Hotels Embrace Sustainability

For many companies (especially in the hospitality industry), creating a lighter carbon footprint is no longer a trend, but a core part of their business models. Just think: Marriott swapping disposable shampoo for reusable containers or the many properties using recycled paper in their sales collateral. It’s safe to say the hotel industry has picked up what their guests are putting down: a need for an environmentally-friendly place to stay.

IHG and Six Senses

This past month, IHG (InterContinental Hotel Groups) welcomed Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas into their fold. IHG purchased the wellness brand from Pegasus Capitol Advisors for $300 million. The acquisition included 37 spas and the management of 16 hotels and resorts. Six Senses is known for their exotic and gorgeous properties that promote wellness and sustainability. Their properties focus on providing their clients with an experience that centers around vitality and wellness, in addition to being environmentally friendly. IHG plans to merge the two platforms to promote “personal health and the health of the planet.” With the size of IHG’s portfolio, Six Senses hopes to expand and reach new markets that they were unable to do before. IHG’s shift to more sustainable properties is just one example of hotels staying in the market for the long haul.

Their Mission | Six Senses

The wellness mission of the Six Senses Spas is for their guests to find “harmony and balance from the inside out,” through their various programs. This includes fitness programs, personalized wellness and nutrition programs and signature massages. Guests are also welcome to take part in yoga detox, meditation and reiki. With their properties expanding over 21 countries, the brand has a reforestation initiative to plant trees in Félicité (a place that keeps getting greener as time goes on). Programs and initiatives like this have a strong connection to their guests who are increasingly more aware of brand’s environmental impacts.

Shifting to Sustainability and Wellness

Hotels across the world have started to incorporate greener technology and methods. Water conservation has been a major way hotels have been able to cut back on waste. Believe it or not, guests aren’t the only ones to use water. The hotel kitchen, laundry, pool and spas also use quite a bit of water in their operations. Programs that encourage guests to reuse towels & linens and installing low-flow faucets and shower heads have proven successful in curbing water usage. Some properties swap light bulbs for low energy alternatives, while others opt for energy efficient equipment. All of these initiatives attract guests while also lowering costs in the long run for hotels. More and more hotels are adding wellness and health programs. Why? Because it’s becoming an integral part of their guests’ lifestyles. To read more about the importance of sustainability in the hospitality industry, click here.

From sales collateral to water conservation, as hotels take on eco-friendlier and sustainable initiatives, their guests and the environment notice it. And more importantly, appreciate it! What is your brand doing to become more sustainable?