3 Top Tips to run a green Hotel

Feb 22, 2021
 

Sustainability has so many definitions that it can often drive people to distraction…

What does it actually mean? How do I make my own business more sustainable? How do I know if I am successful at greening my business?

The answers are much simpler than people may think and I'll tell you why.

Here at the Fifty Shades Greener office, a ‘green’ or sustainable business is simply one that reduces its impact to the environment. Businesses affect the environment in 3 ways; through their use of energy, production of waste and consumption of water.

In order to run an environmentally friendly business, you first need to reduce your business’s utilities, and the best part of this journey is that not only will you reduce your business’s Carbon Footprint and impact to the environment - you will also SAVE MONEY off your utility bills.

It is a win/win situation for any business owner.

Yet 99% of the Hotel owners I meet on a weekly basis, do not have a handle on these 3 pillars of sustainability. So here are 3 top tips for a successful green journey;

 

  • Measure & Monitor.

 

The very first thing you need to incorporate into your monthly routine is measuring and monitoring your business’ use of energy, water and waste. This is quite easy, the information we need is given to us in our monthly bills; electricity, gas, oil and waste. They are going to become your most reliable resources in order to successfully monitor your green journey.

But comparing your total waste production, for example one month against the next, is not an accurate comparison. For example, if we were to say that in February, you welcomed 1000 guests to your business and then in March you welcomed 2000 customers to your business, if you were to compare your total waste production it will of course be higher in March than in February as you had more customers to serve. The figure you need to find and use as a comparison baseline is:

Your energy consumption per customer

Your waste production per customer

Your water use per customer

Those are your Green Key Performance Indicators and the figures you will use to monitor and compare on a monthly basis. That is the very first step of your business’ Green Journey.

 

  • Learn from your building.

 

Once you have established your green key performance indicators, it is time to start learning from your building when and where you are using energy, where and what type of waste you are generating and what is your business’s water flow rate.

If we know when and where we consume energy, we can take steps to reduce that usage.

If we know what waste we are producing and where, we can take steps to reduce that waste production.

Your building has all the clues you need to identify opportunities for improvement. All you need to do is dedicate some time every week, to learn from it. You might also want to assign other members of your team to be in charge of these observations. For example you could assign someone the duty to observe your bins for a couple of weeks and really learn what waste your business produces. You might also want to assign an energy manager that will identify your business’s equipment consumption or lighting needs.

Whichever way you do it, just make sure you block off a few hours every week to learn from your business’s utilities.

 

  • Train your team and spread awareness.

 

Staff awareness & training could be the single most important step to success.

I am sure if a member of your team was terrible at customer service, you would absolutely insist on further training to improve their service skills.

The same applies to sustainability. If a member of your team is constantly turning on equipment that is not necessary at that exact moment to serve a customer or make money, you need to train them on how to conserve energy.

It is part and parcel of their job and yours.

You need to identify the need for training and they need to learn how to behave in a different manner. But unless you have taken the time yourself to really observe and learn from your building and your team’s behaviour, you are never going to be aware if your team requires sustainability training or not.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint & SAVE MONEY

Green businesses are reaping the benefits of not having much competition in today’s world. For some reason the penny has not dropped yet that business sustainability is a win/win situation for an owner. I know if I was running a hotel, one of my main focal points would be to reduce my business’s running costs and increase my sales and reputation amongst my customers. Well that is exactly what running a greener business will do for you.

Your customers will appreciate your efforts and become loyal in return.

When you reduce your utilities, you reduce your Carbon Footprint  which will allow you to enter Green awards and set yourself apart from the norm.

And lastly, when you reduce your business’s utilities you will SAVE money off your waste, energy and water bills.

The Green Business Online Programme will show you step by step, how to achieve those results. It will provide training for your general manager, your green team as well as every member of your organisation. It will allow your team to implement actions that will reduce your business’s utilities, and most importantly, it will spread a culture of sustainability amongst every member of your organisation. 

All it requires is your commitment to implement the actions given, it is sustainability for beginners - an A to Z programme to implement an environmental management system at your property.

If you own or manage a Hospitality business in Ireland, you can now avail of the Green Business Online Programme completely FREE OF CHARGE, thanks to the Educational Training Boards of Ireland.

Irish businesses can access this programme fully funded with no cost to the business. You can register your business here; https://www.kwetbmarinehouse.ie/50-shades-greener 

Run your business Fifty Shades Greener TODAY and take full advantage of the perks of being a pioneer in your field.

 

Raquel

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