Are travelers becoming more “green-conscious”? Are hotels becoming more “eco-friendly”? Maybe, maybe not.
A recent survey by Deloitte suggests business travelers are becoming more environmentally-conscious. More than a third of those polled say that they “seek out hotels that are environmentally friendly,” and almost 1 in 4 have researched green lodging facilities.
Adam Weissenberg, who heads the Deloitte Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure practice, claims “business travelers understand the issues and are trying to do their part in being more environmentally responsible when they are on the road.”
Nearly seven of 10 business travelers said they always turn off the lights when they leave the hotel room, and 31% said they always adjust the heat/air conditioner when leaving the room.
The top five environmental actions business travelers expect lodging facilities to be taking are recycling (77%), using energy-efficient lighting (74%), using energy-efficient windows (59%), placing cards in rooms to let guests request that sheets/towels not be changed (52%) and using environmentally safe cleaning products (49%).
While road warriors may claim to be more environmentally-conscious when they travel on business, how about when they travel for pleasure? How about the rest of us?
That remains up in the air.
At a recent panel discussion at the Responsible Luxury Summit in New York, Michael Kaye, president of Costa Rica Expeditions said consumers “act differently when doing surveys and choosing vacations.” In other words, what consumers say they will do and what they actually do may be two different things.
“When travelers were interviewed, they are passionate about greenness,” said Steve Fitzgerald, the chief executive of CC Africa, which sponsored the summit. “But in another environment, with their guard down, they didn’t give a damn.”
How about the hotel properties themselves? Are they doing their part?
It’s hard to tell.
In a recent column for Tripso, Amy-Bradley Hole says that some may be “greenwashing” while others are “trying to make a positive change.” The column also gives tips on how to tell whether the hotel is really going green.
That being said, there are lodging properties in the planning or building stage that are making a conscious effort to become environmentally friendly. The property owners are approaching the U.S. Green Building Council, which developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program.
Although the program was originally designed for commercial office and retail buildings, Mark Heisterkamp, manager of USGBC’s LEED corporate/investment real estate sector, said there are other applications.
USGBC has had initial conversations with several major hotel brands and operators in order to begin assessing how LEED requirements for hotels should differ from the existing tracks in place for commercial office buildings, retail spaces and other categories.
Heisterkamp noted that even though hotels are adopting LEED later than office buildings and other sectors, “ultimately hotels could become a highly visible venue for LEED and for green buildings in general.” He said that “LEED hotels could have a significant educational impact because of hotels’ highly visible exposure to vast numbers of consumers…and provide ‘a powerful message we don’t have in most other space types.’”
In other words, he’s hoping that when consumers visit the LEED-certified hotels, they can see what the property is doing and apply what they see to their own homes.
But to say that travelers are going “green” — well, it may be too soon for that.
