Plastic-Free Initiatives To Boost Hotel Profitability, And Why They Are Important

Sustainable travel has become a significant concern for individuals around the world. As hotel guests become increasingly aware of environmental issues, they expect the companies they support, including hotels, to prioritise sustainability in their operations. 

In light of Plastic-Free July, it is crucial for hoteliers to address the issue of single-use plastic and to commit to implementing plastic-free policies in their properties. 

This article aims to guide hoteliers interested in embracing sustainable practices and attracting environmentally-conscious guests. We will explore why guests are on the look-out for plastic-free hotels, how the hotel can benefit by making the change, practical tips to eliminate single-use plastics, and a successful case study from a leading hotel chain.

We will also share how hoteliers can communicate their plastic-free initiative to a network of 55k travel distributors, using the ‘Single-use Plastic free’ filer in our Partner Extranet.
 

Why Do Guests Prefer Plastic-Free Hotels?

It’s no secret there has been a paradigm shift that has influenced the lifestyle of millions of people, affecting all areas of life - including travel and leisure. 

Sustainable travel has become a significant concern in today’s world, and there are many ways to support the cause. Focusing specifically on one of the main issues –  single-plastic use –, we believe that hoteliers have a great potential to become a force for good.

Guests believe it as well, and by paying attention to their concerns and catering to their needs, your hotel could benefit from improved positioning in front of eco-conscious travellers…and increase your room nights.

●    People are more aware of environmental issues and expect companies to share their feelings; this includes how hotels address sustainability within their operations. The way they do it influences the decision-making process when travellers book one property or another. For instance, 81% of travellers surveyed by Statista highlight that sustainable travel is important to them. 
 

●    Some statistics report that least 74% of travellers  want travel companies to offer more sustainable choices. Meanwhile, 65% state that they would feel better about paying for accommodation with a sustainable certification or label. 

Additionally, 56% of people consider it essential to reduce the usage of single-use plastic in their daily lives, which could extend into their behaviours when travelling, too.
 

●    It is also vital to take into account that a company’s reputation could be at risk if there’s not a clear commitment to addressing plastic pollution and the damage single-use plastics can have. For this reason, it is important to take sustainability considerations seriously in order to do right by your guests, and for the planet.

How Can Plastic-Free Initiatives Benefit Your Properties?

Whether it’s individual boutiques or large hotel chains, implementing changes in your properties requires a lot of time and effort. But it will be worthwhile. 

Want to learn more about the advantages that your property could benefit from? Helping the planet should be incentive enough, but here are some pointers to keep in mind. 

●   As part of HBX Group, Hotelbeds’ 2023 Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) report states that there had been a 30% growth in travellers looking for both eco-friendly and plastic-free properties on our platform.
 

●    If your hotel takes steps towards becoming more sustainable – such as by reducing single-use plastic – it may be eligible to be included in our Sustainable Hotels Programme. In short, you’ll be more visible to our 55,000+ distributors and their customers who are seeking properties with eco-credentials. We’ll give you more details on its benefits and how to join later in this article. 
 

●    In terms of competitive strategy, having a defined, valuable sustainability plan could enable your hotel to stand out from the competition. Attaining a hotel sustainability certification will  help to better position your property and attract a wider range of traveller segments. 
 

●    Additionally, bear in mind that there’s an increasing number of regulations around this issue from many countries and regions around the world. Be sure to keep up-to-date with regulations and expectations on a country-by-country basis.
 

However, do remember that these benefits will be limited if you don’t communicate your actions and let potential clients know your commitment to sustainable travel and no single-use plastic. 

As we mentioned in our article on the importance of going green for hoteliers, only one third of green hotels are communicating their sustainability efforts, such as implementing alternatives for single-use plastics. It's vital to communicate your policies on this matter so that you can attract people committed to this cause – an audience which is increasing day by day, awaiting the perfect offering.

No matter what the size of your hotel, small actions can make a big change. Are you lacking in ideas? Keep reading, as we provide you with some valuable tips. 

Practical Steps for Hotels to Embrace Sustainability

There are certain items that you can replace or reduce in your objective to become a plastic-free hotel. 

However, there’s one thing that you should take into account to help you reach your goal in the most seamless way possible: it’s necessary to educate your suppliers and employees to better understand how important this purpose is and how they can easily commit to it.

For example, you could start by creating a working group where employees from the departments using single-use plastics participate. In this working group, it would be beneficial to identify all single-use plastics in your operations and try to propose alternatives. 

But it doesn’t stop there: it’s also important to chat with your suppliers and explain your aim to reduce plastic in your properties. They may be able to help you with the task by giving you ideas of which options they have available, such as multi-use items or products made of responsible materials. 

To help you get started, here are some examples of items to be replaced or eliminated in order to go plastic-free. 

6 Essential Tips for Eliminating Single-Use Plastics in Hotels

1. Eliminate plastic bottles and offer glass or metal ones instead, which have to be refilled by the staff. If possible, consider installing water bottle filling stations for guests to use. Modern versions of these stations can refill a one-litre bottle in 10 seconds to minimise queues, whilst other stations cut off the water after 20 seconds to prevent wastage. 
 

2. Consider using bulk bathroom amenity dispensers. Offer shampoo and gel packaged in wall-mounted refillable dispensers, or consider providing these amenities only on demand. Switching to plastic-free hotel amenities, such as toiletries, is one of the easiest changes to implement, but is also a change which will be first recognised by your guests!
 

3. Offer non-plastic slippers that are washed in-house and reused. Replace items such as stirrers, shoe shiners, razors, combs, sewing kits, and plastic packaging materials with sustainable alternatives, or remove them altogether.
 

4. Use recyclable paper for wrapping bathroom amenities, reusable bathroom cups, reusable fabric laundry bags, and paper containers for takeaways, among others. 
 

5. Offer biodegradable rubbish bags that are more environmentally friendly alternatives. Make sure that they’re truly biodegradable.
 

6. Choose tableware and cutlery made from durable, biodegradable materials. For example, cut down on plastic straws and replace them with ones made of bamboo.
 

Additionally, there are consultancy firms which provide assistance on how to tackle the issue of single-use plastics. They can help you address this issue and know where you can cut single-use plastics and start using the aforementioned alternatives. 

Accor Hotels: A Successful Case Study In Going Plastic-Free

Some major hotel chains have already made a step forward in order to tackle this issue. One good example is Accor Hotels, which joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) in 2022 and have since announced two global partnerships with Green Key and Green Globe certifications. 

As previously mentioned, going plastic-free could be a challenging task. But here’s the proof that such an aim is both attainable and rewarding. In the following video, Jordane de Villaret Bentinck, VP of Sustainability Communications & Change at Accor, explains the actions the chain has implemented so far and how they have been received by customers.  

Enhancing Plastic-Free Communications with Our Sustainable Hotels Programme

We’re getting close to the end of this post, and we don’t want to finish it without helping you to communicate your plastic-free efforts. 

You’re aware of the importance of committing to the cause and which steps your hotel can start taking to become more sustainable. Whether you are starting to change or you have already successfully implemented actions, there’s one step left that is almost as important as taking action. 

It’s crucial that you communicate these changes to the world so that potential guests and investors are aware of your initiatives. By joining Hotelbeds’ Sustainable Hotels Programme, you can gain further visibility as an environmentally-conscious member of the travel industry, and can also begin to cater to a real demand by helping travel bookers to identify those properties committed to sustainability

To date, the Sustainable Hotels Programme portfolio contains over 38,000 properties certified as sustainable. As mentioned earlier, our 2023 ESG report revealed that those same properties had seen a 30% increase in bookings over 12 months, demonstrating that the demand for plastic-free properties is there - so, how can you ensure that your hotel is among those which are performing better than ever?

Our Partner Extranet will be your ally: to gain a prime position in front of 71k travel advisors and their clients, mark your hotel as single-use plastic free by following these steps:

●    Log into the Partner Extranet
●    Select ‘Hotel Info’
●    After clicking ‘About Hotel’, scroll to the section titled ‘Things to Keep in Mind’
●    Tick the ‘Single-use Plastic Free’ box

If you have already registered your property with Hotelbeds, access here and select this filter now. 

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be visible under the ‘Sustainable Hotels’ filter in our Booking Engine. But this won’t be the only benefit – you’ll also be eligible for relevant, sustainability-focused campaigns, in which we will push sustainable hotels to our clients.

Still need to register your hotel with us? Click here: it’s easy, free, and in a short time, your property will be seen by worldwide network of 55,000 travel distributors.