ITHACA, N.Y.—The CHSB Index 2023 was released during the eCornell keynote Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: How Data Is Making an Impact webinar on June 7, 2023. The hotel industry’s largest and longstanding annual data collection of energy, water, and carbon performance, CHSB is the primary reference tool for hoteliers to benchmark their performance, and for various stakeholders including governments and business travelers seeking to calculate the environmental impact of a hotel stay. It incorporates the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) methodologies to provide standardized, industry-backed data to end users.
CHSB 2023 is the first post-pandemic performance benchmark. Participants in the latest index include major hotel brands, operators, and owners, covering a total of 646 geographies (64 countries, 84 regions, 410 metro areas, and 88 climate zones).
Linda Canina, the Dr. Michael Dang Director of the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University’s Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration added, “We are pleased to offer the updated CHSB Index free of charge, furthering the Center for Hospitality Research’s mission to increase the volume of high-quality research to support the hospitality industry, with CHSB allowing hoteliers to understand the range of energy, water, and carbon performance globally.”
Of the countries within the latest index, hotels in Norway had the lowest carbon intensity (13.5 kg carbon emissions per square meter) whereas those in Hong Kong, China had the highest (214.5 kg CO2e/m2). Countries with the lowest carbon intensity did not necessarily result in the lowest hotel energy intensity. Hotels in Austria for example had the lowest energy intensity (134.5 kilowatt hours per square meter). Limited-service hotels continue to outperform full-service hotels in intensities, and the latest trends may point toward a faster rate of their decarbonization.
Increase in Water Usage Intensity
Globally, lower occupancies due to the tail-end of COVID led to a significant increase in water usage intensity—a 20.2 percent increase in water per occupied room in 2021 as compared to 2019. Much water was used for hygiene and sanitary purposes during COVID disregarding of the occupancy.
Eric Ricaurte, CEO of Greenview and the co-author of the CHSB Index said, “In this ninth annual CHSB Index, we are excited to see increasing support from the hospitality industry, from less than 5,000 participants in 2014 to over 25,000 in 2023, enabling widespread use and analysis of the data thanks to over 30 companies that have supported the initiative. This month we celebrate the 10th year anniversary of CHSB’s start, and I would also like to give special thanks to the participants who have supported the initiative since its inception: Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott International, The Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Going forward we are also excited to evolve CHSB into a broader industry platform for data providers and data recipients to collectively work toward efficiency and decarbonization.”
The CHSB Index is available to download free of charge from the Cornell University eCommons library at https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/113258. CHSB data feeds the Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool at www.hotelfootprints.org where users can estimate the carbon footprint of a hotel stay and meeting anywhere in the world.
Participation is open and welcome for CHSB 2024. Companies can find more details on the initiative at www.greenview.sg/chsb-index.
