Every two months we explore an important sustainability topic with our MAp community. With boutique and independent hoteliers in mind, we make our bi-monthly The Sustainable Hotel Insights as actionable and practical as possible. If you would like to receive these insights straight into your inbox and join the community, aka join us on the journey to a more purposeful and hospitable Planet, register here!
For the hospitality industry, there’s only one way #onwards into the future – and that’s with sustainability! Sustainable hospitality is about those hotels (and other hospitality businesses) that strive to create a positive impact in this world by promoting sustainable hotel practices.
While many refer to themselves incorrectly as “green hotels,” sustainable hotels take on a more holistic approach to sustainability. For us at MAp, a truly sustainable hotel is guided by a clear Purpose and addresses the three core pillars of sustainability: social (People), environmental (Planet) and economic (Profit). These four pillars come together to form our sustainability framework, titled MAp’s 4Ps of Sustainability.
What we’ve learned throughout the years working with independent and boutique hoteliers: the more practical the guidance on how to become a sustainable hotel, the better. Therefore, in this Insights and in the related FREE resources – our webinar on Sustainable Hotel Management 2023 and the Sustainability RoadMAp - we support you #stepbystep to successfully manage sustainability in 2023 and beyond.
Let us present you with some interesting facts about why you should holistically implement sustainability into your independent or boutique hotel, along MAp’s 4Ps of Sustainability:
Purpose: Did you know that recent studies have found that 8 in 10 (82%) consumers say they’ve taken action to support a company when they believed in its Purpose (Zeno Group, 2020)? Studies have also shown that brands recognised for high-commitment to Purpose have grown at more than twice the rate of others (Kantar Consulting, 2020).
People: Did you know that the benefits of diversity in the workplace are significant? According to a recent study (McKinsey & Company, 2020), companies with ethnoracial diversity practices were 36% more likely to achieve higher profitability than less diverse companies.
Planet: Did you know that with the trend „Neo-Ecology,“ environmental sustainability is becoming a social movement and an economic factor? It's not anymore about whom to blame or renunciation - it’s about what we gain as a society. With the fusion of People and technology, we no longer see environmental sustainability as a problem, but as the key to a neo-ecological future (Zukunftsinstitut, 2023). This will alter the logic of hospitality brands and marketing.
Profit: Did you know that the 17th SDG is all about partnering? And for good reason! Many hotels have been individual players for decades, but the future belongs to those who understand the advantages and benefits of partnerships and community, combining strengths and knowledge to solve our bigger problems. Together, we can achieve so much more.
Inspired by our webinar on Sustainable Hotel Management and the Sustainability RoadMAp, here you go with our 4 MAdvices on Sustainable Hotel Practices in 2023:
Take this Purpose action in 2023 and #Beyond: Start with Purpose
Get clear on what is that one thing that you and your team really want to achieve, change or serve in 2023.
Take this People action in 2023 and #Beyond: Build a strong and diverse team
Identify what the diversity make-up of your hotel staff is, then ask what your hotel is doing to promote diversity further. For example, what kind of message does your non-verbal communication convey? Are your job ads inclusive? If you said no to the latter, HERE you can get access to our FREE PDF about writing attractive and inclusive job ads.
Take this Planet action in 2023 and #Beyond: Review your communication…
...and make sure you start with your Purpose, avoid greenwashing, and keep it positive and ethical. One last important MAdvice: NEVER try to profit at the expense of others, e.g. from difficult situations People are in.
Take this Profit action in 2023 and #Beyond: Build sustainable partnerships
Stop seeing yourself or your hotel as an individual player. Reach out to existing partners, find NEW ones and start to create synergies and a bigger impact together.
In this free webinar, learn what you can do as an independent or boutique hotelier to find the right approach to sustainable hotel practices.
ke time for prosecco ke it happenke it meaningfulke good coffeeke it matterke funny jokeske it kindke it simpleke it countSign up for the MAp newsletter for practical insights on hotel branding, marketing, and sustainability, plus fresh thinking from our projects and new tools from our sustainability platform. Let’s move #onwards together.
