Hotels Making Headway: Going Green for the Guests and the Gains

Corporate responsibility today means that all businesses face increased pressure to “go green.” But this demand comes with unique challenges when you are in the hotel industry.

Do guests really value my hotel’s environmental practices?

Surveys have found that 75% of all travelers want hotels to make better environmental choices – and most are willing to pay more for it. 

Business travel is especially loaded. Post-pandemic, businesses are on the move again, traveling for conferences and in-person meetings. Meanwhile, their shareholders and customers want them to demonstrate greater responsibility through the adoption of environmental, social, and governance agendas – especially the environmental elements relating to corporate travel and events. A 2022 survey showed that over 40% of corporate travel managers prioritized partnering with hotels that have sustainability measures in place.

In short, the green efforts of your hotel are indeed important to customers. Which means that environmentally friendly choices are not just good for the planet, they are good for your business, too.

What can hotels do to ‘go green’?

Many hotels have already taken on some important environmentally friendly practices such as:

• Changing towels only every few days, unless the guest requests otherwise.

• Changing all their lighting to LED to reduce energy consumption.

• Having sensors that turn off lights and A/C when guests leave the room.

• Replacing disposable plastic bottles, plates, cups, and utensils with reusable ones.

• Offering group shuttle transportation services and electric vehicle charging stations.

• Shopping local for food services, donating extra food, and composting waste.

These are just some of the many opportunities to better your hotel’s practices. And while such measures do contribute to helping the environment, more drastic action is needed to truly make a dent in the larger problem. 

So, what can make a more significant environmental impact?

Reducing your hotel’s energy consumption –and as a result, its carbon footprint – would be a serious step in improving environmental practice. US Department of Energy data shows that “hotels are one of the highest energy and water consumers per square foot.” One hotel room incurs nearly twice as much in energy costs as the average home does. Lighting and cooling alone are responsible for half of hotel energy usage. 

Clearly, hotels could be doing what they can to cut energy usage. This could include limiting the hours or temperature for a guest’s A/C use, lowering the temperature in the pool by a few degrees, and so on. Not only do such moves lower your hotel’s carbon footprint – they also lower electricity costs, increasing your property’s profitability.

And yet, such drastic action can be problematic for a hotel.

Why is it so challenging for hotels to make dramatic cutbacks in energy consumption?

At the end of the day, your hotel guests expect a certain level of ease, comfort, and service. No matter whether they are there for business or pleasure, no matter how genuinely invested they are in environmental change, they really don’t want to compromise on the luxury associated with a hotel getaway. 

They want to be warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. They want lights, tv entertainment, and speedy internet at all hours. They want the pool set just right and fresh food day and night. 

All these asks require electricity, so drastic cuts simply won’t do the trick. If guests do have to settle for less on them and they reach their tipping point, they may just end up taking their business elsewhere.

The best approach is to focus not on how much electricity your hotel uses, but rather when it uses it – that is, how carbon-intensive the electricity is at the time it is used.

Given these competing interests, how do I lower my hotel’s carbon footprint?

The best approach is to focus not on how much electricity your hotel uses, but rather when it uses it – that is, how carbon-intensive the electricity is at the time it is used.

There are different kinds of kilowatts. The grid provides “good” kilowatts during the day made by solar or wind, and these are low in carbon. It also provides “bad” kilowatts when those renewables are not available, say, after the sun goes down. These are not only more expensive, but they are also more carbon-intensive.

Obviously, when possible, your hotel should consume electricity while it’s cheaper and cleaner, from sun and wind – and reduce as much as possible during those peak times when it’s more costly and generated by fossil fuels. This will go a long way to reducing your carbon footprint – and cutting costs.

But what about when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing?

Energy storage solutions through utility companies do allow some of the “good” electricity made from renewable energy to be available in those off hours. But on-prem, “behind the meter” storage solutions are far better – and we don’t mean batteries, which are not always safe to install in a building.

Your hotel can implement a thermal energy storage system like the Nostromo IceBrick^®, which means storing energy in safe, clean elements such as ice and water. 

Yes, you might use additional electricity during the day to charge the system, but that electricity will be coming from renewable sources like solar, so it will produce zero carbon. Also, by discharging the system during peak hours and avoiding using electricity that is more expensive and more carbon-intensive, your property will save money. That way, your hotel is utilizing as much clean energy as possible, while also cutting costs – but without impacting your guest’s comfort or experience in any way.

Other than cutting costs and carbon, what can I expect from my investment in a storage solution?

At first glance, it may seem that a storage solution like the Nostromo IceBrick^® allows your green hotel to provide just exactly what all other hotels provide. Yes, it may be cleaner, more efficient – even revolutionary behind the scenes – yet to the guest passing through, won’t it just seem like lights, A/C, and business as usual?

But in fact, when you implement a “behind the meter” solution on your roof or in an unused part of your property, it also becomes a powerful part of your story. It is an important leg-up and a critical way to differentiate from the competition, as the prestigious Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria do with their Nostromo partnership. So, display it proudly. Make it your showpiece. Let your guest experience, staff, and literature speak to it. 

Your guest’s stay is actually enhanced by knowing about your green efforts. Their conscience is eased, their time with you is more enjoyable. And it is especially important for business travelers who need to look good when they report back to corporate and investors. 

Environmental practice is the factor that can make or break an organization’s decision to book a room or hold an event at a particular property. With an advanced energy storage solution, organizations will know you take your sustainability efforts seriously – they will seek you out, want to be affiliated with you, and put their money into you. So, the Nostromo IceBrick^® is not only an investment in your carbon footprint and bottom line, it is also an investment in your larger brand.