HotelsMag June 2018 | Page 51

SUSTAINABILITY
y 2050 , more

B than half the world ' s population will live in water-stressed areas , according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers . Unfortunately , hotels are water hogs : A 500-room , upscale hotel averaging 80 % occupancy will consume 124 million liters annually – enough to fill 50 Olympicsized swimming pools , according to EarthCheck , a benchmarking certification

W ATER

IT DOWN

and advisory group for travel and tourism .
The hotel industry has tended to lag others when it comes to water conservation , says Xenia zu Hohenlohe , managing partner and founder at London-based Considerate Hoteliers , which helps hospitality businesses operate responsibly . “ Hotels sell dreams ,” she notes . Companies like Centara Hotels and Resorts , Bangkok , have been doing some real-world monitoring and reduction of water use since 2016 , says Sunyata Jedcharoenruk , operations manager , environment and sustainability . The company is , among other things , using a new type of chiller machine and reusing cold water from air-conditioning and freezer units , allowing some locations to cut water use in half ; installing low-flow regulators that allow taps and showerheads to save 2 to 3 liters per minute ; and 16 of its properties , recycling all waste
The gardens at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin , Thailand , are irrigated with gray water .
and rain water for use in landscaping : This should save about 1 million cubic meters of water annually .
Management has distributed to property managers a presentation with best practices in water conservation . “ Team awareness is the most important factor to drive this program ,” Jedcharoenruk says .— K . KROLL

WASTE LESS , SPEND LESS

At Langham ' s Cordis hotel in Auckland , New Zealand , Christmas trees are made of recycled products including oyster shells .

For hotels , reducing waste has gone beyond a moral imperative and become an economic one : The food scraps , packaging materials and cleaning chemicals that hotels – and guests – generate impose numerous hard costs . And some of the world ’ s most beautiful destinations lack sufficient systems to handle this waste , says Alexa Poortier , founder of It Must Be Now , a global community of responsible companies based in Switzerland . The waste “ starts to destroy the very attractions that bring business ,” she says . Savvy hoteliers are taking
steps : In Amsterdam , Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin composts food waste , says Stephan Stokkermans , managing director , which removes water and cuts weight by 85 % within 24 hours , slashing removal costs . The compost fertilizes the hotel ’ s gardens . And the composting machine should pay for itself within three years . “ It ’ s a no-brainer ,” he says .
Another area hotel companies are tackling is plastics packaging : More are banning plastic straws and replacing tiny amenity bottles with full-sized versions . Bangkokbased Akaryn Hotel Group aims to become free of
single-use plastics by 2020 , says Anchalika Kijkanakorn , founder and managing director . Its newest location , Akyra Tas Sukhumvit in Bangkok , will open without any single-use plastics in rooms and F & B outlets and offer guests reusable steel water bottles . “ It ’ s something people can easily do and feel good ,” she says .
Langham Hotels locations create “ sustainable Christmas trees ” made of , among other items , wood , recycled bottles and oyster shells . “ Luxury can be sustainable ,” says Carmen Ng , director of sustainability at Langham Hospitality Group .— K . KROLL
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