Should guests pay extra for a greener guestroom experience? Crescent Hotels & Resorts thinks so. Based in Fairfax, Va., and with more than 120 hotels under management, Crescent and Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. recently announced a partnership pilot that has guests paying a premium of $50 for a Beyond Plastic Stay at five Crescent properties. According to a press release, guests who participate in a Beyond Plastic Stay will save the equivalent of 50 plastic water bottles during their stay. I recently reached out to Crescent several times for comments on the program but did not hear back.
Grove Collaborative Holdings is a leading sustainable consumer products company, Certified B Corporation, and Public Benefit Corporation. It is supplying the hotels with their Beyond Plastic Stay products.
Beyond Plastic guestrooms include hand soap, body wash, and haircare bottled in infinitely recyclable aluminum, a fragrance diffuser made from natural beech wood, tree-free, bamboo toilet paper, and natural cleaning products that prioritize refill systems for housekeepers. Additional items available at the front desk include personal care products such as a compostable toothbrush.
One of the aims of Grove Collaborative Holdings is to get guests to purchase the eco-friendly products for their homes. To see the two pages of items sold by Grove Collaborative Holdings for Beyond Plastic Stay, click here. Products range from silicone straws to toilet bowl cleaner.
Tapping into Consumer Sentiment
Crescent is aiming to capitalize on increasing traveler interest in plastics pollution. According to the press release, 83 percent of travelers confirm sustainable travel is important to them and 85 percent of Americans think that plastic waste pollution is a serious and concerning problem. Indeed, plastic microfibers are pervasive in our global environment—in the water we drink and the air that we breathe.
Crescent’s aim is to provide multiple education touchpoints to help guests learn about sustainable swaps to incorporate into their home routines. The press release was not clear about the kinds of touchpoints—other than a Beyond Plastic Stay option being presented while booking a stay.
The hotel properties participating in the Beyond Plastic Stay pilot include Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco, San Francisco; The Ven at Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.; Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, outside of San Antonio, Texas; The Inverness Denver, a Hilton Golf & Spa Resort, Denver; and Hotel Vance, Portland, Ore. As the pilot advances, Crescent will look to onboard additional managed properties to the program.
Would you pay $50 more for a greener guestroom stay? Over the years I have come across a couple of other examples of programs that have included a payment premium for greener bath amenities, better indoor air quality, etc. Properly presented, I believe the premium can work. Yet, there is another part of me that says travelers should not have to pay more for a stay that includes items that will not harm them or the environment. Also, haven’t we gotten to the point where guests have come to expect a healthy, green stay without paying $50 more for it?
Your thoughts? I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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