Green Hospitality – Examples and evidence of the Lodging Industry going ‘Green!’

MN7234ES - People and organisations: principles and practices in global contexts

Green Hotels – the Future Crowning Glory of Hospitality?

Green hotels can include a variety of establishments, including resorts, chain hotels, motels, homestays, and motels, as well as other lodging establishments. A property committed to reducing its environmental impact on travel and tourism can be labeled a green hotel.

To understand how the concept of Green Hotels has expanded around the world, I have listed a few examples, from midscale rustic retreats to small family-owned hotels, budget-friendly farm-stays, as well as niche high-end places of stay:

 

1. Three Camel Lodge – Mongolia

This lodge is in a very remote area, and the property has been designed to create a self-sustaining waste management system. Although the Three Camel Lodge is luxurious and intended for high-end tourists, its philosophy is based on sustainability. The property practices "environmental stewardship, natural and cultural preservation, and community empowerment." TheThreeCamelLodge (2023) They are "guided by the United Nations Development Programme's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and each guest stays directly supports efforts to conserve" their "natural resources, protect" their "cultural traditions and improve the quality of life for Gobi residents." (NormadicExpeditions, 2022)

  

The Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia  (Source: TheThreeCamelLodge, 2023)

  

 2. The Das Rübezahl Hotel, Bavaria, Germany

 

Built by the Thurm family in 1959, the Das Rübezahl Hotel in Bavaria, Germany, is a cozy romantic retreat committed to sustainable stays. Much of the hotel is built with "native natural and mature wood" (GreenPearls, 2024), and the hotel nurtures "six bee colonies with around 300,000 bees looking after the natural compensation site containing rare wild herbs, orchids, and other protected plants with views of Neuschwanstein Castle." (GreenPearls2024) Another novel concept I liked about this hotel is using directly filtered Schwangauer mountain spring water for their restaurants underneath the Schwangau Mountains. For the employees, the Thurm family has a "handshake mentality" with "regular and year-round employment, in a 4-to 5-day week, family flexibility, training, bonus" and "staff members are provided with free bicycles upon request to ensure that their commute to work is climate neutral." (GreenPearls, 2024)

  

Hotel  Rübezahl (Source:  Hotel Rübezahl, 2024)

 

3. The AMBA Estate, Ella, Sri Lanka

With a hundred and thirty acres of towering mountains, waterfalls, caves, and forests, AMBA Estate is in the Uva highlands and just a short drive from Ella. This farm-stay B&B has hired many locals from Ambadandegama and created many economic opportunities for over a hundred local families. Deforestation is a significant issue in Sri Lanka, as is poor land management and overuse of pesticides and agrochemicals in food production. "Amba is therefore designed to minimize" their "' impact on the environment while restoring natural habitats and eco-systems." (AMBA Estate, 2020)

 

AMBA Estate (Source:ReddotTours, 2024)

 

4. Hotel Marcel, Connecticut, USA

As "part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, the Hotel Marcel is a zero-emission hotel encompassing 165 rooms, a 9000 plus square foot conference center, and a full-service restaurant. It has earned both Passive House and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certifications." (CCNTravel, 2024). Hotel Marcel is on the path to being the USA's "first Net Zero hotel by the end of 2025." (HotelMarcel, 2024) Unlike other hotels, "instead of fossil fuels, the building runs on 100% renewable energy for lighting, heating, air conditioning, and hot water, harnessing energy with over a thousand solar panels on its rooftop and parking canopies." (CNNTravel,2024)

Hotel Marcel (Source: HotelMarcel, 2024)

 

5. The Brando Resort, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia

The Brando Resort (Marlon Brando's private island) is famous for combining luxury and environmental sustainability. Known as one of the prominent eco-friendly resorts in the world and is "100% energy independent and supports several research and conservation initiatives." (Tahiti.com, 2024) Even President Barack Obama had stayed at the Brando for three months and has a three-bedroom villa named after him called the "Obamaville." Brando also has a LEED Platinum certification and a negative carbon footprint. The resort is, in fact, ahead of its time because it has its environmental research center and uses SWAC (Sea Water Air-Conditioning), where a novel concept of "' freezing deep-sea water is drawn up and circulated through the buildings to keep them cool, reducing energy consumption by 90 percent." (MrandMrsSmith, 2024) "Rainwater feeds the resort's pool and laundry, bathrooms use desalinated sea water, and a wastewater recycling system irrigates the kitchen gardens." (MrandMrsSmith, 2024)

 

The Brando (Source: TheBrando, 2024)

Conclusion

 

Through this research, we can see that "going green" is not just a trend. Travelers today are not just looking for a place to go on holiday, but they are searching for sustainable experiential travel that supports environmental values. Therefore, we see a massive shift in the lodging and travel industry where properties respond with unique innovations, green human resource policies of employee wellbeing, training, reskilling, and improvements. Whether it is a small initiative of installing solar panels to rainwater harvesting or having zero-waste policies, recycling, and farm-to-table dining, the world's hospitality industry is shifting its focus toward new sustainable 'green' ideologies and implementations. "Booking.com lists that 75% of travelers would book a hotel certified as green compared to other properties. Also, 43% of travelers are willing to pay more if it is a green hotel," as stated by the World Economic Forum (2024). Therefore, with increased awareness, people are becoming more mindful and responsible about the best travel practices and sustainability in the leisure sector.  

References

 Bell, S. (2020) Impact, AMBA Estate. Available at: https://www.ambaestate.com/sustain (Accessed: 01 April 2024).

BeyondGreen (2024) Intentionally gracious & sustainable ecotourism - about: Beyond green, TRANSFORMING TRAVEL Intentionally Gracious. Available at: https://staybeyondgreen.com/about (Accessed: 28 March 2024).

Cullen, S. (2023) The world’s most sustainable hotels, The Hotel Journal. Available at: https://thehoteljournal.com/worlds-most-sustainable-hotels/ (Accessed: 30 March 2024).

Ecobnb (2023) Green hospitality: Sustainable practices for hotels, Ecobnb. Available at: https://ecobnb.com/blog/2023/05/green-hospitality-sustainable-practices-hotels-resorts/ (Accessed: 28 March 2024).

GreenPearls (2024) Book the sustainable hotel rübezahl in the German allgäu, Green Pearls - the future of traveling. Available at: https://www.greenpearls.com/hotels/hotel-ruebezahl/ (Accessed: 01 April 2024).

Hilton Honors (2023) HOSPITALITY FOR THE PLANET, Hotel Marcel. Available at: https://www.hotelmarcel.com/new-haven-hotels/sustainability (Accessed: 01 April 2024).

NormadicExpeditions (2021) Wild Journeys, Responsible Travel: An Earth Day Message, Nomadic Expeditions. Available at: https://www.nomadicexpeditions.com/wild-journeys-responsible-travel-an-earth-day-message/ (Accessed: 21 March 2024).

Stephens, R. (2023) How a neglected building was transformed into America’s greenest hotel, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/hotel-marcel-new-haven-connecticut/index.html (Accessed: 01 April 2024).

The Telegraph (2019) Amba estate Sri Lanka, The Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/sri-lanka/hotels/amba-estate-sri-lanka-hotel/ (Accessed: 01 April 2024).

TheThreeCamelLodge (2023) The three Camel Lodge, THREE CAMEL LODGE. Available at: https://www.threecamellodge.com/ (Accessed: 29 April 2024).

Thurm family (2023) Romantic Hideaway & Boutique Hotel near Füssen, Hotel Das Rübezahl, Romantic Hideaway & Boutique Hotel near Füssen - Hotel Das Rübezahl. Available at: https://www.hotelruebezahl.de/en/ (Accessed: 28 March 2024).

WilliamsKent Ltd (2024) What is green HR?, What is Green HR. Available at: https://www.williams-kent.com/insights/what-is-green-hr-/ (Accessed: 04 April 2024).

World Economic Forum & EcoWatch (2023) Survey of travellers finds 76% want more sustainable options, World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/04/survey-of-travelers-finds-76-want-more-sustainable-options/ (Accessed: 01 April 2024).