We all know that the hotel industry has evolved into one of the Greenest and most sustainability-focused industries here in North America and many other areas of the world.

However, have we ever taken a step back and asked ourselves why?

It was not that long ago that the hotel industry believed that offering their clientele—especially their higher-end clientele—a “green hotel” would be second rate, costlier, or a combination of both. Accordingly, there was, at least initially, considerable hesitance to adopt green initiatives.

However, all of that began to change when their corporate customers started asking hotel operators if their hotels were, for instance, cleaned using environmentally preferable cleaning products and if they were sustainability focused.

“This parallels what we witnessed in the professional cleaning industry,” says Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group, the leading advocate for environmentally responsible cleaning in the industry.

“There was also considerable hesitance. However, when Green Cleaning became consumer-driven, that is when everything started to change. When building managers and their tenants started calling for it, the industry responded and put much more time and energy into developing Green Cleaning products.”

So, when it comes to Green Cleaning, the primary impetus was the fact that hotel guests were calling for it. It was business driven.

The Push for Water Efficiency in the Hotel Industry

When it comes to water reduction programs, once again many hoteliers believed that adopting initiatives to reduce water consumption would not be welcomed by their clientele. Most assumed that one of the things travelers looked forward to when staying at a hotel was to “luxuriate” in water by taking longer showers, enjoying baths, using hotel spas, and sleeping in freshly washed sheets every evening. These were things they very often could not or did not have at home.

However, this time, the push to reduce water consumption was not necessarily consumer-driven, but cost- and utility-driven. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that hotel properties consume about 15 percent of all the water used in commercial facilities each year in the United States.

In recent years, with the price of both water and wastewater services (the removal and treatment of water) rising, as well as conservation mandates, fines, and regulations, the push to use water more efficiently has been at the top of the list in many hotel properties.

By the early 2000s, a few of the largest hotel chains had begun switching from fresh sheets every day to fresh sheets every three days. The savings in water consumption, as well as energy consumption, necessary to heat water, proved so significant, virtually all properties adopted such programs.

Another push for reducing water consumption can also come from what we could call social pressure. At least, this is what a 2015 study in Barcelona, Spain, concluded after the city suffered a severe drought from 2007 to 2008.

More than 250 hotels in Barcelona participated in the study, which examined, among other things:

• Water use in the hotels

• Impact of hotel category (1-star, 2-star, 5-star, etc.) on consumption

• Factors motivating some hotels to take steps to reduce consumption, the key goal of the study.

The researchers found that the most significant water usage in these hotels paralleled water consumption usage in most other hotels. For instance:

• Guest rooms use about 35 percent of all water consumed on the property

• Food and beverage preparation, up to 25 percent

• Laundry services and air conditioning, 16 percent

• Pools and gardens, around 5 percent.

Not surprisingly, the researchers also found that 5-star hotels consume significantly more water per guest than any other hotel category. The reasons for this, they surmised, are that 5-star hotels offer the following amenities:

• More water-related services such as pools, spas, sports, and fitness centers

• Full meal service—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—available daily for guests as well as the general public

• Greater use of in-house laundry services

• Larger square footage with more restaurants, bars, and kitchens.

After the 2007–2008 drought, many hotels did take steps to reduce water consumption, but the timing was not necessarily driven by costs or even water restriction mandates. Instead, the researchers reported:

“Although cost is the main motivation factor for adopting water conservation measures, prices do not appear to be the determining factor in the timing of conservation investments, at least in our case. Social pressures and marketing objectives as well appear to be more

important.”1

 In other words, the properties felt pressured by the community to reduce water consumption but, at the same time, realized the steps they were taking could be used to market and promote their properties.

Interestingly, the researchers found that the higher ranked the hotel—4- or 5-star—the more active they were in reducing water consumption.

Our Question Answered

So, to answer our question, “why is the hotel industry becoming so environmentally focused?” all we can say is that it is the result of a variety of factors.

No matter the motivation, however, it is clear that being more environmentally responsible, whether it involves cleaning or reducing water consumption, is paying off in many different ways, especially when it comes to the hotel’s bottom line.

Klaus Reichardt is founder and managing partner of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.

1. Marta Dinarès and David Saurí. (2015). Water consumption patterns of hotels and their response to droughts and public concerns regarding water conservation: the case of the Barcelona hotel industry during the 2007–2008 episode. Documents d'Anàlisi Geogràfica 61, no. 623. DOI: 10.5565/rev/dag.255. Emphasis added.