International Tourism Partnership, ITP and International Finance Corporation, IFC have highlighted that far from being an impediment to business, sustainable hotel design offers considerable benefits for all stakeholders.
This was contained in a research report presented by the association at the just-concluded World Travel Market, London.
While presenting the report, ITP Director Madhu Rajesh who was joined by ITP Board Members Allan Agerholm, Chief Hospitality Officer and CEO of BC Hospitality Group, and Dimitris Manikis, President and Managing Director EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts showcased the business and environmental benefits of building sustainable hotels.
In her words; “Ethical considerations aside, the key is to understand the different motivations and ensure that the financial benefits for sustainability are compelling for every stakeholder. By showing that it makes good business sense to invest in sustainability, we hope this research will encourage industry-wide action. The executive summary that we are launching today highlights 13 key recommendations for investors, owners and operators to embed sustainability in key decisions about a hotel property’s development. We look forward to launching the full report in the coming months” she said
On her part, Shamsah Fatima Dhala, IFC’s Global Sector Lead for Tourism expressed her delight at the partnership between the two organisations which she believes can move the entire hospitality industry to a greener path.
“This research fills a major knowledge gap with focused and quantitative analysis. It shows that the costs are lower than previously thought while the benefits are high, with actionable recommendations for each stakeholder group. The collaboration between IFC and ITP has the capacity to move the entire hospitality industry onto a greener path” she said.
Recall that the issue of climate change, the operational benefits of building sustainable building designs and its attendant effect on the hospitality sector has been on the front burner of discourse in recent time.
As a result, the new research from ITP, the Business Case for Sustainable Hotels executive summary created in collaboration with IFC, outlines the financial, reputational and operational benefits, and offers recommendations to all industry stakeholders to ensure better co-ordination to drive sustainable building design from inception to operation.
Climate change is already having a considerable impact on the hospitality sector – from extreme weather events increasing the cost of operations and reducing the number of tourists visiting certain destinations, to the introduction of local and national environmental policies and penalties.
According to the World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, it is being estimated that the hotel industry accounts for around 1% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, buildings broadly generate 19% of energy-related GHG emissions and consume 40% of electricity globally says The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC and with STR, formerly known as Smith Travel Research projecting a global pipeline of 2.4 million new hotel rooms, IFC believed that if all new hotels built in the next ten years integrated simple sustainable upgrades in design and operations, the industry would save 42,000,000 tonnes of CO2 each year (in 2030). This is the equivalent to the yearly GHG emissions of 9 million cars (US EPA).
This has led to calls on the needs for a variety of stakeholders from investors, owners and developers to hotel brands, operators, and franchisees to consider sustainability as integral and increase efficiencies by working together.
