“ EVERY HOTEL CAN DO SOMETHING TO REDUCE BOTTLED WATER .”
“ EVERY HOTEL CAN DO SOMETHING TO REDUCE BOTTLED WATER .”
ERIC RICAURTE , FOUNDER , GREENVIEW
MAKING IT WORK
Identify challenges specific to each area and address them . In meeting areas this likely will mean reworking the pricing model , if the hotel currently is charging for single-use bottled water , says Greenview ’ s Ricaurte . Employees also will need to know , for instance , how many bottles to prepare for a meeting and the ways in which they can be kept chilled , says Considerate Hoteliers ’ Hohenlohe .
Train employees on the system and the reasons for it . Let them sample the water and learn about the filtration system , so they can be confident of the water ’ s taste and safety . Show the adverse impact of single-use bottles on the environment . “ If you can change their behavior , you know the tactics will work to encourage your hotel guests to take the eco-friendly option ,” Langham ’ s Ng says .
Communicate with guests before they even arrive . Let them know how the hotel is reducing bottled water use , the reasons for it , and how they can access the water systems , Ricaurte says .
Hohenlohe , managing partner and founder of Considerate Hoteliers , which helps hotels measure and reduce their carbon footprint .
By placing water filtration systems in its fitness centers and some of its hotel lobbies , Centara Hotels & Resorts , a Thailand-based hospitality management and holding company , has cut the number of single-use water bottles across its properties by about 95 %, says Sunyata Jedcharoenruk , operations manager , environment and sustainability . The remaining single-use bottles are found mostly in the pool area ( those are recycled ), and given to guests to take with them .
It ’ s not only resorts cutting back : Langham ’ s London and New York properties have cut the use of plastic bottles by 55,000 annually by introducing water bottling systems for use during meetings , although guests still can ask for bottled water , says Carmen Ng , director of sustainability . The company declined to discuss costs or revenue , saying its objectives were long-term sustainability , and educating employees and guests . The Langham is considering rolling out water bottling systems in other areas of the hotels and at other properties , Ng says , but faces issues including space and local regulatory requirements .
In areas where tap water is safe for consumption , installing a filtration system can be fairly straightforward , typically only requiring sources of tap water and electricity . Because it ’ s usually not practical to place a filtration system in each guest room , some hotels provide reusable bottles in the rooms , with a notecard that shows guests the nearest filtration station , Hohenlohe says . Some install a station on each floor .
Is it realistic to expect all single-use bottles to disappear ? “ For the sake of the people and planet today and future generations , we must stop the use of plastic bottled water by 100 percent ,” says Alexa Poortier , founder of itmustbenow . com , a hospitality industry group focused on advancing sustainability .
On the other hand , it ’ s hard to say that reusable bottles are practical in all situations : A guest who ’ s checking out but needs “ grab and go ” water likely will take a disposable bottle .
Whether eliminating single-use water bottles is doable , one thing is true : “ Every hotel can do something to reduce bottled water ,” Ricaurte says .
Part of a bottling station at Alila Villas Uluwatu , Bali
September 2018 hotelsmag . com 13