics can be caught before making their way into the environment.

A great sustainable hotel idea is to start a linen reuse program in all the guest rooms. This will give the customer the option of not having their bedding and towels changed as frequently as usual. In an effort to incentivise this proposal, the hotel can offer rewards for participating.

LED Lighting

All hotels that are interested in a sustainable practice should have LED lights installed or a plan to install them. You can save as much as 70% on overall energy efficiency and they are more effective. Not only does this help the environment, but it will help to lower the energy bill!

Locally and ethical sourced food

Hotels can now make a change to their menus to be more ethical. This could be by offering more locally-sourced food; not only is it environmental but it also helps towards supporting the local community. This will also aid the reduction of the company's carbon footprint.

Another easy switch is to make sure the food you are sourcing is plastic-free whenever possible. An example of this could be switching individual packets of condiments and using a sharing system. Consumers are much more open to these ideas when faced with the reality of the alternative.

Another great tip is to make sure you are disposing of food waste properly. Hotel kitchens can have a high amount of raw food waste, this could be turned into compost. A great partner for food waste management is Olleco who will collect Hotel food waste and make sure it is correctly disposed of.

Plastic-free room supplies

Common practice in hotels a few years ago was to offer mini versions of toiletries. With the growing understanding that we need to move away from single use plastics, these mini toiletries are no longer viable. Instead, hotels can look to use glass containers that they can refill after every stay.

Hotels can also make sure the fridges are stocked with glass bottles when possible. If they want to go a step further, they can make sure there are jugs for refill fountains plotted around the hotel.

Reducing Water Waste

To reduce water use, consider using rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting is one of the easiest ways to reduce water consumption, this will not only help the environment but it will make your water usage more efficient and save money.

Another great installation is a greywater system, this will allow hotels to collect the water from washbasins, showers, and baths. This water will be stored until it can be reused for toilets or irrigation.

Hotels that are following these measures, or at least have plans in motion to action them, will be well on their way to creating a greener hotel.

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