In last week’s column I listed the top 10 most read articles that were posted on Green Lodging News in 2022. In thinking about the last year, I came up with a list of trends I see continuing, emerging—even exploding—in our industry that will continue into this new year.
A continuation and increase in goal setting. Whether in alignment with the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals or not, more and more companies, both public and private, are setting goals for decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water consumption, and waste reduction. Food waste and plastic waste (and climate change in general) will remain hot button issues and it is not just hotel owners and managers that are buying in; it is suppliers to our industry as well. In my visit to Boutique Design New York in November, I saw signs of sustainability just about everywhere I turned. Surveys will continue to show that consumers, and meeting planners, favor and even demand sustainable practices. Will your company be a leader or a laggard in 2023?
Key to the success of a formalized ESG program is having someone in charge of it. I have seen tremendous growth in the number of industry folks with sustainability or other related word(s) in their title. This is good news. Where there is accountability, there is progress. Expect this trend to continue in 2023.
Electrification & Decarbonization
Hot topics in the new year will continue to be electrification and decarbonization. Take foodservice operations as an example. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ordinances, and reach-codes with decarbonization goals have been placed into effect in numerous localities across California and other states with ambitious energy goals, including goals for electrification of commercial buildings. Easy ways to decarbonize in the kitchen include the use of Energy Star equipment, proper staff training, and regular equipment cleaning and maintenance. “Switching to electric equipment can help reduce a restaurant’s carbon footprint,” the U.S. Department of Energy emphasizes. Of course, there are many other areas of a hotel building where a reduction in needless energy consumption will result in decarbonization.
Expect to see “net-zero” or “carbon neutral” mentioned more often this year as developers, architects and designers share plans for future projects that produce net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. The now open Hotel Marcel in New Haven, Conn., operates without the use of fossil fuels, resulting in zero carbon emissions. “Net positive” and “regenerative” are two other terms that will gain more traction in this new year.
The developers that were the early adopters of green building and operations will continue to make a lot of noise in 2023. Just about every week I receive a press release about a new Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas property either opening or being announced. Last month, Six Senses announced that, as part of its plastics-reduction efforts, it is eliminating more than 1.5 million plastic bottles each year by bottling its own drinking water in reusable glass bottles. Brands such as 1 Hotels (seven hotels open and six in the pipeline) and SCP Hotels (seven open) will continue to grow, as will Marriott’s Element which has many green touches. Barry Sternlicht’s SH Hotels & Resorts will open its first Treehouse Hotel this year in Sunnyvale, Calif.
We have all seen the tiny house craze on the various networks, but one definite trend is the miniaturization of lodging with lodgings—constructed or in tent form or other form (yurts, for example)—placed in nature-rich environments with eco-friendly features.
Through technology and best practices, our industry will continue to find ways to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread as it mutates and persists. Our country has lost 1.1 million people to this disease—many of whom worked in our industry.
These are just some of the many hopeful trends I am seeing in our industry as it does its part to reduce its environmental impact.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 19,397 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each week, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2023?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2023. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier and Green Suppliers Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2023 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
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