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Practices in US Hotels |
By Ishmael Mensah
May 2004 Introduction Environmental management has become an important issue in the hospitality industry, with a number of hotels adopting sound environmental management practices in response to the growing concerns for sustainable tourism products. Worcester reports that environmental management, which emerged in the 1980s, is a new and important aspect of management and will be adopted by an increasing number of firms by the 1990s. The increasing adoption of environmental management in hotel firms seems to have been sparked off by growing concerns over the impacts of tourism on the environment. The US hotel industry has not been left out of this scourge as a number of initiatives have been undertaken. This paper looks at the forces exerting pressure on U.S hotels to adopt environmental management practices and some environmental initiatives that have changed the nature of environmental management practices in US hotels. Hotels and the Environment Hotels are at the hub of the tourism industry and it is one sector of the tourism industry in which activities such as construction of buildings and landscaping, cooking and disposal Of waste, use of water and energy tend to affect the environment adversely if not properly managed. Service sector businesses like hotels, resorts and restaurants have some inherent characteristics which exacerbate their impacts on the environment namely; time perishable capacity, heterogeneity, labour intensity and customer involvement in the production process. The size of hotel facility also influences the environmental impact. For instance the impact of a hundred room limited service hotel will be different from a six-hundred room full service hotel. Forces Exerting Pressure on Hotels to Be Environmental Conscious The forces exerting pressure on US hotels to be more environmental-conscious
could be summarised as government regulation, changing consumer demand,
advocacy/initiatives by NGOs and international organisations as well as
ethics by professional associations.
to be Environmental-Conscious Globally, the tourism industry is under pressure to adopt more environmentally sound practices. This arose out of concerns that tourism could and often did have negative impacts on the host communities and their environments. Increasing environmental awareness on the part of consumers has served as pressure on hotels to adopt sound environmental practices. Tourists are becoming more discerning, seeking activities, arrangements and experiences which depend crucially on a high quality physical and cultural environment. Studies conducted by the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) and Accor revealed that 90% of hotel guests preferred to stay in a hotel that cared for the environment. Corporate bodies are also using environmental considerations in their choice of venues for meetings, as from 1997 to 1998, the number of companies seeking a green hotel for their meetings increased by 10%. Also, in the case of the Saunders Hotels, they were able to attract more than $750,000 in new convention business in 1992 alone due to sound environmental practices. Furthermore, regulation of the tourism industry by governments in the form of planning restrictions, mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and laws relating to business practice has exerted pressure on hotels to adopt sustainable environmental practices. Rowe believes that government restrictions are not limited to EIAs. According to him, in some communities such as Lake Tahoe, the government sets strict visual guidelines that hospitality companies must observe. The developers of the Embassy Suites Resort in Lake Tahoe had to undertake a complex and lengthy planning process. The design of the hotel was 70% dictated by government agencies, including the style of the hotel, scenic thresholds and the selection of exterior colours. Non-compliance with such government restrictions has often not gone unpunished. In Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, such prosecutions can now result in heavy financial penalties, considerable clean-up costs or in worst instances, jail sentences. Commenting on fines imposed on firms, which flout environmental regulations, Zhao and Merna, claim that fines have escalated from $300,000 from 1982, to $11.7 million in 1989. Hotels must therefore comply with environmental regulations to avoid these fines. Another force has been exerted by both national and international NGOs and professional organisations. International organisations like the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Tourism Organisation (WTO), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) are all actively involved in ensuring environmental improvement in hotels. Also, NGOs and other pressure groups such as Tourism Concern, World-wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Equations and Friends of the Earth, among others, have also exerted pressure on hotels to become increasingly concerned about their environments. The case in which Greenpeace won a court suit against Sol Melia Hotels for ecodamage is a case in point. However, the pressure exerted by NGOs has not always been in the form of advocacy and suits but also conservation activities in collaboration with some hotels. Novotel and Hotel Ibis Homebush Bay of Australia are in a unique partnership with the WWF whereby a $1.00 from every room per night sold is donated by the hotels to the latter. However, within the hotel industry, cost savings seem to be the prime motivation for the increasing adoption of environmental management practices in hotels. There are examples of transportation companies, hotels and restaurants haven taken steps to recycle and reduce the consumption of energy, thereby reducing costs, increasing profits and taking some steps towards sustainability. Forte believes that energy-efficient lighting will reduce lighting costs by at least 60%. A survey carried out by the American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA) revealed that Hotel managers rated reduction of energy consumption as well as waste management through recycling to be their most important concerns. Table A: Cost-cutting Environmental Management
As exemplified by Table A, the thrust of the green campaign in the hospitality sector focused mainly on energy savings as evidenced by the number of hotels engaging in energy-saving measures which range from the use of compact fluorescent bulbs to shutting down unused appliances. Environmental Initiatives in US Hotels Environmental Management in US hotels started in the form of initiatives by various associations and activities which begun when the Prince of Wales launched the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) in 1993. This involved 11 international hotel chains accepting a manual spelling out a comprehensive campaign to advance environmental performance in the hotel industry. However, Stipanuk is of the view that US hotels have responded to environmental issues as far back as 1920. In 1994, the Hotel and Catering Institute Management Association participated in Green Globe, an environmental management awareness program initiated by the WTTC. Today, individual hotels Accor, Ramada Renaissance Hotel, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts among others are aggressively pursuing environmental initiatives. Today, various types of environmental initiatives exist. However, there are no common standards for hotels, so these initiatives are being carried out by the hotels themselves, NGOs, International Organisations and government agencies. Such initiatives have been in the form of publications, certification, awards, ecolabels and codes of conduct. Ecolabelling Ecolabels have also been used to encourage the development of less-damaging and environmentally friendly hotels as well as to educate the customer. Ecolabelling started in Europe in 1985 with Blue flag however; the concept has been adopted by the tourism and hospitality industry to promote a clean and green image. Today, there are over 100 in the tourism and hospitality industry, operating in several countries, including the US. In the US, ecolabels for hotels include EcoMeet, Green Hotels Association, and Green Hotel in the Mountain State, Green Seal, and Energy Star. A hotel has to be a member of a particular association or go through a certification programme in order to use its logo. Most of the ecolabels therefore provide certification programmes. Green Globe 21 for instance uses an Environmental Management System (EMS) as its ecolabel criteria. It has developed benchmarks specific to hotels. Certification Certification which is a process by which a third party gives written assurance to the consumer that a product, process, service or management system conforms to specified requirements. Though it originally started in manufacturing industries, it has crept into the tourism and hospitality industry. A number of global and national certification schemes are available for US hotels. The ISO 14000 was developed originally for the manufacturing industry but now covers hotels. It is aimed at standardising environmental management practices, audits, performance evaluation, labelling and life cycle assessments practices around the world. Green Globe 21 is a global certification programme developed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 1998 to address sustainable development issues in the tourism industry. Its standards include an environmental code, policy guidance, environmental management systems, and employee information and consumer tips. Ecotel is also a global initiative involving international inns, hotels and resorts that define the concept of environmental responsibility in the hospitality industry. Another certification scheme is EcoHotel instituted by HVS International in 1991. It is based on five major criteria: environmental commitment, solid waste management, energy efficiency, and water conservation and employee education/community involvement. The Green Seal a Washington D.C based NGO is also a certification scheme for the hospitality industry. A number of US hotels are also seeking Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED 2.0) certification, which was developed in the late 1990s by the US Green Building Council. However, this certification is only limited to buildings, including hotel buildings. Some states have also instituted certification schemes on the local level. These include Green Hotel designation in the Green Mountain State of Vermont and Green Seal�s alliance with Pennsylvania State, Washington D.C and Virginia. In all these certification schemes, hotels need to apply, and then they will be assessed based on the standards set. Assessment is the process of examining, measuring, testing or otherwise determining conformance with requirements specified in an applicable standard. Hotels which do not meet the standards need to make adjustments before they can be certified, so they can carry a logo. Table B: Ecolabels and Certification
Publications In an attempt to help hotel managers on sound environmental management practices, various agencies, associations and NGOs have produced several publications including magazines, books, manuals and information packs on responsible environmental practices in hotels. The International Hotels Environmental Initiative (IHEI), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and World Tourism Organisation (WTO) have all produced different publications and other resources aimed at promoting environmental-responsible behaviour in hotels. Table C: Publications and Resources for US Hotels
Awards Awards have also been used by the tourism and hospitality industry, NGOs, governments and trade associations to promote environmental responsible behaviour in hotels. Awards have been used to show recognition for sound environmental management practices by some hotels so as to encourage other hotels to also adopt such practices. As shown on Table �., though such awards had existed in the past, the practice gained prominence in the US in the 1990s. Table D: Prestigious Environmental Awards
A number of US hotels groups or chains like the Saunders Hotel Group, Intercontinental Hotels and Hilton Hotels have received different environmental awards. Some environmental initiatives have also been acknowledged. In 2001, the Association of Travel Agents Environmental Awards went to the Green Hotels Association for its environmental initiatives. Other Initiatives There are other environmental initiatives which have influenced environmental management in US hotels. They are in the form of non-profit organisations and collaborations between different organisations. Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) is a coalition of over 80 environmental, investor and advocacy groups working together for a sustainable future. Its initiatives have included the Green hotels Initiative (GHI) which is working to educate hotels clients about what they can ask from lodging operators as well as to provide a mechanism for hotels to communicate their environmental performance. Another initiative is the Green Meetings Initiative, developed and supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide conference planners and suppliers of conference services, easy access to environmentally friendly goals of conference planning. Finally, the Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Centre (PPRC), Hospitality Sector. Created in 1991, it is an NGO that is the northwest�s source of high quality, unbiased pollution prevention information. Conclusion In effect, US hotels are gradually responding to concerns for environmental
sustainability on the part of customers, international organisations, NGOs,
and governments. However, environmental management practices have often
been geared towards saving costs on energy and water. There have been diverse
initiatives by hotels, international organisations, NGOs and trade associations
in the form of ecolabelling, certification, publications and awards. These
initiatives have created greater awareness of environmental management
in Hotels in the US. It is therefore imperative for hotels which have not
embraced the concept to take a second look since environmental responsibility
does not only safeguard the environment on which hotels depend but also
insulate them from legal tussles, saves costs, promotes customer loyalty
and enhances the reputation of hotels.
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Ishmael Mensah Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration Robinson College of Business, MSC 4A0310 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 Email: [email protected] |