Travelers Prefer Green Hotels
If you travel with any regularity, you’ve probably seen the eco-friendly suggestions in your hotel room for years now. From requests to re-use your towels and forego daily housekeeping visits to suggestions to turn out the lights and raise the temperature in your room while you’re out, hotels have been getting more creative in their guest related sustainability efforts. That seems to be a strategy that is paying off for the hospitality industry around the world.
In a recent survey, the popular travel site TripAdvisor found that travelers are becoming more environmentally responsible when booking their hotel stays. “The green travel trend is gaining momentum among TripAdvisor members, as 71 percent said they plan to make more eco-friendly choices in the next 12 months compared to 65 percent that did so in the past 12 months.”
While many consumers believe that they are doing enough by choosing hotel chains that are employing sustainability practices, others are going above and beyond choosing a “green” hotel. According the TripAdvisor survey results, travelers' top 3 eco-friendly practices were:
- Turned off lights when not in hotel room – 88%
- Participated in hotel's linen/towel re-use program – 80%
- Used recycling in the hotel – 57%
More than just accommodations that offer options for reducing their own footprint on the road, travelers are increasingly giving their business to hotels and hotel chains that are reducing their own carbon footprint.
Although it is a compelling reason, customer preference is not the only driver behind sustainability efforts in the hospitality industry. Marriott, for example, since 2007 has reduced Total Water Consumption(and costs) by 22.8%, Total Energy usage (and costs) by 12.7%, and Greenhouse Gases by 11.6%.
Whether your enterprise is becoming more sustainable to appeal to customer preference, or because it just makes sense to your bottom line, it's becoming clear that reducing your environmental impact is good for everyone.
If you're looking for a place to start, contact JouleX and we'll show you exactly where your energy dollars are going... and how to get them under control.
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