LOHAS A Holistic Management Framework for the Hotel Industry v3

LOHAS
Leading management practices for the Hotel Industry
Occupancy rate utilization
Hotel’s product mix
Award & Certification
Sustainability & Governance
LOHAS
A Holistic Management Framework for the Hotel Industry
Hotel Industry best practices review and some personal thoughts
Developed by
Dimitris Katsarellos MBA, CMCSCBD
This study was prepared with the intention of:
1. Enhancing the literature of the existing Lodging Management practices
2. Aid the Hotel industry to address the issue of operational efficiency
enhancement within the context of sustainability
3. Commercially exploit the merits of the LOHAS Holistic Management
framework wherever applicable
Athens, 20/8/2016

Introduction
Tourism is recognized as one of the world’s largest industries and continues to
expand at a rapid rate according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a
United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and
universally accessible tourism.
Current developments and forecasts:
•International tourist arrivals grew by 4.4 % in 2014 to 1.135 billion
•In 2014, international tourism generated US$ 1.5 trillion in export earnings
•UNWTO forecasts a growth in international tourist arrivals of between 3% and 4% in
2015
For 2015, UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow between 3% and
4%. By region, growth is expected to be stronger in Asia and the Pacific (+4% to
+5%) and the Americas (+4% to +5%), followed by Europe (+3% to +4%). Arrivals
are expected to increase by +3% to +5% in Africa and by +2% to +5% in the Middle
East.
Problem identification
Traditional revenue management associated with best available rate pricing,
managing to budgets and other antiquated approaches have benefitted
intermediaries at the expense of hoteliers.
To tackle these complexities and regain control of their bottom line, hoteliers
must implement highly integrated and flexible pricing and cost reduction
strategies.
The current study is a synthesis of relative literature, best market practices and
practical suggestions all aiming to increase a hotel’s top line (sales revenue) and to
contain costs in order to support a sustainable bottom line.
The term sustainable bottom line refers to hotel profits which are formed within
a corporate responsible and environmental friendly environment.
Eco-advantage – a strategic approach
It can be built as part of your environmental audits or conducted separately as a
GHG inventory report done by a carbon management firm.
This concept of Eco-advantage builds upon the following four key pillars:
costs, risks, revenues and intangibles.

Furthermore, the model distinguishes a downside and an upside. The intention of this
model is to decrease the downside (costs and risks) while simultaneously increasing
the upside (revenues and intangibles).
Having a ‘green’ brand can be a powerful source for a true competitive advantage.
From “Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to
Innovate, Create Value, and Build a Competitive Advantage.” by Esty, D.C. and
Winston, A.S., 2006.
Hotel’s Environmental impact
It has been estimated that seventy-five percent (75%!!) of hotels’ environmental
impacts can be directly related to excessive consumption (Bohdanowicz,
2006).
Excessive consumption means increase Hotel cost bill with no add value
Excessive consumption is
wasteful in terms of resources
and it creates unnecessary
operational costs for the hotel
industry.
The three key areas where cost
containment with a positive of
environmental impact are:
-energy,
-water,
-and waste

Energy
Excessive energy use is extremely costly and with minor adjustments, it can lead to
massive cost savings.
According to Gössling et. al. (2005), “the average energy consumption per bed
per night in hotels might be in the order of 130 Megajoules.
Studies have determined that a hotel emits an average 20.6 kg of carbon dioxide per
night (Gössling et al., 2005).
Water
Tourists and residents alike require a clean and dependable supply of water for
survival including drinking, cooking and cleansing. However, water is integral to the
amenities usually expected by tourists, such as swimming pools, landscaped
gardens, and golf courses.
Tourists demand more water than local residents on a per capita basis (Essex,
Kent & Newnham, 2004).
It has been estimated by Salen (1995) that 15,000 cubic meters of water would
typically supply 100 rural farmers for three years and 100urban families for two
years, yet only supply 100 luxury hotel guests for less than two months
(Holden, 2000).
In dryer regions, tourists’ water consumption can amount to 440 liters a day
per tourist, which is almost double the average amount of water used by
residents in Spain (UNEP, 2008).
Waste
A study conducted by Bohdanowicz (2005) also identified that hotels are not only
resource intensive and that waste generation is one of the most visible effects on the
environment.
One estimate identified “that an average hotel produces in excess of one
kilogram of waste per guest per day” (Bohdanowicz 2005:190).
Approximately 30 percent of waste in hotels can be diverted through reuse and
recycling.

Why go green? - The business case for sustainability
Several studies have indicated that economic benefits can be gained in hotels
through implementing environmental and social initiatives; many with little or no
capital.
In addition to cost benefits, there
are also benefits to choosing an
environmentally sustainable
strategy. These include:
1.Gaining competitive
advantage by being a leader in
the sector;
2.Customer loyalty;
3.Employee retention;
4.Awards and recognition;
5.Regulatory compliance;
6.Risk management;
70. Increased brand value.
But most of all, because it’s the
right thing to do!
Benefit: cost savings
Brebbia and Pineda (2004) claim that financial savings are one of the most significant
factors that influence the implementation of environmental initiatives in a hotel.
Hotel operators that can maximize their efficiency and reduce waste will be more
cost-effective than their competitors.
For example, a hotel can reduce its energy consumption by 20-40% without
adversely affecting performance.
Some examples of environmental initiatives and cost savings include:
Holiday Inn on King in Toronto reports saving Cdn $14,852 per year through the
installation of low flow showerheads and faucet aerators (Graci 2002).
The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto invested Cdn $25,000 in an energy
conservation program to replace leaky steam traps and fix leaks, which resulted in an
annual savings of over Cdn $200,000 (Graci 2002).
The Comfort Inn and Suites in RedDeer, Alberta has implemented a roofbased
solar energy system to reduce large energy costs. The system heats and cools the
hotel and converts waste energy from the hotel’s other systems.
The Holiday Inn in North Vancouver,British Columbia has saved approximately
USD $16,000 annually and reduced 28 percent of its energy consumption through
installing an in-room energy management system.
The system features occupancy sensors that automatically monitor and adjust
individual room temperatures.

The system was able to ensure a return on investment within 14 months (Green
Lodging News 2008).
Benefit: competitive advantage
Green programs can provide a competitive advantage to leaders as long as green
activities continue to be voluntary.
Hotels with business models that revolve around green practices will have the
strongest opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage by being ahead of
the emerging sustainability curve.
New brands including Starwood Capital’s “1” Hotel and Residences, Starwood Hotel
and Resorts Element and Hyatt’s Andaz, which feature LEED certified buildings as
part of their brand standards, offer a variety of green products, such as green
spas and restaurants.
The Fairmont has received many awards relating to their green practices, such as
the 2008 Environmental Leadership Award from the Professional Convention
Management Association and the 2008 Green Leadership
Award from Hotelier Magazine (Fairmont,2008).
Awards and recognition spread the news of the hotel’s efforts and attracts new
clientele, such as corporations that need to conduct business with socially
responsible companies.
Benefit: employee retention
Employees, like hotel guests, are increasingly sophisticated and “tuned” into current
thinking in society and are far more likely to identify with an employer whose
principles and practices are aligned with their values.
Environmental programs have proved to be an effective means of generating
enthusiasm and motivating staff to work as a team to achieve a common
purpose.
Many hotel companies use environmental programs as a staff incentive the financial
savings earned are translated into cash or other rewards such as in-house events
or trips.
Employee turnover rate in the hotel sector is relatively high therefore increasing the
retention rate will also save the business money in training of new staff.
Benefit: customer loyalty
Over the past 25 years there has been a shift in the expectations and demands of
consumers.
The typical hotel guest of today is more sophisticated and to varying degrees
is likely to be concerned about environmental issues such as recycling bottles,
cans and paper at home as well as making greener lifestyle choices, such as
organic food or fuel-efficient vehicles.

Despite first-time guests basing their decisions on location, amenities and
service, customer loyalty may increase once they have experienced a hotel which
has demonstrated a level of environmental commitment such as recycling
Benefit: regulatory compliance
Hotels must anticipate future regulatory changes and implement initiatives to mitigate
the possible costly effects of emerging regulation.
Being aware of pending rule changes will allow you to adopt measures in
advance, and avoid potentially higher future costs which may be associated
with compliance and gain an advantage over competitors.
The hotel industry worldwide is increasingly being regulated for:
• Waste
• Water
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Energy use.
The question is whether to manage this proactively or reactively.
Companies that do not shy away from potential risks and lobby for progressive public
policy are grabbing hold of the opportunities to get ahead and drive policy change to
help them deliver commitments.

Travelife for Hotels &
Accommodations is an international
sustainability certification to improve
our members' social, environmental
and economic impacts (ABTA), has
seen tour operators working together
to promote a recognizable
international standard for the supply
chain, and is helping companies
improve operational standards.
Benefit: risk management
Traditionally, a hotel’s risk management strategy has been focused on health
and safety concerns around food and water, pest infestation, fire or water
damage, outbreaks of disease, and guest security and safety.
Ιn recent years however, environmental and social issues are emerging as a key risk
issue for the lodging sector.
Environmental risks include:
• Water and land contamination.
• Air and noise pollution.
• Supply chain environmental practices.
• Waste management.
Environmental risks also have an impact on the cost of capital for businesses of
various types and sizes, and may affect the value of a company over the long
term.
In addition, the investment community is increasingly regarding excellence in
environmental management and performance as an indication of the quality and
aptitude of management in general.
Some insurance companies and lenders are beginning to selectively adjust
their rates based on environmental criteria stipulated by ethical funds.

Companies that integrate the environment into their
business decisions and reduce their environmental
risk and potential liabilities are in a better position to
secure investment and reduce their financial and
reputational market exposure (Graci and Dodds,
2009).
Benefit: because it’s the right thing to do!
Beyond regulation and compliance, many
environmental and social initiatives are voluntary.
Whether driven by cost savings or a principled strategy, the hotel industry is
recognizing the environment, the community and their human capital as a
valuable resource to be protected. Long-term business sustainability will depend
on this.
Many hotels have implemented social initiatives and corporate social responsibility
(CSR) into their regular day-to-day practices.
Corporate social responsibility in the hotel industry ideally exists in human resources
management, the local community, and through promoting and practicing
environmental initiatives (Bohdanowicz & Zientara, 2008) and is heavily influenced by
internal and external forces.
CSR has been widely expanding throughout the hotel industry, mainly to
prove that corporate unethical behavior is no longer a problem. Thus, hotels are
embarking on being ethical through social initiatives by protecting and supporting
communities, their human resources, and by implementing environmental initiatives
(Bohdanowicz & Zientara, 2008).
Many international and local hotels are becoming involved in corporate social
responsibility in order to extend their brand knowledge to different types of
audiences, to gain employee retention and improved competitive advantage
(Bohdanowicz & Zientara, 2008), and lastly because it is “the right thing to do”.
Sixty-five percent of the top 100 companies in the world employ some sort of
corporate social responsibility statement featured on their websites (Holcomb
et al., 2007).

How to get started – STEP BY STEP
PROCESS
It is evident that there are a number of
benefits to going green, many of which
increase your bottom line as well as your
brand value.
The questions remain then, how to get
started? and what are the tools to success?
There are eight key components to establishing a program to effectively green
your hotel:
1. Identify a green coordinator/champion.
2. Set a baseline to focus your efforts and measure future success.
3. Engage your staff.
4. Set an action plan.
5. Elect a Green Team to run the program in-house.
6. Write an Environmental Policy Statement.
7. Train employees.
8. Benchmark your efforts.
1. Identify a green coordinator/champion
In order for any environmental program to be successful, the first step is nominating
someone in the organization as being responsible for it.
Some potential choices for this role would be the general manager or other senior
management or executive staff within the business.
In addition to the green coordinator, the hotel must also have an environmental
coordinator to facilitate carrying out the program’s implementation.
The environmental coordinator would primarily be responsible for:
• Organizing the Green Team.
• Coordinating environmental audits for water, waste, energy, carbon emissions and
purchasing.
• Monitoring of performance against established goals.
The environmental coordinator is crucial to the success of the program as they will
assume the role of program manager, information gatherer, communicator, motivator
and ambassador to guests and clients (Fairmont, 2002).
Six Senses Hotels and Resorts operating out
of Thailand, dedicates three people, a Social
and Environment coordinator, an engineer
and an environmental analyst to administer
sustainable policies.
At the property level, each resort has a full-
time Social and Environment coordinator to

lead the property’s sustainability initiatives (Ernst and Young, 2008).
2. Setting a baseline – departmental audits
Departmental audits are essential to determining where you should focus your
efforts. To set future goals, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of the
hotel’s current position in terms of resource use by department.
Therefore, it is essential to audit how much energy and water is consumed, as well
as how much and what type of waste is generated. All operations generate
greenhouse gases (GHG), and as carbon emissions are increasingly being used as a
measure of efficiency, this could be incorporated as an indicator in your audits.
It can be built as part of your environmental audits or conducted separately as a
GHG inventory report done by a carbon management firm.
Measurement and benchmarking is crucial to the success of an environmental
program. You must to know what you use and produce before you can reduce it!
Departments that need to be audited are:
• Engineering
• Laundry
• General management
• Grounds and recreation
• Housekeeping
• Purchasing
• Kitchen and food and beverage
outlets
• Front desk
It is also good practice to ensure that
the measurements are tracked
against the established goals on a
regular basis by each department and there is a central tracking system which
consolidates all the data for analysis.
Annual reports indicating the baseline and progress made towards achieving your
goals will communicate your efforts to internal and external stakeholders and keep
the departments on track.
3. Determining staff support
Without the support of the employees, an environmental program will rarely succeed.
It is imperative to engage and consult with employees before starting and during the
development and implementation phase of an environmental program.
Employees also have a better understanding of the areas where savings can occur
and of small improvements that have the potential to make a big difference.
With advice from your employees, you will get a better understanding of both
the environmental issues within your property and of your employee’s concerns,
interest and passions. As an example, in some areas waste management might be a
common concern, whereas in other locations, water conservation and air quality may
be an issue.

Begin with an ideas campaign, and get employees excited about being able to
provide suggestions for the environmental program.
It will also help if you can give incentives for the best ideas related to reducing the
hotel’s overall environmental impact.
Consulting your employees is a great starting point for your environmental
program and gives employees a sense of empowerment and ownership. It will make
them proud to work at your hotel.
4. Setting an action plan
In order to achieve results, goals should be set on an annual basis. Using the audit
as a baseline, the goals should be attainable and measurable.
For example, a goal such as “Reduce energy consumption where possible” is
a great idea, but much too vague to be practical.
A clearer and more suitable action plan would be to “Replace all incandescent light
bulbs with compact fluorescents wherever possible” or to create “a policy that all
housekeeping staff keep all window drapes closed and lights turned off when a room
is not in use”.
This can then be translated into meaningful and measurable goals, such as
percentage reduction in a year, and also how much money that reduction has saved.
Specific and attainable action plans are much easier to monitor in terms of project
completion and cost savings.
In order to get you on track with the action plan:
• Choose goals in the first year that are easily attainable. An example is setting all
printers to double-sided printing.
• Keep track of all the cost savings measures. It will be easier to justify bigger
expenses in energy conservation.
By phasing in an environmental program and choosing easily attainable goals with
quick wins which have a major impact, it is easier to keep on track and find the
money to invest in bigger projects.

Seeing results should increase senior management support and generate employee
enthusiasm.
5. Electing a green committee or team
Once the support and enthusiasm of the employees is gained and an action plan
identified, it is imperative to assemble a team to run the new environmental program
in-house.
Establishing an environmental committee or “Green Team” is essential to the
success of an environmental program. It is also just as important to find a group of
enthusiastic employees who are passionate about environmental issues.
Finding a Green Champion from senior management is necessary for the Green
Team’s success.
Some considerations when selecting a Green Team are:
• Technical expertise in areas such as operations, engineering and purchasing.
• Departmental representation such as front desk, food and beverage, housekeeping
• Keep groups to a manageable size to ensure easier decision-making.
• Involve marketing and sales as they may have useful external intelligence about
consumers and competitors.
• Communication skills are invaluable and the people you select should be
comfortable dealing with senior management and employees alike, as well as with
external stakeholders.
Members of the Green Team should exhibit qualities such as:
• Have an interest in environmental matters.
• Be enthusiastic, motivated and passionate.
• Able to commit a certain amount of time.

6. Write an environmental policy statement
An environmental policy statement should be written to communicate both internally
and externally.
A well written environmental policy
statement needs to expresses the
following:
• Environmental goals that the facility
will undertake (for example, committing
to reduce 20% of waste by X year).
• The way in which the organization
aims to treat the people it employs (for
example, through upholding equal
opportunities and other fundamental
human rights).
• The way in which it aims to integrate
into the community in which it is based
and co-operate on any significant local
issues that impact the business.
Environmental Policy statements should be communicated where possible:
• Employee manuals
• At the back of the house
• On the website
• In guest information packs
7. Incorporating your environmental program into employee training
In order for an environmental program to be successful, the goals and objectives
should be incorporated into employee training.
Employees should be made aware of the policies and initiatives, as well as the goals
and objectives of the environmental program.
This information should be included in training documentation, in orientation
packages for new employees, as well as other staff training methods, with the aim to
integrate these policies into the organization.

Posters, general staff emails and other less formal means are also a great way
to make employees aware of the environmental program initiatives.
Policies work best when staff members understand their responsibilities in achieving
the policy objectives.
8. Benchmarking and regular progress reports
Benchmarking progress on a regular basis is vital in achieving the goal of being a
responsible business.
Regular progress reports should be made on the monitoring and measurement of the
goals in the environmental program.
Progress of how the goals are being achieved should also be communicated to all
stakeholders and placed on the website (if appropriate).
For larger businesses a sustainability report or integrating a section on
environment/social responsibility in the annual report would be an effective means to
communicate results.
Benchmarking and annual reports would enable building on good results by setting
targets for further achievement.

MEET YOUR CUSTOMER NEW NEEDS – INCREASE YOUR SALES
Consumer Demand for Responsible Travel is the new trend
A variety of market studies over the past years have well documented the sustained
interest among consumers in tourism products and services that protect the
environment and respect local cultures.
Experts say :
“Green concerns have made their way onto the business
traveler’s agenda. Business travelers understand the
issues and are trying to do their part in being more
environmentally responsible when they are on the road.”
—Adam Weissenberg, Deloitte Tourism, Hospitality &
Leisure
“Green is no longer just a trend. It’s a way of life.”
—Fran Brasseux, Executive Director, Hotel Sales and
Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation
Surveys and Statistics show…
The 2012 National Travel & Tourism Strategy found trends among Americans
traveling abroad: “Nature-based, culture-based, heritage and outdoor adventure
travel represent a significant segment of the outbound tourism market as well.
In 2010, more than 21 million U.S. travelers visited other countries.
According to a 2012 survey, the ‘green’ travel trend is gaining momentum
among TripAdvisor members, as 71% said they plan to make more eco-friendly
choices in the next 12 months compared to 65% that did so in the past 12
months.
More than 90% of U.S. travelers surveyed by the online travel publisher TravelZoo in
2010 said that they would choose a ‘green,’ environmentally conscious hotel if the
price and amenities were comparable to those at a non-sustainable, non-green hotel.

Meet the LOHAS – the new hotel market segment
LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability
LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability – a multi-billion
market segment in the United States alone.
LOHAS aligns itself with groups such as New Age belief (based on Eastern religions
e.g. Buddhism, Pantheism or Hinduism, and on the harmony between individuals and
nature) with environmentalist interest groups and the alternative medicine movement.
It is a marketplace for goods and services that appeal to consumers who value
health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living.
These consumers are variously referred to as culturally creative, conscious
citizens who are willing to pay more for goods that are deemed sustainable.
Approximately 19% of the adults in the United States alone are currently
considered LOHAS (LOHAS, 2009). These consumers represent a target
segment for the organic food industry and destinations focused on cultural
offers.
Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) describes an estimated $290 billion
U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social
justice, personal development and sustainable living. The consumers attracted to this
market represent a sizable group in this country.
Approximately 13-19% percent of the adults in the U.S. are currently considered
LOHAS Consumers. This is based on surveys of the U.S. adult population estimated
at 215 million.
LOHAS ECO TOURISM accounts for $42 billion spent on Eco-tourism travel &
Eco-adventure travel
Research shows that one in four adult Americans is part of this group, nearly 41
million people. These consumers are the future of your business and also the future
of progressive social, environmental and economic change in this country. But their
power as a consumer market remains virtually untapped.

The Impact of Social Media on Lodging Performance
Social media has been touted as having an increasingly important role in many
aspects of the hospitality industry, including guest satisfaction and process
improvement.
Based on The Impact of Social Media on Lodging Performance by: Chris
Anderson Ph.D. -Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research- findings, we can identify
a significant shift of hotel’s costumers buying behavior.
First, the percentage of consumers consulting reviews at TripAdvisor prior to
booking a hotel room has steadily increased over time, as has the number of
reviews they are reading prior to making their hotel choice.
Second, transactional data from Travelocity illustrate that if a hotel increases its
review scores by 1 point on a 5-point scale (e.g., from 3.3 to 4.3), the hotel can
increase its price by 11,2 percent (11,2%) and still maintain the same
occupancy or market share.
Third, to measure the impact of user reviews on hotel pricing power, a regression
analysis finds that a 1 percent increase in a hotel’s online reputation score leads up
to a 0.89 percent increase in price as measured by the hotel’s average daily rate
(ADR).
Similarly this 1 percent increase in reputation also leads to an occupancy increase of
up to 0.54 percent.
Finally, this 1 percent reputation improvement leads up to a 1.42-percent increase
in revenue per available room (RevPAR).

Meet the 3 types of new customers
 The going green tourist
Tourist interest in the environment has gradually increased over the past few
decades. A study was carried out by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University in which 489 air travelers were asked about their views on environmentally
sustainable hotels.
Seventy percent 70%!! claimed they would choose a hotel with a strong
environmental record rather than an ordinary hotel, and only 3% had an
negative opinion on environmentally sustainable hotels.
This illustrates the importance of customer interest in environmentally conscious
hotels.
 The Ecotourists
For many, mass tourism has already gone too far. A new phenomenon has
developed over the last decade in the field of tourism: ecotourism. Although
ecotourism accounted for a very small percentage of all international travel
expenditure, it is fastest growing and a lucrative segment of tourism.
Ecotourists are tagged as high spending, nature-loving, responsible and are
undoubtedly an attractive option for governments looking for ways of earning
foreign exchange. The word ‘ecotourism’ sounds pleasing to the ear.
Finally, it is a form of tourism that takes into consideration the needs of the
environment and not only the needs of the tourist.
Ecotourism is tailor-made for individuals wishing to escape overcrowding and the
environmental impacts that are associated with mass tourism.

 The Responsible tourists
The concept of the responsible tourist is based on the relationship that is established
between the tourist and the tourism actors, whether it is the providers of tourism
experiences, hotel employees or local inhabitants.
The tourist not only travels with his own culture, practices, attitudes and financial
capacity, but also he or she brings along curiosity and a desire for exchanges.
More sophisticated than the mass tourism product which may include transport,
lodging and activities at the destination, responsible tourism falls under a logic of
sustainable development. Indeed, it is located at the intersection of three fields:
economic, social and environmental.
Hotel’s performance on environmental issues is highly dependent on where its
core guests come from.
Within Europe, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, France and the
Netherlands are far more concerned about environmental issues than eastern
or southern member countries.

Greece’s“GreenKey” Hotels&“BlueFlag”BeachesToBePromotedInScandinaviaIn
2015
Oslo-based communication agency North Events announced it will continue its
“Sustainable Greece” campaign in Scandinavia for 2015 and promote hotels and
beaches that have been accredited by the Green Key and Blue Flag eco label
programs.
Green tourism is favorably received by Scandinavian tourists.
“Sustainable Greece” is based on the agency’s renewed cooperation with the
Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature that represents both eco label programs.
North Events specializes in the promotion of Greek tourism and products in the
Scandinavian region.
The campaign, which has
been running for the past
three years, mainly in
Scandinavian countries,
will be presented in detail
at the 2nd Grekland Panorama tourism fair to take place 13-15 February 2015 in
Stockholm, Sweden. Grekland Panorama is the only dedicated travel and taste fair
for Greece in Scandinavia.
Greece currently has 138 hotels that have been honored with the Green Key for
2013, while 408 beaches and 10 marinas were awarded this year with the Blue Flag
distinction.

The eight Ps that influence the responsible customer’s choice.
Personal experience can be seen as the sensory attributes of a product, such as
the tasting experience in a restaurant or individual food preferences.
Publicity influences consumers by the methods used to market and promote hotels
and restaurants.
The press through media coverage of hotel and restaurant rating and ranking
schemes and by news on the latest popular or exotic destination is also an
influencing element.
Production methods from the transformation processes of food in the hotel kitchen
to the type of equipment used and the energy consumed play a role in the final
choice of the responsible consumer.
The product chain has become an important aspect of sustainable business
practices. The use of fertilizers and pesticides in growing foodstuff, as well
as processing, packaging and distribution have become critical influencing
factors in the responsible decision process.
Preparation methods (cooking and waste management),
Prestige (following social trends and norms)
and practicality (purchasing convenience, cost and other constraints)
The inherent dynamic structure of the model allows for the decision process to be
modeled according to the various life stages and the strength of one influencing
factor over another over time.

The notion of responsible Marketing
There is a fundamental dilemma between the dual objectives of green marketing:
stimulating consumption to generate profit and the desire to regulate the fluctuation
of modern day modes of consumption.
Responsible marketing requires a reconsideration of traditional marketing principles
in the following areas:
■ Initial positioning of the company within a market
■ Image perceived by the customers
■ The legitimacy of environmental positioning for the company
■ The acceptability of green products and services by customers
■ Customer expectations
■ The customer’s perception of the benefits that a green product or service offers

The AIDA MODEL IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE
The AIDA term and approach are commonly attributed to American advertising and
sales pioneer, E. St. Elmo Lewis.
In one of his publications on advertising, Lewis postulated at least three principles to
which an advertisement should conform:
The mission of an advertisement is to attract a reader, so that he will look at the
advertisement and start to read it; then to interest him, so that he will continue to
read it; then to convince him, so that when he has read it he will believe it. If an
advertisement contains these three qualities of success, it is a successful
advertisement.

From AIDA To the AISDALSLove new age model
AISDALSLove stands for Attention, Interest, Search, Desire, Action, Like/dislike,
Share, and Love/hate, is a new developed concept of hierarchy of effects model in
advertising adopted from AIDA’s hierarchy of effects model (Lewis, 1900; Strong,
1925) which has been used by many researchers, both academicians and
practitioners to measure the effect of an advertisement.
This concept of AISDALSLove model was firstly introduced by Bambang Sukma
Wijaya in the International Seminar on Scientific Issues and Trends (ISSIT) 2011 and
published in International Research Journal of Business Studies (IRJBS) in 2012,
titled "The Development of Hierarchy of Effects Model in Advertising"

Enhance your product offering -
Certification schemes
Similar to all industry sectors, the
hospitality industry strives to create a
positive image conveying values
matching those of the targeted
consumers.
A proper and recognized certification or eco-label enhances a company’s marketing
presence. Trust is a key element in the acceptance and purchasing of certified or
labeled products and services.
Several reports have demonstrated the importance of sustainability certification in
gaining favorable guest notice, including ISO 14001 and LEED.
A study of over 2,000 independent hotels in Spain by Segarra-Oña, Peiró-Signes,
and Verma found that hotels that have implemented the ISO 14001 environmental
standards displayed stronger sales and earnings before taxes and depreciation
than those that were not certified.
The LEED certification system’s is specifically designed for the hospitality industry
and is intended to create incentives for new lodging construction that meets
sustainability criteria.
A recent study of 93 LEED certified hotels found that the certified hotels
displayed better financial performance than a larger sample of non-certified ones.

Corporate social responsibility
Environmental protection, social accountability, ethics
and education, sustainable development and think
global, act local proposals are redrawing the rules of :
doing business in the twenty-first century
Owners, general managers and line managers cannot
ignore these developments. They need to understand
and respond to changing societal expectations of
business.
And they must effectively communicate what they consider to be realistic
expectations of what business can and cannot achieve
In response to the World Commission on Environment and Development report, ICC
developed a 'Business Charter for Sustainable Development' which sets out 16
principles for environmental management.
The Charter covers environmentally relevant aspects of health, safety and product
stewardship. Its objective is 'that the widest range of enterprises commit themselves
to improving their environmental performance in accordance with the principles, to
having in place management practices to effect such improvement, to measuring
their progress, and to reporting this progress as appropriate, internally and externally'
The FOUR CS OF SUSTAINABLE REPORTING
All sustainable reports should incorporate the four Cs of credible reporting:
1. Clear presentation: the report should be user friendly, illustrating programs and
results with tables, figures and graphs.
2. Comprehensive coverage: the report should address all issues that are relevant
to the company. Addressing only a few issues will send a positive signal to those
stakeholders involved in these issues but a negative signal to those involved in other,
unaddressed, issues.
3. Consistent inclusion: to enable the comparison of results, reports should
address the same issues over time.
4. Comparable measurement and reporting techniques: increases the reliability of
the reported progress.

Tapping the German market - adopt the German code of sustainability
Dr Angela Merkel - Federal Chancellor at the Annual Conference of the Council
for Sustainable Development on 2 June 2014
»The Sustainability Code allows companies to demonstrate to investors and
consumers their commitment to sustainability in a way that is transparent,
comparable and thus clear. I believe that this concept is compelling, because
the Code has also attracted great interest in Europe, beyond the borders of
Germany. [...]«
http://www.deutscher-nachhaltigkeitskodex.de/en/home.html

Reducing costs and improving efficiency – best practice cases
Investment in sustainable practices results in cost savings. And, contrary to what
some may think, you won’t necessarily have to wait long to reap the benefits.
 The Paloma Perissia 352-room, 5-star all-inclusive beachfront hotel in Turkey
embarked on a year-long sustainability improvement project with the Travel
Foundation that lowered its annual costs by €153,000, well over €400 per room.
It also helped reduce water consumption by 24% per guest night, a total of
37,300m³ per year - enough to meet the annual water needs of 145 households in
Turkey and energy consumption by 20% per guest-night.
 Scandic Hotels in Scandinavia saved £9 million on energy, £2.2M on water
and £4 millionon waste over a ten year period. And small things can have a
huge impact.
 In 2011, the TravelFoundation, in a project delivered with Thomas Cook,
helped 21 hotels introduce simple measures to reduce plastic consumption in
Cyprus –
cups, bottles,
bags and
straws.
Over just 5
months they
saved over €
111,000 in
total,
reducing
costs by 30%.
As well as the
financial
savings from
not
purchasing
plastic, there were many staff cost benefits, including less time ordering and
handling deliveries and clearing used plastic items in restaurant and pool
areas.
There was also a decrease in space required for stock storage so that it could
be put to more profitable use. And of course there was less plastic litter on the
beaches and in the ocean, increasing the attractiveness of the resort.
 Green initiatives helped TUI Travel save around £21 million, as well as
reducing carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes, in the three years
between 2008 and 2011.
TUI Travel has found that stretching energy and water saving targets could
save each TUI Travel flagship hotel more than €50,000 over the course of
three years.
 Thomas Cook has developed a ‘green’ concept store and proved it can save
50% on retail energy costs and carbon. This has led to the installation of

smart energy metering across the company’s retail network, to give store
managers the detailed data they need to be able to set targets and monitor
the impact of reduction strategies.
 Adventure tour operator Exodus has been a major supplier of responsibly
sourced tours to web portal responsibletravel.com for over a decade.
Client feedback on whether their holiday benefited the local community and
environments they visited is consistently high and Exodus’ referrals and
bookings from the responsibletravel.com site has grown year on year,
doubling in the last five years, demonstrating a growing interest in and
demand for sustainable holidays.
 Little White Alice self-catering holiday cottages in Cornwall, with its natural
chemical-free swimming pool, a reed bed filtration system, 25 acres of
land, left wild for rambling and nature-spotting, helped by the addition of a
barn owl house and bat loft, it’s a haven for local wildlife.

REDUCE ENERGY AND SAVE
A hotel can be seen as the architectural
combination of three distinct zones, all
serving distinctly different purposes:
■ The guest room area (bedrooms,
bathrooms/showers, toilets) individual
spaces , often with extensive glazing,
asynchronous utilization and varying energy
loads
■ The public area (reception hall, lobby,
bars, restaurants, meeting rooms, swimming pool, gym, sauna etc.) spaces with a
high rate of heat exchange with the outdoor environment (thermal losses) and high
internal loads (occupants, appliances, equipment, lighting)
■ The service area (kitchens, offices, store rooms, laundry, staff facilities, machine
rooms and other technical areas) – energy intensive requiring advanced air handling
(ventilation, cooling, heating).
Typically, about half the electrical energy is used for space conditioning
purposes.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, there are 47,000 hotels
that spend $2,196 per available room each year on energy which represents
about 6% of all operating costs. Depending on the category of the hotel,
lighting may account for up to 20% or even more.
The demand for domestic hot water varies appreciably with hotel category ranging
from 90 to 150 liters or sometimes more.
Supplying domestic hot water accounts to up to 15% of the total energy
demand. For a medium category hotel with an average annual occupancy of
70% this is the equivalent to 1,500 to 2,300 kWh per room.
Catering and other facilities also account for an important share of overall energy
use.
By comparison, operating elevators, pumps and other auxiliary equipment account
for only a small percentage of total energy expenditure.
Through a carefully managed strategic energy management approach to
energy efficiency, a 10% reduction in energy consumption would have the
same financial effect as increasing the average daily room rate (ADR) by $0.62
in limited-service hotels and by $1.35 in full-service hotels (Energy Star, 2009).

Focus areas
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
Depending on the hotels ’ geographic location, HVAC can account for up to 50% of
a hotel’s total utility costs: electricity, water, gas and fuels.
The latest generation of air conditioners consumes up to 30% less energy than
those manufactured 20 years ago. Modern chiller units not only save energy but are
even able to recover the heat they produce during operation. The heat, which is
normally expelled to the atmosphere, can now be used to preheat water for laundry
or swimming pools, thus, creating savings.
Using so-called intelligent hotel-room systems, electricity can be saved by
adjusting air conditioning, heating and lighting systems according to the
guest’s presence in a room.
■ Limit thermostat control in guest rooms and public areas
■ Use outdoor air for cooling where possible
■ Ensure heating and cooling cannot be provided simultaneously
■ Regular maintenance to optimize efficiency
■ Install curtains to control solar
heat gain
■ Sun shade oriented windows
with awnings
■ Insulate hot/chilled water
tanks, pipes and air ducts
■ Insulate the entire building
correctly
■ Zone guest occupancy and
turn off heating/cooling on
unoccupied
floors
Day light and electric light
One way to greatly enhance the thermal performance of windows is to install Low-E
glass. i.e. glass that is manufactured with a microscopically thin and transparent
layer of metal or metal oxide that reflects infrared ‘ heat’ energy back into the
building.
Electric lighting is another element of the hotel guest experience that is
affected in many different ways. However, with lighting costs accounting
for an estimated 20% or more of total energy usage, energy-efficient lighting
can help reduce energy consumption costs.
Energy efficient lighting has sometimes been characterized by low-quality lighting,
with poor color rendition. Recent lighting technology is radically changing all this.
Compactfluorescent lights (CFLs) use about 75% less energy than standard
incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

CFLs provide the greatest savings in fixtures that
are on for a substantial amount of time each day.
For this reason, they are typically used in guest
rooms and corridors as well as back of the house.
Due to major improvements over the last few
years in their color rendering abilities, CFLs are
now a viable alternative to incandescent lamps
Additional energy-saving initiatives for lighting:
■ Adjust lighting levels to demand and types of
fixtures
■ Use time and motion sensors for turning off
lights where appropriate
■ Use dimmer controls in dining and public areas
■ Clean bulbs and reflecting surfaces regularly for maximum efficiency

REDUCE WASTE AND SAVE
Within the hospitality industry, food and beverage
operations account for a substantial amount of waste.
This waste can be defined as:
■ Pre- and post-consumer food waste, packaging
and operating supplies. Pre-consumer waste is
defined as being all the trimmings, spoiled food and
other products from kitchens that end up in the garbage
before the finished menu item makes it to the consumer.
■ Post-consumer waste, naturally, is any rubbish left
once the customer has consumed the meal.
■ Packaging waste, especially in the form of plastic that cannot biodegrade
naturally, as anything used to hold food coming into the kitchen and going out.
Operating supplies encompass every other piece of material used that becomes
wasted in a foodservice operation, such as cooking oil and light bulbs.
A hotel guest generates about 1kg (2lb) of waste per night, more than half of it
in paper, plastic and cardboard.
In addition to negative environmental impact, as landfill capacity diminishes, so the
cost of waste disposal becomes more expensive. In the UK, for
example, landfilling costs are now £48 per tonne (1.1 tons) compared to £18 a tonne
in 2005.
WASTE - IS WASTE OF MONEY AND A COST COMPONENT
Often it is more resource-efficient to make new products by recycling rather than
starting from scratch. For example, recycling used aluminium tins into new tins
requires 95% less energy than processing bauxite ore into aluminium. Many
discarded materials, such as furniture and food, also have value.
It makes good business sense
 When supplies are used more efficiently, it saves money on raw materials.
 Income can be generated by selling old equipment and reusing or recycling valuable
waste materials.
 Waste disposal costs fall as the amount of waste you produce decreases.
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
1. Carry out a waste audit
Identify where the hotel is creating waste and quantify the recyclable materials that
are currently discarded. For each department, list all the items you dispose of, the
disposal method, the cost and the quantities involved.
2. Set priorities and goals
Once you’ve identified where to focus your efforts, set priorities and goals, such as
ordering fewer supplies, reducing disposal costs or generating revenue from waste
materials.

3. Implement the program
Include staff at all stages so that they understand and support the scheme. Provide
incentives and rewards to individuals who offer waste-saving ideas or make a
significant contribution to the programme. Educate guests about your recycling and
environmental policies and communicate your priorities to suppliers.
4. Monitor, evaluate and fine-tune
Set criteria for monitoring and evaluating the programme, and decide how frequently
to measure progress. Areas you may want to evaluate include:
 savings in purchases;
 reduction in operating costs;
 reduction in disposal and recycling costs;
 increase in recycled-content purchases;
 increase in productivity; and
 reduction in total waste and recyclable materials.
5.Install recycling bins in guest rooms
Put two bins in guestrooms, one for general waste and one for recycling. The
recycling one should be larger and specify which products can be placed in it.
Housekeeping trolleys must be fitted with separate bins for collecting recyclable
material.
6. Reuse old linen, towels and robes
Turn old linen into linen bags or aprons, and stained towels or robes into cleaning
cloths, or donate these items to local charities. One UK company, Sleeping Bags
Social Enterprise Ltd, uses retired linen from a Marriott hotel in London to make
reusable shopping bags.
7. Reduce newspaper distribution
Provide newspapers in central areas, such as the lobby, and ask guests to request
one at check-in if they want it delivered to their room. Last year, Marriott International
stopped delivering newspapers to every guest room, and this environmental policy is
saving an estimated 8m newspapers annually.
8. Buy in bulk and use eco-friendly alternatives
Buy non-toxic cleaning products in concentrate and in bulk to reduce packaging and
costs, and choose suppliers who use reusable and refillable containers.
For toiletries, switch to dispensers and purchase bulk containers.
The Scandic hotel chain found that only 15% of its soaps, shampoos and
conditioners were used, with the balance thrown away. By replacing traditional
amenities with bulk items, Scandic has reduced its waste volume by 40% and
packaging waste by 11 tonnes annually.
If individual toiletries are offered, encourage guests to take away their half-used
soap, or donate toiletries to local shelters; there may be tax benefits available, too.

Combining social and environmental responsibility with sustainable and responsible
tourism, US foundation Clean the World picks up soap and shampoo from hotels,
recycling them to distribute around the world.
Always buy environmentally friendly products.
Room Service Amenities offers bottles made primarily from plastarch, a
biodegradable corn-based material, while Green Suites International packages its
toiletries in collapsible paper bottles.
Vegware makes biodegradable products from plant materials, including tableware
and takeaway packaging.
9. Reduce paper use
Replace tissues in bathrooms only when dispensers are almost empty. If the policy is
to replace half toilet rolls, save them for use in employee restrooms or donate to
shelters.
Install handdryers in place of paper towels in toilets in public areas. In the office,
recycle file folders and inter-office envelopes, use both sides of paper when copying,
and send emails not letters.
10. Avoid hazardous and toxic waste
Avoid purchasing hazardous products in the first place. If you cannot, you are
responsible for the safe and correct disposal of it so ensure you employ a licensed
contractor.
Fluorescent lights, for example, can be disposed of in a special crushing machine
that recovers the glass for reuse in loft insulation and the mercury for pure mercury
production.
In the US, Marriott has teamed up with Air Cycle Corporation to recycle its
fluorescent lamps using the Bulb Eater, a machine that crushes the lamps, packing
them into an enclosed drum ready to be picked up.

11. Furniture and mattresses
Hotel refurbishment generates huge amounts of bulky
waste, much of which can be recycled. Furniture can be
sold to staff, donated to charity or taken to a furniture-
recycling scheme. Alternatively, an experienced furniture
refinishing company can reupholster and repurpose your
furniture. Many companies collect and recycle old beds,
mattresses and furniture.
Food waste
Edible leftovers – Be creative
For example, turn leftover chicken into soup and fish into pâté. Alternatively, use
leftovers in the employee canteen or donate it to a local food bank or a homeless
shelter. Unused food scraps may also be given to a local farm for animal feed.
Composting
Composting not only reduces the cost of disposal by significantly reducing the
volume for collection, it also produces an end product that can be used to improve
soil quality in hotel grounds or gardens, thus doubly ensuring environmental
sustainability.
In Europe, the new EU Waste Framework Directive has clarified and
rationalized EU legislation on waste, applying a new waste hierarchy, and
expanding the “polluter pays” principle by emphasizing producer
responsibility. It also lays down requirements for national waste prevention
plans. Other key EU directives likely to affect the hotel industry are those
governing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and batteries.

Reduce Water consumption and
save
According to the US National
Association of Institutional Linen
Management, hotel laundry costs
range from $3 to $4 per day per
room. It is estimated that hotels can
save up to $1.50 per day per room
by reminding guests they have the
option of choosing not to get
freshly laundered sheets and
towels each day of their stay.
The annual influx of tourists increases the demand for water well beyond the normal
requirements of residents and the possibilities of local water sources.
On a per capita basis, hotel guests and tourist activities demand more water
than local residents.
Hotel companies have both a strong commercial and moral imperative for addressing
water use. Cost is a clear factor: water accounts for 10% of utility bills in many
hotels.
Most hotels pay for the water they consume twice first by purchasing fresh
water and then by disposing of it as waste water.
According to the UK’s Environment Agency, depending on their water
efficiency, hotels can reduce the amount of water consumed per guest per
night by up to 50% compared with establishments with poor performance in
water consumption.
Bathrooms
Shower flow should be no more than 10 litres / min. This can be very simply
measured with a bucket and stopwatch
Low flow toilets use an average of just six litres per flush, compared to older
models that use roughly two to four times more than that.

Additionally, you can install duel flush toilets so guests can opt for a shorter flush. If it
is not feasible to change all toilets, you can reduce the water used in
flushing by placing a brick or full water bottle in the cistern (effectively displacing
some of the water).
Taps should have a maximum flow of six litres / min, or four in hand washing sinks in
public bathrooms. Flow restrictors or better aerators can both help reduce tap flow
Maintenance is a key part of saving water consumption, a leaking toilet can lose 750
litres of water day
Laundry
Where outsourced, ask your supplier what procedures they have in place to reduce
water and energy use
Wash small quantities in a 5kg machine and always ensure machines are fully
loaded
Consider the reuse of water from previous rinse cycles for the first wash of the next
cycle by installing temporary holding tanks
Maintenance: Check regularly for leaking dump valves, ensure that all water inlet
valves are closing properly and check that level controls on water reuse tanks are
working properly
500-room-plus hotels could consider installing a continuous batch washer
(CBW), which uses all the rinse water for pre-washing and main suds operation
Ensure that the water flow rates on tunnel washers and CBWs are adjusted to the
manufacturer’s recommended setting. When buying washing machines, look out for
a good water consumption rating.
Consider using ozone laundry systems. These inject ozone into the water, which
works in conjunction with the laundry chemicals to provide a more efficient wash
Swimming pools
Having a swimming pool can increase fresh water consumption in a large hotel by up
to 10%.
Conduct regular maintenance to prevent leaks. Checking for leaks is best done by
reading water meters last thing at night and first thing in the morning
Backwash the swimming pool every two to three days rather than daily.
It is also best to opt for a backwash system where water can be recaptured and used
for irrigation
Always cover swimming pools when not in use to prevent evaporation and reduce the
need to empty and refill
Installing push-button showers by the pool will reduce water use

Grounds
Do not water grounds in the heat of the day. In hot climates, the best time to water is
in the evening
It’s best to avoid using automated watering systems, however if they do have to be
used water can be saved by fitting timers on sprinklers to control water use. Moisture
sensors in gardens and grounds can also be used to avoid over-watering.
Put a procedure in place for manual watering and train gardening staff to reduce
water use where possible
Use rainwater harvesting techniques to divert and capture rainwater from roofs and
gutters. Water can be diverted into underground storage tanks or into water butts.
Plants actually prefer rainwater to treated water from a tap
If possible, use grey water from baths and sinks for irrigation.
Consider installing a treatment system that will enable you to use treated black water
from toilets in the gardens. The treatment plant needs to be carefully positioned in
relation to prevailing winds and screened from view. Management of these systems
must be well controlled
A well-designed and controlled irrigation system will deliver water when and where it
is needed
Using your own organic compost will add nutrients and help retain moisture in the soil
Placing wood chips on top of soil helps to reduce evaporation
Native species of plant often need less water so design and landscape your grounds
in keeping with the existing environment
The Orchid in Mumbai has a Sewage Treatment Plant on its roof to treat all
waste water
Kitchens
Taps in kitchens should have a maximum flow of 10 litres per minute
Only use dishwashers on full load
Pre-soaking utensils and dishes saves using running water. Similarly, wash
vegetables and fruits in a sink of water rather than a running water rinse
Avoid thawing food under running water and avoid using running water to melt ice in
sink strainers
Minimize the use of ice machines and adjust settings to dispense less ice

Housekeeping
Put procedures in place and conduct training to
inform housekeeping on how they can reduce water
use. These procedures should include how many
times to flush the toilet when cleaning, not to leave
taps running or use excessive water, using a mop
rather than hose when cleaning floors.
Implement a linen reuse program. As well as saving water, these programs mean
less wear on fabrics, prolonging their life, and saves housekeeping staff time.
Many hotels advertise a reuse program but often do not adhere to them, leaving
guests cynical, exasperated by the fact that guests often think this is just a cost
saving exercise for the hotel.
Rather than imposing a structured program, the most successful policies are those
that allow guests to opt out of having their linen changed on a daily basis
Water efficiency systems
Grey water systems enable up to 50 per cent of wastewater to be returned to
the hotel after treatment for toilet flushing.
Greywater (also spelled graywater) or sullage is defined as all wastewater streams
generated from households or office buildings except for the wastewater from toilets.
Sources of greywater include for example sinks, showers, baths, clothes washing
machines or dish washers. As greywater contains many fewer pathogens than
domestic wastewater, it is easier to treat and to recycle onsite for uses such as toilet
flushing, landscape irrigation or even irrigation of crops.
Low-flow technology installation can save huge volumes of water across bathrooms
and kitchens, with minimal effect on the customer experience
Adjustable flow restrictors on taps enable them to deliver a lower
instantaneous flow rate than screw-operated taps and can reduce water use by
over 50%.
Similarly, low-flow shower heads cost very little and use around 9.45 litres a minute
compared with conventional heads (which typically use nearly twice that). If properly
designed they should feel as effective as higher water volume models.

Starwood Hotels have committed to reduce water consumption by 20% by
2020. All hotel brands owned by Starwood in the U.S. offer a $5 voucher to
spend in the shop / restaurant / bar if guests don’t have their room cleaned
every day.
Although water consumption in Soneva Kiri resorts continues to rise, no water
is taken from the public water supply with 60% coming from rainwater
collection or wells and 40% from desalination. Since fresh water issues are a
particular concern in Thailand, Soneva Kiri has built its own reservoir to collect
rainwater.
Hotels can also play a role in educating customers about water issues, and to
some extent encourage reflection on their own water use at home and when
traveling.
Pass the message to the customer
Most simply, this can be done by communicating what the hotel does to minimize
water consumption and why it is committed to doing so.
This can be done by:
-Communicate to guests the importance of fresh water resources within the area and
provide opportunities to allow guests to use water wisely
-Encourage guests to shower instead of bath
-Suggest they do not leave the tap running when brushing their teeth. It can
save up to nine litres each time they do so!
-Invite them to reuse their towels and linens by opting not to have them changed
every day
-Incentivize guests to change their behavior through donations to charity or vouchers
to spend at the hotel
-Inform guests how the hotel reduces water consumption in other areas of the hotel
-Going one step further, hotels in particularly water-stressed areas can involve
guests in their water policy.
This is most successfully done in properties and places where guests are motivated
to learn about the local area and community, and are environmentally aware.
Initiatives include guest participation in local education or water infrastructure building
and running educational tours of innovative water saving initiatives.
Kempinski Hotel Green Inspiration program starts with raising awareness among
guests and staff, inspiring them to adopt simple but impactful behaviors.

The first of many initiatives is ‘The Oak Tree’:
All Kempinski hotels participate in the Oak Initiative
with a guest awareness program: the small Oak Tree
left on the bed by the guest invites their
housekeeping attendant to make up the bed with
the existing linens (reducing water used for
laundry and the associated waste water), to use
green cleaning products, and to turn off air-
conditioning, lights and TV while the guest is not
in the room.
Staff contributes by purchasing goods responsibly
and communicating this to suppliers
A hotel may also choose to support a local
environmental conservation program.
and:
The Earth Hour each year a Green Day each week and /or
month

Special topics - Sustainable food and
beverage management
Certain types of food can be identified as
more sustainable (but not necessarily
more healthy) than other types, for
example.
Local food
It means less environmental impact
resulting from travel (food miles) and
buying locally helps support the local
economy. The ‘localvore’ movement
(also known as the ‘hundred mile diet ’,
where participants choose to consume only locally produced foods) is gaining
momentum.
However, it can be naive to imagine that this practice is automatically more energy
efficient than transported produce. Locally produced sausages can hardly be
described as sustainable if the ingredients are coming from the other side of the
country or continent and it could be less fresh than sea trout flown in from thousands
of miles away.
Fair prices for local farmers
The immense reduction in transport costs, cheap food production in developing
countries as well as the increase of big food companies and supermarket chains are
responsible for dramatically reducing farm-gate prices in industrialized nations.
Local shops are increasingly disappearing and effects on rural economies and
farming communities are detrimental (Defra, 2007). The Soil Association (2008) sees
organic meat production in the United Kingdom in real danger unless pricing
structures are reconsidered.
The average organic beef price in 2006 in England was £2.88 per kilo, compared to
average costs of production of £3.32 per kilo (Soil Association, 2008). A significant
increase in farm-gate prices seems to be the only way to ensure short- and long-term
organic beef farming.
Due to the distribution systems now in place, more
and more money is
going to supermarket chains or big food
corporations instead of to the local farmers.
Now in Germany, for example, only about 20% of
the price of food
goes to the farmer, whereas they received 75% of
the share in the 1950s.
New sustainable systems of distribution need to be
developed that pay local
farmers a fair price reflecting the real costs of
production.

Seasonality
Restaurant menus should be based
on ingredients that are in season
and chefs should look for inspiration
from the flow of seasons and the
fresh products that become
available.
Seasonal offerings not only reduce
the importation of food out of season
i.e. food miles but also enhance
local and regional diversity of plant
and animal varieties as well as often
leading to a rediscovery of local cooking traditions.
Cooking methods
Food preparation has great influence on diets, health and diet-related diseases such
as obesity. In order to ensure healthy food that tastes great, it is important to choose
correct cooking methods.
Preparation techniques should always maintain maximum nutrient retention.
Exposing foods to light or air, cooking on high temperatures, using too much liquid or
cooking for long periods may reduce nutrient levels.
Traditional cooking methods are well suited to healthy cooking. Pan frying and deep-
frying should be avoided as well as the tendency of adding too much butter, cream
and salt.
Organic food
More and more people are buying organically grown fresh foods, so much so,
that in the United Kingdom demand seriously outstrips supply.
Organic food sales increased between 17%
and 21% in the United States each year
since 1997 compared with other food sales
which have been growing at an average rate
of 2 –4% a year (Organic Trade Association,
2007).
Similar growth has been seen in other
Western economies.
The Organic Trade Association estimates
that current sales of organic products in the
United States total $15 billion.

Sustainable meals at Macdonald Hotels and Resorts
Tom Tanner from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) explains: There are
three main reasons why helping restaurants become more sustainable is important.
First up it’s what customers want:
 70% of diners tell us they would prefer to eat in a sustainable restaurant,
given the choice
 it’s in restaurants' interests to operate sustainably by implementing
straightforward behavior changes the average restaurant can save up to
£20,000, reducing their energy and water use and cutting their waste.
Lastly, it’s the right thing to do. As resources become scarcer and food
security becomes more of an issue, it will be the only way to operate.’
Grow your own hotel premium food resources & ingredients
Hotel kitchens can reduce food miles to zero and dramatically reduce operating costs
by growing their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. The pioneer in kitchen gardens is
Raymond Blanc, whose two-Michelin-starred restaurant at Le Manoir aux
Quat’Saisons, part of Orient-Express Hotels, in Oxfordshire, UK, is supplied by a two-
acre patch in the grounds, which produces more than 90 types of vegetable and 70
varieties of herb.
Costa Rica’s Finca Rosa Blanca hotel has its own organic coffee plantation, and
offers guests lessons in planting, picking, processing, roasting and tasting.
The Fairmont Dallas has its own organic rooftop herb garden; and chefs at the
Fairmont Royal York in Toronto grow more than 60 varieties of herbs, fruit,
vegetables and edible blossoms in the rooftop garden—they even keep bees.
Executive Chef Simon Dolinky has set up a hydroponic growing operation on top of
the 19-storey Hotel Palomar Los Angeles-Westwood.
The soil-free system includes grow lights, which switch on when the sun goes down,
providing year-round summer growing. He says it would not be practical or even
possible to grow everything on the roof, so he concentrates on house-grown herbs
and micro-greens and supplements the menu with locally grown organic produce.

Hints and tips for hotels:
 Ascertain whether they are tied into any long-term supply
contracts before sourcing new suppliers.
 Calculate expenditure on food and drink, and where (i.e.
country of origin) they are spending it. This is the best
indicator to measure progress on sustainability, because it
highlights how much is being spent with local producers
 Find out what sustainable producers are available locally.
 Chicken and eggs should always be organic, free-range
and accredited by bodies such as the RSPCA Freedom
Foods in the UK, Free Range Farmers Association Inc in Australia, or Humane in the
US
 All tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, dried fruits and nuts should be Fairtrade certified
 Avoid air-freighted foods. By doing so, restaurants and their guests may discover a
new passion for those foods that can only be enjoyed at certain times of the year
 Think about cutting down on high carbon meat products. The methane emitted by
cattle and sheep is a potent greenhouse gas and many experts believe a major
contributor to climate change
 Aim for most fruit and vegetable to be seasonal, locally grown and organic. If
imported, it should be Fairtrade-certified
 Wines should be organic or biodynamic
 Water should not be bottled unless it is tap or filtered water in refillable bottles
Energy efficient kitchens
Kitchens are by far the most energy intensive sector of any hospitality
operation.
In the United States, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company
80% of the $10 billion annual energy bill for the commercial food service
sector is spent on inefficient food cooking, holding and storage equipment.
According to the UK Green Hotelier magazine, kitchen energy consumption
can be reduced by up to one third, through measures such as using
energyefficient equipment and encouraging efficient staff practices.
A restaurant kitchen cost analysis carried out by The US Green
Restaurant Association revealed the following energy usage break down:
• Food preparation (cooking appliances) 22%
• Sanitation 18%
• HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) 17%
• Lighting 13%
• Kitchen exhausts systems and ventilation 11%
• Refrigeration 6%
• Miscellaneous (maintenance, cleaning, etc.) 13%

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
claims that restaurants that invest
strategically can cut energy costs by between
10%-30%
Foodservice Consultants Society International
(FCSI), the professional organization for
design and management consulting services,
estimates that energy savings can be as high
as 40%, equating to 3%-6% of operating
costs.
USE ALL AVAILABLE TOOLS
1. The Green Lodging Calculator
The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) has developed
the Green Lodging Calculator to help lodging facilities and sustainable hospitality
programs estimate the financial and environmental benefits from sustainable
practices. Find the Green Lodging Calculator here.
http://www.greenlodgingcalculator.org/

2. World Tourism Organization calculator
http://hotelenergysolutions.net/

3. The Sustainability Performance Operation Tool (SPOT) - International
Tourism Partnership
The Sustainability Performance Operation Tool (SPOT) developed by the
International Tourism Partnership is a sustainability check instrument for business
operations.
SPOT graphically demonstrates the sustainability of an operation pertaining to the
three pillars: (1) environmental, (2) social and (3) economic, which can be used either
as a management information tool or as part of a training process.
SPOT structures key principles and indicators of sustainability into a robust
framework, from which an appraisal of performance can be undertaken and reported
against.

Case study
Alto Hotel at the western end of Bourke Street in Melbourne
Alto Hotel On Bourke is a boutique hotel located at the western end of Bourke Street
in Melbourne, Australia.
The Alto Hotel is a purpose built and designed green hotel, incorporating many
groundbreaking sustainability measures that may one day become standard
for all hotels.
“ The greatest saving is in advertising dollars, the greener you are, the more
free press you get - the more good will you generate. It’s a very strong calling
card and it’s amazing how many people respond positively to it. ”
WASTE
“ We minimize our waste by not supplying throw away plastic toiletries containers,
which are usually thrown out half full anyway. ”
The Alto Hotel on Bourke has developed some great ways to vastly minimise their
waste output, including:
■ Installing body
wash, moisturizer,
shampoo and
conditioner
dispensers in
showers rather than
using disposable
containers. All
toiletries used are
biodegradable.
■ Using dual chamber eco-bins in all rooms where guests can sort their recyclables.
■ Processing all organic waste on the premises, the worm castings being used as
fertilizer
■ Using recycled paper and toner cartridges in the offices.
■ Using recycled toilet paper and facial tissues.
Recycling all their organic waste means that the Alto Hotel on Bourke does not need
to use an organic waste service.
Using dispensers in the bathrooms means that the hotel also saves on purchasing
costs for individual containers.
The staff at Alto are passionate about running a successful and environmentally
responsible hotel. Tracking the savings, the Alto Hotel’s waste audit and results
speak for themselves and their challenge will be to retain these greatresults over the
coming years.
They produce only 4.7 litres of waste per guest night, almost half the best
practice targets for waste efficiency in hotels.

WATER
The Alto Hotel on Bourke’s audits showed that their toilets were flushing on average
five times per day, so reducing their cistern capacity has had an enormous impact.
The Alto Hotel on Bourke incorporates a range of water
saving techniques, including:
■ Aerators on all taps and shower heads.
■ Flow restrictors on all taps and showerheads.
■ Dual flush AAA rated water efficient toilets.
■ Toilet cisterns that use 6 litre full flushes and 3 litre half flushes.
■ Push down plugs in bathrooms.
■ Conical hand basins that don’t require as much water to fill.
■ Condenser front loading washing/dryer machines.
■ Rain water tanks on the Hotel’s roof that provide water for gardening, cleaning out
laneways, and carports.
The Alto Hotel on Bourke reported that these investments paid for themselves
within the first 22 months of operation. More importantly, they are saving vast
amounts of Melbourne’s precious drinking water.
Tracking the savings
Alto Hotel on Bourke’s water use for its first year of involvement in the Savings
in the City program was a mere 119 litres per guest per night, dramatically
lower then the 05/06 baseline benchmark of 278 litres and the best practice
target of 194 litres.
The next step
Management has recently installed:
■ A pump providing rain-water to all public toilet cisterns in dining room and staff
rooms.
■ New, more effective water-flow-reducers to all taps and showers in the hotel, all
taps are down to 5 litres per minute, all showers are down to 8 litres
per minute. This should show significant further savings of around 160 litres per day.
ENERGY
“ A lot of what we did was more expensive up front but has payed huge dividends
now we’re operating. ”
Energy conservation is another area where the Alto Hotel on Bourke excels.
Management has introduced a vast array of measures to minimize the hotel’s energy
consumption:
■ Card operated power in all rooms.
■ 6-star rated inverter air conditioners that use 40% less power than non-inverter air
conditioning.
■ “ Green tinted ” triple glazed windows that absorb UV rays and keep guest rooms
cooler.
■ Purchasing 100% “Green Power ”.
■ Double insulation which improves sound proofing, and also saves on heating and
cooling.

■ Windows that can be opened completely to improve air flow and reduce the need
for air conditioning.
■ 100% of primary lighting and 70% of secondary lighting uses compact
fluorescents.
The Alto Hotel on Bourke reported that while its energy saving measures were more
expensive up front, they resulted in huge long-term savings in maintenance and
replacement and reduced energy bills.
Tracking the savings The Alto Hotel on Bourke’s energy consumption of 37
megajoules per guest per night is far below the best practice target of 140
megajoules - an amazingly small amount, demonstrating the benefits of their
energy conservation initiatives.
The next step
The Alto Hotel on Bourke has on trial 2 watt LED light globes reading lights, which
use 90% less electricity than incandescent light globes and last 22,000 hours longer.
If they are successful the Alto Hotel on Bourke will introduce them as reading lights
throughout the hotel.
Source : City of Melbourne, www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenhotels

MEET ONE OF THE GREEK HOTEL CHAMPIONS
Elysium Resort & Spa

Elysium Resort & Spa was purely built with an environmental consciousness in mind
with our staff being trained to follow best practices in the fields of energy and water
consumption, recycling, waste management and gas usage.
Recently Elysium Resort & Spa has been awarded the "Green Key" eco-label by the
FEE (Foundation of Environmental Education), the Environmental Award, and the
"Blue Flag Award" by the EEPF (Hellenic Foundation of Natural Protection). The
property is also certified with ISO:14001 from TUV Hellas.
Reducing electricity consumption in a hotel is often regarded as a daunting task due
to the large investments associated.
Energy efficient windows of the latest technology have been employed in
combination with roof insulations to minimize temperature loss, while an intelligent
building management system (BMS) was installed to report all energy figures in
real time to our qualified staff.
Through the use of technology we can now optimize consumption on lighting, power
systems, ventilation and air conditioning, fire systems and security systems and
determine which departments fail to meet our criteria and take corrective action when
necessary.
Further actions include the use of natural gas wherever possible, use of high
performance energy-saving bulbs, regular cleaning of windows to maximize
natural lighting and switching off lighting in departments during non-operational
hours.
In-room smart technology is also used through the use of main switches with
magnetic keys preventing electricity consumption when occupants are not in the
room and sensors stopping air conditioning when the balcony doors are left open.
As far as recycling is concerned we took the following actions:
 Implementation of a litter separation system
 Use of compression equipment to recycle paper which we then use on our
internal day to day operation
 Use of recycling bins and separate bins for batteries
 Recycling of burnt cooking oil

 Refilling of printer cartridges and safe disposal of computer hardware
equipment.
We have also trained all our staff to have an environmental friendly approach actively
encouraging them to print as little as possible, keep office printing scrap paper to be
reutilized and communicate mainly through emails.
In regards to waste management, we separate litter and deliver it to the recycling
authorities when it is not possible to recycle ourselves as well as ensure biological
treatment for the non-recyclable waste.
Water consumption is being managed and monitored by the BMS with sensors and
special filters fitted in faucets on public areas to step down on the unnecessary
consumption.
In fact we have gone to such a depth that even handpicked less water dependent
plants for our gardens so as to maximize on water savings.
In addition, we carefully select biodegradable products to use in our
housekeeping and food and beverage departments as well as use ionization
devices with salt to clean the swimming pools (an environmental friendly
alternative to chlorine).
http://www.elysium.gr/en/Environmental-Policy-493.htm
THE RATER’S PERSPECTIVE

The process
TripAdvisor is committed to ensuring the integrity of the GreenLeaders Programme
using three methods:
1. Transparency: Travellers can see a full list of practices by clicking on a
property's TripAdvisor GreenLeader badge or icon. This ensures that travellers
can see exactly which green practices they can expect at a business.
2. Traveller feedback: We place great value on the opinions of travellers.
Travellers will be invited to comment on the green practices of TripAdvisor
GreenLeaders and GreenPartners. They will also be able to report on false
information, in instances where a traveller's experience does not match a
property's claims. This feedback will be monitored by the TripAdvisor
Responsible Travel team and, if necessary, will trigger a third party audit.
3. Audits: GreenLeaders Programme has partnered with an independent expert
sustainability organisation, The Cadmus Group, to conduct audits of the
GreenLeaders Programme. In addition to audits triggered by traveller
feedback, there will also be a set of random audits conducted every year of
participating properties.

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