It is a commonplace practice for hotels to provide refillable toiletries, ask guests to reuse towels and linen, use eco-friendly cleaning products or source products locally. Surely, sustainability extends beyond this!
Hoteliers need to adopt sustainable eco-friendly practices in the true sense; there is no benefit in mere lip service without addressing the issue. Fortunately, realising the severity of this subject, they are taking severall steps in the right direction.
If one compares the way hotels operated 20 years back with the situation now, they have indeed come a long way. The best part is the change in mindset, be it amongst employees or guests. However, a lot still needs to be done.
GETTING GUESTS ON BOARD
Contemporary guests are more than eager to do their bit towards safeguarding the environment. Hotels can raise their awareness about sustainability by promoting eco-tourism practices while making their stay experience meaningful.
We have adopted many practices in this regard. For example, every guestroom’s master control panel has an Eco button. When pressed, it increases the room temperature by 2°C thus saving energy. Guests who press this button get an Eco certificate as a token of appreciation.
An Ecotel handbook is present in all guestrooms to spread environmental awareness. Printed on recycled paper, it outlines our eco-friendly practices. Moreover, all our marketing material specifically mentions our commitment to the environment.
HIGH ON ENERGY
Investing in energy efficient technologies has been one of our top priorities. Adopting the latest energy conserving techniques in greenfield properties is easier as compared to brownfield projects where the hotel is already ready and we later step in to manage it.
Nonetheless, all our hotels adhere to clearly defined SOPs related to energy management systems. It starts with the building design, which incorporates efficient lighting systems (LED or CFL), high performance glass, demand control ventilation and carbon monoxide sensors in the parking area, all of which augment energy performance.
Every property’s centralised HVAC system has a microprocessor- based controller to reduce starting current and control acceleration of the motors. Storage thermal latent tanks are installed in the HVAC, which permit the generation of cooling or heating and let it be transferred to a period when our AC plant would otherwise be shut down, or when energy costs are lower.
Hot water is generated from the AC plant’s waste heat through a desuperheater. The refrigerant in the AC plant and refrigerators is also CFC free. Further energy management is facilitated through a preventative maintenance programme of the equipment to ensure maximum efficiency.
Daily monitoring of Heat-Light-Power and goal setting to reduce its consumption is de rigeur. Team members are trained on energy conservation, while best practices are shared at community meetings
periodically.
Sustainability might look like a gargantuan, and at times an overwhelming, task. The best way to chip away at it is to start with small steps. And keep working at it continuously.Â
