News & Stories

Amsterdam. Smartphones, smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart devices, etc., it sure seems like the world has never been more intelligent than today. And the hospitality industry is no stranger to the trend as several examples of smart rooms and smart hotels have been popping up in recent years. From AccorInvest and Hilton to Louvre's first SmartHotel in Shanghai, from investors to developers, from hotel owners to operators, the industry is following a growing trend which is yet to be correctly defined. What is the definition of a smart hotel? Sarah Douag asked professionals.

Amsterdam. Apparently, the most sustainable hotel in Europe is in Amsterdam. The QO Amsterdam, a unit with 288 rooms and suites and a modern take on Art Deco interior design operated by IHG, is actually located in the upcoming Amstelkwartier, which is 15 minutes away from the old city center and right on the banks of the Amstel River. Water and energy savings are massive, waste has been reduced from 60 to 12 kilos of garbage per square meter, and the "Greenhouse" on top of the building also serves neighbors today… The investor challenged architects and operations proving "that hospitality is a catalyzer for making the world a better place", he believes. A story of unexpected results.

Amsterdam. Less than a year ago, the global real estate investment manager of Invesco Real Estate acquired on behalf of CBRE Global Investment, the most remarkable example of "green property" in Europe: the QO Hotel Amstelkwartier in Amsterdam. Two weeks ago, the hotel management welcomed the third annual Invesco Roundtable about sustainability – before its participants were introduced to the QO in detail. The discussion revealed: Investors are looking into it but still lacking courage, corporate clients are not willing to pay more for sustainability, while global eco-conscious travelers are not able to find the desired green property at one online portal.

Frankfurt/M. When you look into eco and sustainability standards for farmers and hoteliers, life seems relatively easy. The standards for eco-farmers seem to be much clearer and simple compared to hoteliers' standards. "Hotel sustainability is no easy solution in such a complicated microcosm," says Klaus Lengefeld, Senior Advisor Sustainable Tourism based in Frankfurt. As a known expert in sustainable tourism, he will start with this comparison in a series of articles that will make clear why it is a complicated challenge to implement sustainability in the hospitality industry.

Dubai. UAE hotels are facing up millions of Dirham in lost revenue as they do not focus on sustainable costs impacting operational costs, said a Facility Management expert at ATM Dubai. He was clear that payroll will also eat into revenue as currently rates soften and RevPAR slides in the Middle East. During Ramadan, food waste even increases by 50 percent.

Hanover. Through the course of a pilot project on the cruise ship "Mein Schiff 4", TUI Cruises developed methods to reduce food waste on board – without guests noticing. Recently, TUI Group's cruise subsidiary has been awarded with the "Eco Trophy" by the German Travel Association in respect of these simple yet effective strategies. Hans-Juergen Klesse took a good look at food waste on the "floating hotel".

Amsterdam. 14 large hotel chains, from AccorHotels to Wyndham, have come together today in the "International Tourism Partnership", in order to push the issue of sustainability. This way, the hotel group members hope that, by coming together, they will able to learn more and do that more rapidly, in particular when it comes to motivating staff and to gaining more attention from politicians. In September, the ITP presented its sustainability targets in New York. ITP Chairman Wolfgang M. Neumann spoke about this at the beginning of October at the Expo Real in Munich and today presents the group's core philosophy.

Munich/Hamburg. Whilst some are still thinking about shiny new sustainability plaques for their hotel propety, others are going much further. They talk of recycling processes and the opportunities afforded by upcycling to avoid the huge costs involved in building and afterwards, when renovating, real estate. Invesco Real Estate invited guests to its second "Sustainability Roundtable"; and as in the previous year, renowned hotel groups and experts were on board. The discussion on the "ecological footprint of hotel real estate" revealed just how broad the issue is – and how far investors as well as operators are away from it all.

Munich. This year, proclaimed as International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by UNWTO, many questions are still open. "Where are the limits for sustainability concerning real estate?", asked host Christian Buer at the "Hospitality Industry Dialogue" at Expo Real in Munich in October. The answers revealed: Concerning technical issues, the uncertainty is wide-spread, sincerity is lacking as well as discipline for the implementation, and new ideas.

Malé. Soneva founder Sonu Shivdasani was the first on the Maldives to decide on entering into a partnership with the UN development programme. He wants to defy climate change.