'Luxsustainability' - Sustainable Luxury Tourism

May 02, 2022

When we think of luxury within hospitality, we think 5 star hotels and spas, Michelin star restaurants and extravagant comfort. Often, we don’t associate sustainability with this opulent experience.

However, incorporating practices into your operation that reduce the impact you are having environmentally and socially, does not mean an automatic compromise of the service that you provide your customers.

What does sustainable tourism look like to you? When defining this term, the UN World Tourism Organisation explains that it is:

 

“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

 

A recent study from the accommodation platform giant AIRBNB and ‘think tank’ Economist Impact, on nearly 5,000 travelers from over 9 different countries, highlighted some revealing trends in relation to how people want to travel from where they stay, how they get there and the food they eat.

 

More than 60 percent are willing to build sustainable tourism practices into their holiday plans. “As demonstrated by our survey findings, we’re seeing a trend where people are attempting to make their travel decisions more sustainable—economically, culturally and environmentally—and hoping to have a more positive impact by benefiting local communities,”

 

So where does the world of lavish hospitality sit within this new way of traveling and experiencing different places and culture?

Recently I spoke with Ailish Keane, the sustainability manager of Ashford Castle Hotel, a 5 star luxury hotel here in Ireland. When I asked her about her own experiences in establishing an environmental management system and policies at the hotel - she had the following to say;

  1. What spurred Ashford Castle on to begin incorporating green initiatives into the daily running of a luxury hotel?

"Ashford Castle have had an active “Green Team” since 2008 when they began working with Maurice Bergin of Green Hospitality Ireland. The hotel was purchased by the Tollman family in 2013 and their passion for Sustainability has inspired all the team on the Ashford Castle Estate. Sustainability is now part of every working day and part of each decision made. We care for an 800 year old Castle set on 350 acres of woodlands & grasslands along the banks of Lough Corrib  & the River Cong."

  1. Do you think that prioritising sustainability takes away from the customer's 5 star  experience? 

"Absolutely not! The technology and renewable resources now exist to reduce our carbon footprint without affecting the guests experience. We believe that guests want to relax and enjoy their holidays knowing that we are very mindful of the impact that we are having on the environment. We buy 100% renewable energy, use LED bulbs, all guests lights and power is activated by their keycard, all heating is centrally regulated by a BMS.

We are buying more and more local and organic food – this allows the guest who is visiting the West of Ireland to really experience the Taste of the region. We also organise trips for the guests to meet local producers and craftspeople, these are called #MakeTravelMatter experiences.  We believe in supporting local jobs & communities.

We are 85% on the way to completely eliminating Single Use plastics on the Estate. Where necessary we have substituted with a compostable or biodegradable replacement but we are mostly looking at multiple use items instead of single use. As an example this weekend we are replacing our Chocolate amenity packaging (a cardboard single use box) with a marble  slab – for the guest this is visually  beautiful and reduces our paper waste."

  1. Would you find the feedback from guests primarily positive or negative?

"Feedback has been all positive! Additionally we are finding a sustainable approach is something more and more guests are requesting from their hotels and their travel agents. We’ve really noticed a rise in guests looking for experiential stays where they want to be immersed in local culture and heritage, but know that they are making smart choices where their travel options are supporting local commerce, people and native habitats."

  1. How do your team adapt to offering a luxury experience with being resource efficient - as luxury is often viewed as having things in 'excess' almost, so how do you recommend that other businesses try to marry the two?

"Luxury experiences lend themselves to being sustainable quite easily, glass bottles over plastic in rooms, sewing kit with housekeeping who can fix it for you, amenities in bespoke flatware rather than boxed, it can actually enhance the experience rather than take away from it."

  1. What's been the most rewarding change you have made to the business' operations in terms of sustainability?

"Perhaps the best change has been the way our team approach sustainability. Any new project, idea or training always has a sustainability basis at its core. Our team actively come forward with new and innovative ideas and support the infrastructure we continue to set in place to make our estate a more Sustainable environment."

Ailish Keane - Sustainability Manager at Ashford Castle

 

Clearly, there is a fundamental need for businesses to align themselves with their customer’s values and wants. Not just for the bottom line, but also for the environment within which your business exists and your own impact on it. 

Our own advice is always the same - going green DOES NOT mean foregoing what the customer wants. Small actions have big impact and it’s not just the smart thing to do, it’s the kind thing to do.

FSG Top Tips for going Luxuriously Green:

  1. Embed sustainability into your workforce culture - from the top down. If managers, owners and supervisors aren’t on board with your green programme, how will the message get through to your team and your employees about what your core values and ambitions are?
  2. Abolish single use plastic from site! Mini toiletries are one of the worst offenders of plastic waste when it comes to hotels and some 5 star venues find it hard to let go. Using a refillable option but choosing a better product (e.g. VOYA certified organic, Elemis) ensures the customer is not losing out.
  3. Ensure that food sustainability is a priority at your venue. Choosing local ingredients, reducing your food air miles and educating your team on what you serve, highlights to the customer the value you place in the quality and source of the food and drink at your establishment.
  4. Choose green electricity providers and conduct an energy audit at your business to understand your business’ usage and ways that you can reduce this.
  5. Lastly, learn where you are NOW in terms of the carbon emissions your business is producing - as we say at the FSG team office - if you don’t measure - you can’t manage and then you don’t know if your reductions are working or not. 

Here is a useful resource for you to Download!

If you want to learn a bit more about the world of 'Luxsustainability' check out the recording link below from our 3rd FSG Live show - where I chatted to Sue Williams about Whatley Manor's sustainability journey within a 5 star resort setting.

FSG Live Show with Sue Williams - Link Here!

For those that want to get started on greening their business, check out our Green Business programme, which is fully funded in Ireland by the Kildare & Wicklow educational training board. Is your business outside of Ireland? Not to worry, get in touch with me on [email protected]

Thank you for reading today!

 The FSG Team ðŸ’š

References;

Interview with Ailish Keane, Sustainability Manager at Ashford Castle (13.4.22)

https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-travel/travel-tips/

https://business.inquirer.net/337190/the-rise-of-the-eco-conscious-traveler

https://theluxurytravelexpert.com/2021/06/18/sustainable-luxury-hotel/

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