News & Stories

Amsterdam. Using thousands of liters of chemicals every year and as many of fresh water to dilute them before usage is not a strange practice to hoteliers who want to be sure that their properties are clean. For a new generation of entrepreneurs like Kimberley Roersma, founder of Mother Nature Cleans, this behavior is not the future. The Dutch CEO is offering instead, a zero chemical solution which cleans every surface using only…ozone water.

Hanover. The TUI Group published its Sustainability Report 2018 a week ago. It continues to focus on more sustainable tourism. In the last four years, TUI has sold 29 million 'greener and fairer' holidays. And by 2020, the tour operator is now committed to reducing disposable plastic by 250 million pieces.

Madrid. Spanish hotel group Room Mate has unveiled an initiative that represents a step forward in its eco-sustainability plan. All hotel employees wear recycled uniforms.

Munich. At the beginning of June 2019, the Munich-based hotel group Living Hotels completed the environmental certification process for all 16 of its hotels in Germany and Austria. This included a whole host of new measures for staff, guests as well as suppliers.

Vienna. Mountains wear green – and not only when the snow melts away from the peaks. A study by the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency shows that holidays in mountain regions, even in those with high levels of development, have a comparatively low carbon footprint. University research unexpectedly shows that the biodiversity on ski slopes can even benefit. On the other hand, scientists expect climate change to make winter sports below 1,800 metres impossible by 2050.

London/Munich. The motivation comes from pure pressure: Only then do hoteliers take care of more sustainability. It is the company's own energy consumption, CO2 emissions and waste that causes the highest costs. Nevertheless, most hoteliers think only on short term and not in the medium or long term, nor strategically, criticizes Xenia zu Hohenlohe the industry. With the Considerate Group, it advises smaller individual hotels and hotel groups on how to implement Corporate Social Responsibility. The way is the goal: It is about permanent improvement of the hotel performance, not about quick success overnight. The Oetker Collection shows that this is possible. CEO Frank Marrenbach has committed everyone in the Group to sustainability.

Amsterdam. In recent years, the fight against food loss and waste has gained importance. From the government's agenda to companies' green strategy, the topic is on top of the list, including in the hospitality industry. How committed are hoteliers when it comes to combating food waste? Are their actions sufficient? Can technology help them address the issue? Is training future generations a key to the problem? Sarah Douag tried to understand the ins and outs of this complex topic, with the help of a hospitality professor, an F&B manager and a start-up CEO recruiting waste warriors.

Boracay. It was 2017 when Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines, arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel on Boracay to attend a wedding. During his stay, Duterte drove himself into a rage: "Swimming in Boracay is like swimming in a cesspool." This statement was an absolute provocation, as Boracay had been ranked among the ten most beautiful tropical islands in the world on a regular basis. The dictator, however, did not stop at grumbling, but ordered the island to be closed for six months in April 2018. A disaster for the locals, while the gradual change came as a blessing for the environment. The aim: an absolutely flawless island by 2020. The "ecologic fate" of Boracay fits perfectly into the current debate on overtourism. hospitalityInside editor Fred Fettner, a big fan of the Philippines, researched and photographed Boracay.

Amsterdam. For three years now, Booking.com has been on a global mission to search, identify, mentor and fund like-minded start-ups that believe in technology's ability to have a positive impact on the world of travel. The OTA recently awarded 2 million euros in funds to ten start-ups ready to scale up for better sustainability in tourism.

Vienna/Queensland. Environmental seals, stuck to the hotel room, do not have any impact. Eco boats are not the ones, which are stormed by tourists first. And those who want to save on food waste during breakfast should use smaller plates at their buffets. At the Congress of the Austrian Hotelier Association in January, a Slovenia woman teaching in Australia, showed, which environment-friendly indications and requests are followed by the guests and which are not. This can only be the start of another intense discussion about sustainability in hotels.