With its dubious carbon footprint, the travel industry often finds itself under the spotlight for its role in climate change issues so it is good to see changes that are being made for the better stealing headlines now.
Articles about sustainability in the hotel industry are becoming more commonplace in the glossy magazines aimed at luring well-travelled guests to their luxurious locations or impressing their competitors with innovative measures they have implemented to keep them one step ahead in the ratings war.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization declared 2017 the year of sustainable travel and the trend appears to be growing and influencing hotel industry standards.
Here at BSG, we are delighted with that news and proud to have played a role in designing and implementing a range of sustainable systems and practices in high end hotels we have worked with around the world.
From green waste, efficient water systems and thoughtfully designed venues maximising the use of natural light, reclaimed wood and sustainably sourced food served in restaurants, to hotels specialising in eco-tours or associations with reforestation programmes, hotel owners are beginning to see the marketing capital of branding themselves environmentally friendly.
Because today’s discerning traveller is environmentally aware, does care about sustainability and wants to be able to choose options that promote such values in their home, business and leisure time.
So we applaud the publications which are dedicating column inches to these issues and highlighting the success stories.
A lot of work is being undertaken around the world in relation to energy efficiency and transforming the built environment away from a carbon guzzling sector into one associated with tackling climate change and promoting sustainability efforts.
That’s at the heart of what BSG stands for – constructive construction – and our links to programmes of refurbishment or development of five star hotels is testament to the increasing awareness of the importance of such work.
We look forward to more guests demanding attention be paid to this area of business and more hotels acting on these nudges in any programme of maintenance or refurbishment. If every hotel took even one step towards sustainability, the world would be a better, safer place.