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For years now European cities have been facing water shortage issues due to high consumption and lower than normal supplies. The Student Hotel Group has came into a partnership with a few European universities and startup, Amphiro. Their main goal is develop new tools and technology to make a real impact on reducing the water consumption in European countries with known water shortage issues. Amphiro has developed a water meter that will be attached to showers in new Student Hotels and it will also display the water and energy consumption usage. The idea behind this is to show students and others how much water they are consuming, while in the shower. They hope by putting the actual meter and reading display into the showers, people will choose to be more eco-friendly and waste less water. According to the article, WUR found that students and guests used an average of 20% less water. This is a significant reduction and is a great way for hotels to incentivize guests to be more eco-friendly. They are expanding the initiative to more European countries in hopes of conserving water and energy use throughout Europe.

One of the hottest negotiation issues now a dyas is to stay green in whatever field of industry you're working at. That includes the Hospitality Management as well. In the hotel business one of the very basic, at the same time very important need is providing Hot Water. With the help of new sustainable hot water technology, the hotel properties can provide hot water without any trouble even during the peak hours while saving money!  These Solar Thermal heating Systems figured out to be very cost effective and practical that quickly began to rise interest between hoteliers.  In this way , they not only save energy and help our planet to stay green but also help them to save their budgets to be spent on some other parts. 

As World Water Week has come to a close, experts have discussed a number of issues regarding water and waste. With major climate initiatives such as the agreements established in Paris, individuals and industry alike have been called to action in order to mitigate negative climate change. Water use is one of the key resources that must be preserved. Hotels are major consumers of water, from guest consumption to laundry to F&B, water use is rampant in hotels. Water scarcity would be utterly detrimental to the hospitality industry. For this reason, greywater systems and ground water collection are but a few of the water-saving methods at the disposal of the hospitality industry. This is especially important because it has been found that hotel guests in some countries use ten times as much water as the local populace.

With the demand for sustainability initiatives by consumers, hotel are having to make major changes in order to oblige. Sustainability has become a major concern for many consumers and businesses have taken notice. As a result, major hotel chains across country have begun to put in order plans to make changes to their daily operations. As noted in the article by L.A. Times, changes have been made to features such as water usage, machinery operations and even landscaping design . These changes and updates are in the hopes to attract a wider consumer market which now includes Eco-friendly travelers.

The LA Times article, "More hotels are going green, and not just to save water or money" highlights how an "earth-friendly image" is important to many corporate travel managers. Research suggests that having an environmentally friendly hotel not only aids in decreasing operational cost and avoiding city or county fines but may also be a way to differentiate a firm's brand and compete more effectively in the market. With travelers specifically seeking out eco-friendly choices and demonstrating a willingness to pay extra to accommodate a hotels ability to provide these services; going green could be a strategic solution implemented in a manner that allows for increasing market share while reducing operational cost.

Good Afternoon, It good to see hotels are being proactive about being environmentally friendly. It also great they mentioned that corporate travelers are looking for Eco-friendly hotels. I know a lot of companies require corporate travelers to seek out hotels that meet certain green levels and along with there corporate rates. Hotels are demonstrating that they are willing to invest in green technology not only for money but because it the right thing to.

Due to the increase in water usage around the world, the hospitality industry will be force to integrate responsible water usage policies. As mentioned in the article, technology plays an important role in supporting hotels in their water sustainable water management initiatives by integrating devices and systems that respond to a property water usage patterns. By having systems generate usage reports, property manager could react timely to leaks and faults and act proactively by calculating lifespan depending on usage. Depending on property location, those predictable and recurrent drought conditions would not benefit of rainwater recycling and those that experience rain often could incorporate rainwater harvesting an integrate it with greywater recycling.

This article briefly summarizes how the The Serai resort in the coffee country of the Indian state Karnataka has been harvesting rain water to use for watering their gardens. This article doesn't go into too much detail itself but I did some other research and found that this region of India only gets 8% of their annual rainfall in the months of January-May. This really puts a strain on the region and being able to harvest and store rainwater from the wet season helps especially with superfluous water usage like watering and maintaining hotel gardens. The state made it mandatory to reduce water waste and The Serai has created a surplus. (http://www.karnataka.com/profile/rainfall.html) The Serai resort also uses other green techniques like using waste wood to make furniture for the resort. (http://theserai.in/en/responsible-citizenry.html) I think it's great that the government there has made laws requiring the saving and re-using of rain water. It is especially important for them due to the drastic differences of the dry and rainy seasons but this could be applied almost anywhere. Part of the draw of some hotels is their scenery and gardens but watering these can get expensive and become a waste, especially if there are people in the area who go without a reliable source of drinking water. I think policies like this should be instituted everywhere. I have to give the Serai resort a lot of credit too. Yes, they were forced to start capturing and storing rain water but it seems like they have taken their green initiatives a step further and do more than the bare minimum.

The "Going Green" trend has been a true blessing since it's marketability took birth several years ago. Many industries are taking advantage of this technological and ecological trend. There has never been a better time than now to turn our business ethics into the direction of a better world. Basic utility expenses at any hotel or business can sometimes make or break their existence. Technology today has given us the tools to give back to both our beautiful Earth and our bottom dollar. Luxury brands and all the like are implementing new green policies and technologies that will cut costs and even beautiful their environments. By the end of 2015 The Intercontinental Hotels Group plans on equipping over 4,000 of their hotels with a system that monitors and assists in energy use and conservation. They have a goal of reducing their overall water use by 12% in California in part due to the severe ongoing drought. The Loews in Santa Monica Beach is investing $96,000 in a laundry-water recycling system. It will recycle nearly 70% of water use and pay for itself in less than 2 years. Apart from it's ability to cut-costs and truly give back to the environment, "going green" is highly marketable. One of the Intercontinental's General Managers was quoted saying "It's not a huge savings. I think it's about sending the right message." I have personally seen many RFPs from large corporate companies that request green-initiatives from hotels. Improving sustainability is important to the customer and the establishment. Around 60% of travelers consider green initiatives when selecting a destination and activity. Of those 60%, over half said they would even pay more to stay at an establishment that respected and helped improve the environment. In a world where we are fortunate enough to live in excess should we choose to, it's a shame it took this long for a global movement to "go green". Sustainability alone has built such a giant indu

A hotel workforce communications platform named Quora is helping operators ensure that all their pools, hot tubs, and spas meet water safety standards within a Pool Readings module. The recurring app enables hotel engineers to test a pool/s chlorine, PH, alkalinity, and calcium levels as well as water temperature and PSI flow rates identifying if the pool water is safe for hotel guests. 

VivoAquatics, a software to manage water and energy consumption in hospitality organizations, has received additional funding through a software automation company. This investment allows growth for the VivoAquiatics company to not only to provide more conservation methods to the industry, but also conserve the earth's resources. The platform is already utilized by many hospitality attractions such as resorts and waterparks. VivoAquatics is set apart from the competition because of its expensive experience in the market in energy and water conservation.

The article discusses the crisis of the unavailability of quality water supply for South Africa as a result of poor water supply facilities. This topic is important as South Africa is a popular tourist destination and should have a first-class water supply infrastructure, as well as the availability of quality water is a basic human right under the Republic of South African Constitution of 1996. It appears that the major reasons for poor water infrastructure is due to the lackadaisical attitude and neglect of constant and proper maintenance of the water infrastructure. The methodology involved extensive literature on articles relating the hospitality tourism experience and basic water supply facilities. An increase in investment in the process of sustaining water supply backlogs will need to be the focus of any future work. The points needed to be addresses is ensuring sufficient water supply, quality water, accessible water and sanitation methods, and that the water is affordable.

Hotels going green is being appreaciated by the guests

go green is important not only for the industry but also for the whole earth, because pollution is one of the biggest issue for every countries' government. in this article, it also talk about the major concerns in hotel industry, AC system and water conservation. go green not only save hotels' money, but also increase profit margin. Go green is a important step for hotel to go, and it have to go green for the future step for hotels.

I realy like this article because it talks about hotels that are trying to go green and customers like it and contribute to this cause. The hotels are trying to reduce the use of water, energy and waste, and they give the option to the customer to do it or not. For example to "reuse your towel" or turn off the A/C when you are not in the room. This helps the hotels to save money and increased their profit margin. Some hotels beleive this is costly for them, but in the long-run it will help. People are more conscious now and like that hotels are more environmentally responsible.

Immaculata University in southeast Pennsylvania has replaced 20 standard water fountains with new "hydration stations." In addition to the regular spout, there is an outflow at the top. The fountains' tap water is supplied by Elkay, an Illinois-based water supply company. Each fountain has the ability to keep track of the number of refills and displays it as the number of water bottles that are NOT going into a landfill as a result. Putting a number to this green initiaive is a great way to get people involved and make them more aware of how much they can contribute by doing simple things like reusing a water bottle. It also encourages students to drink more water instead of sugary sodas and other carbonated beverages. With about half of the students using refillable bottles last year, the university's environmental club plans to hold events and give away refillable bottles to increase the use of these fountains.  I think it is great that you can see the contribution you are making with the tracker on the fountain, as I am all for doing my part to reduce waste headed to landfills. I just wonder how much waste is being produced by replacing the still-working standard fountains. 

Summary of sustainability trends in the Hotel Industry

Sustainability or green initiatives are becoming more popular within the cruise line industry. From icebreaker powered by liquefied natural gas, to community-friendly itineraries and initiatives designed to eliminate millions of plastic water bottles every year, international cruise operators are catching up with consumer demands for more environmentally aware travel. Oceania and Regent have gone away with single use plastics by providing guests with eco friendly water system. Linblad Expeditions is asking its suppliers to explore sustainable alternatives. Regulations will require ships to change from heavy sulphur fuel to more expensive low-sulphur alternatives. WE go on to learn about different fuel cleaning processes that the cruise lines are implementing to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, Lastly we see that LNG has created an icebreaker that runs on electric and battery power when in polar exploration. These are just a few of the ways cruise lines are implementing more sustainable practices.

That is fantastic news that cruise lines are starting to make more of an initiative to eliminating their carbon footprint. I have been curious as to how cruise lines can take more green initiatives because they carry such a large carbon footprint that has a huge effect on our environment. Technology and ships like the Le Commandant Charcot are huge steps in reducing carbon emissions.

Green Initiative by Hilton Hotel Hotels as well as other service industries are looking for new ways to run more efficiently and looking to nature to give them some ideas. The latest in green technology is allowing hotels to push the eco-envelope and create energy efficient roof systems that also help the environment, and provide a visually beautiful space for their guests to enjoy. Hilton Hotel chain recently constructed Hilton Baltimore to break records with their proactive "green" policy, by creating garden to cover the entire roof, which Hilton looks upon as a commitment to the community and environment- a top level priority which stems from the top at the corporate level and is implemented down to the property level. This kind of innovation benefits all the major stakeholders…….it helps the environment by reducing rain water run-off, creates habitants for birds to thrive, helps to keep the hotel cool thereby reducing utility expense, it also provides a conducive atmosphere for the guest to enjoy and above all it generates good will for Hilton Hotels. This is not just happening in the U.S. Hotels around the globe are choosing to guide their business towards efficiency utilizing green roof technology. Besides recycling, and purchasing 'Green Sustainable Energy Credits' for 50% of the energy it utilizes annually, InterContinental Chicago hotel initiated "waste minimization" with a program that donates table scraps and leftover foods to local farms or composting sites. They have also introduced 'Green Weddings' and 'Green Meetings' options for event planners, bicycle rentals, organic wines and foods, and distribute seeds to employees to encourage giving back to the environment.

This article talks about the DaVinci Hotel in Johannesburg South Africa. It was constructed to 'make use of solar panel power.' This makes the DaVinci a green hotel and gives them a solar powered water heating system. 'The solar powered water system, which has the capacity to warm up 30,000 liters of water, will result in a 60% reduced energy bill for the hotel..."  Saving on operating costs should be enough incentive for new hotels to be built green. Also it appeals to many guests who look to reduce their carbon footprint and however small, the percentage of the population who want to go green is growing. A hotel is a home away from home and homes how are being built green. It is in a new hotel's best interest to follow the trends that will have a major affect on how business and life is run. The article says that the 'DaVinci has set the tone for the hospitality industry' and I believe the actions should be followed. Newly constructed hotels shouldn't be the only eco-friendly hotels in business. Hotels that are currently in business have regular maintenance and upgrades to do. They can add in green items like LED lights, water saving shower heads, and implementing eco-friendly cleaning products and kitchen appliances.

This article takes a look at 3 to 5 star hotels in Zimbabwe and South Africa and their environmentally friendly practices. Research shows that the hotel industry has a huge impact on the environment and the use of natural resources. The hotel industry has been negatively impacting the environment by consuming large amount of energy and water, and by producing large amounts of waste. The government has been demanding that hotels implement green practices, these are methods and products that do not negatively impact the environment. The results from the data collected from these two countries showed that none of the hotels had a written green management policy. Even though some of the hotels insisted that there is a green management policy in effect, it was not written down. It is important for policies like this to be written so there is a clear understanding of what is expected.

It seems the main motivation to implement more eco-friendly practices would be legislation/regulation but I wonder how that would be received? Outside the hotel industry,. I wonder how much focus is generally given to environmental concerns? Interesting research.

In the United States, hotels represent more than 5 billion square feet of space, nealry 5 million guest rooms and approxiamtely $4 billion in annual energy use. As of January 2010, there were only 40 hotels that were LEED certified. The acronym LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a voluntary, third party green building certification program that awards points to buildings depending on their sustainable practice being implemented which includes building improvements, environemntal footprint and water and energy use. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization. Its main purpose is to provide building owners and operators with a basic framework for developing and implementing sustainable practices. The first hotel to ever be certified according to LEED criteria was the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. This hote received Platnium status for being able to recycle 87% of its construction debris, purchasing 40% of the building materials and 90% of its furniture locally. Installation of 100 solar panels, use of geothermal energy for the restaurant's refrigeration equipment and instllation of a Regenerative Drive model for its elevators made the Proximity Hotel a benchmark hotel. There are several practices that can make a hotel conserve energy and make it sustainable such as using flourescent lightbulbs, offering linen and towel reuse programs, paving parkig lots with highly reflective materials or open grid pavers, installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, landscaping with native plants and using local materials and goods. These will not necessarily lead to LEED certification but will definitely earn points towards obtaining that accredidation. The use of sustainable practices not only helps conserve the environment but also saves money in the long run. Through water conservation techniques, recycling and linen and towel reuse programs, the hospitality industry wins two-fold,

With sustainability at the forefront of hotel operators and investors hotels are becoming conscious of the guests needs as more and more travelers are requiring and are staying at properties that are serious about environmental conservation. The article highlighted the fact hotels are big consumers of energy, therefore have construction that are LEED certified will not only benefit the environment but also the bottom line of investors.

Travel Weekly takes a look at hotels taking real initiatives to their commitment to going green, especially in Sin City. Hotel groups are looking not to save money through transparent initiatives asking guests to simply reuse their towels, rather the article looks at "hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water, and reduce waste". It seems in addition to other environmentally conscious west coast cities, Vegas has set a standard by setting goals for increased recycling, decreased energy consumption, switching over to LED bulbs, composting food waste, reducing overall carbon footprint and emissions. In light of continuing green development, Sabre Holdings has launched an Eco-Certified Hotel Program taking the lead out of the other four major GDS's to tip their hat to eco-friendly hotels. As travelers, GDS's, hotels, travel websites, and developers alike place greater emphasis on the preference for environmentally conscious lodgings, the more likely the industry is going to continue adopting these measures.

Hotels are becoming more green world wide. MGM hotels is on board with a green initiative. Hotels electricity and water add up because they have to cool a building , clean and maintain the hotel. IT costs about 800 per room annually in electricity and water costs. MGM hotels reduced the electrivity they use which can help power 12, 000 houses. HOtels are also trying to reduce its carbon emissions. Although as the article states " its very difficult fot hotels to be trully green by their nature" every little bit helps.