The world’s ongoing water crisis is real. One in four of the world’s largest cities are currently in water stress, and the global infrastructure for collecting, cleaning, and distributing water is critically strained. We are locked in an ongoing struggle to maintain sufficient supplies of water in the face of increasing global temperatures and continuing worsening droughts. Water waste is not only a major contributor to the decline of reservoirs, but also a significant source of carbon emissions. Water treatment and delivery in the United States account for 13 percent of the country’s total electricity consumption. In many municipalities, water is...

Managing maintenance in hotels and resorts with hundreds of rooms, multiple floors, and numerous assets is no small feat. Facility managers must possess strong organizational skills and an efficient maintenance management strategy to ensure a comfortable stay for their guests, which can lead to continued business and growth. Maintaining assets is crucial for guest satisfaction, as it reduces the likelihood of inconvenience and ensures a positive experience during their stay. To enhance productivity among staff and effectively track maintenance needs across all areas of a hotel or resort, maintenance managers should consider practicing preventive maintenance (PM) by utilizing a computerized...

Evaporative cooling towers play an important role in green buildings by significantly reducing energy consumption when they supplement or replace traditional air conditioning systems, thereby reducing carbon footprint and operating costs. Although evaporative cooling is great at saving energy, it does consume some water but the benefits on energy savings outweigh the water usage, which in some places is a scarce resource. Water conservation is therefore a high priority in designing and operating water-cooled equipment and plays an important role in USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and other sustainability programs. LEED assigns credit points to reduce...

Earth Day has taken on different manifestations over the course of its 53-year history but to some of us who recall the first one, its purpose remains intact. Credit for the first Earth Day goes to Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who was a passionate environmentalist at a time when conservation wasn’t a politicized topic or a particularly notable one. He felt the need to expose the environmental damage of unregulated pollution, chemical toxicity, and habitat destruction. He also wisely realized that it was an intergenerational issue, and as a result, children and adults alike celebrated it together on April...

As an institutional investor, consider your investments—a hotel, club, restaurant, anything. Being an investor requires knowing how to allocate the appropriate funds to the right asset at the right time. But what if you have someone who can intricately manage that for you? This is where an asset manager would step in and decide what exactly investors must expect in return from their assets. They define the metrics and targets to be achieved so that the entire asset is optimized to its maximum potential. Then, there is ESG: environmental, social and governance. Environmental: issues related to the quality and function of the natural...

Over the past few years, like all companies, Amadeus has been working both internally and externally, on the impact of its actions with regards to sustainability. However, I believe we have reached a tipping point, particularly in corporate travel, where sustainability is now starting to drive the conversation. We are at a decisive moment in time where governments and organizations move from commitments to actions; from measurement to reducing carbon emissions, and from looking at one sustainability issue to a more holistic view with more elements. For instance, many airlines are defining clear and ambitious “net-zero emission targets by X”...

We at HVS have long valued the importance of embracing diversity, celebrating our differences, and building a better consulting team as a result. Exceptional teams do this: embracing, accepting, and understanding these differences to become more deeply connected and effective. When a hotel operations team is similarly understanding and celebratory of differences, guests can feel the difference and often become repeat guests as a result. Autism awareness is an effort HVS supports by engaging with Autism Double-Checked, an organization that provides education and training about this disability. We encourage you and your hotel operations team to learn more. Beyond the matter...

Within the United States, billions of materials like concrete, steel, and lumber maintain and construct the buildings we use daily. The use and disposal of these materials and new building construction have resulted in substantial environmental impacts with a rise in the air, water, and land emissions. Construction is a significant source of airborne pollution production and has continued to rise since October 2022, with non-residential buildings and multi-family homes up 26 percent. Climate change is pushing polluted air indoors, and to reduce these air quality impurities and their impact on indoor environments, construction contractors should consider bettering outdoor...

NATIONAL REPORT—The knee jerk reaction of many hoteliers to the topic of sustainability is likely to include statements like “I’d love to, but I can’t afford it …”, “We don’t have the bandwidth…” or “Of all industries, why should hospitality pay to save the planet…?” We suggest a change in perspective. Could sustainability not be seen as a win-win? Could it be that there is untapped potential in sustainability that progressive hospitality firms may be able to uncover? What if engagement in sustainability would not only help the planet and society-at-large but also the competitive position of a hotel? The strategic...

Energy consumption in the hotel industry is high, even when compared to other commercial sectors such as hospitals and schools. The truth is hotels and motels make for inherently energy-intense buildings, primarily due to the nature of the business and guest behavior. As such, hotel management is always seeking ways to maximize efficiency and save energy (and thus money) while, at the same time, providing optimal comfort for occupants. Many hotels are investigating environmentally friendly technologies that have the potential to reduce energy usage. Time after time, the primary technology that comes out on top is geothermal heat pumps....