As consumers and investors demand more sustainable options in the hospitality industry, trends are going into the right direction!

Some statistics:

– 71% of travelling consumers say they would be more likely to choose #sustainableaccommodation options.

– The ‘SustainableTravel Report’ by Booking.com finds that 74% of travellers want travel companies to offer more sustainable travel choices—up from 66% in 2022.

– In Europe, 31% of investors say that ESG is “central” to their approach.

A whitepaper by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Hospitality Investor, written by Philip Halanen; demonstrates that sustainability is now entering different markets in terms of hotel type and destinations e.g. not only high-end; nor just EU and US.

It also shows that the franchise community is embracing sustainability increasingly!

Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of the Energy & Environment Alliance (EEA), said:

“What is clear is that investors, more so than consumers, are the main drivers of ESG across the hospitality sector today. Working in hand with governments to strengthen regulations and develop frameworks that are underpinned by reliable data, investors aim to effectively link sustainability performance with financial performance.

Yes, leisure consumers are putting pressure on governments to be more sustainable and are wanting sustainable hotel options, but there is a ‘say-do’ gap at the moment. The key to really changing consumer travel habits is to give them the tools and knowledge to make genuinely informed decisions.”

Central to this, Ibrahim argues, is the introduction of more standardised sustainability reporting metrics for the hotel sector.

“This will improve transparency and accountability and help to set unified and consistent standards for both investors and travellers.

At the moment, we as a sector do not know what ‘good’ looks like in terms of how much energy should be used per square metre of X type of hotel. Standardisation is therefore critical to establishing a clear benchmarking system.”

The EEA is helping sustainability become more accessible to hoteliers.

Read the full whitepaper HERE.