Your travellers have reached their destination using the most sustainable routes possible. Whether that’s by train or via the airline route with the least environmental impact, you know it’s more important than ever to consider sustainable travel.
Continuing that sustainable journey, how do you select the most eco-friendly hotel and be a responsible traveller throughout a business trip?
Reed & Mackay has made it easier and more efficient to select the most sustainable hotel within your travel policy. Our proprietary technology now demonstrates carbon-aware data at point of sales for every booking option. Watch our latest webinar ‘How to empower your travellers to make sustainable choices’ for a demonstration on how that technology enables you to make more sustainable travel choices.
“What our technology does is apply filters so you can immediately see which room has the biggest carbon footprint,” Reed & Mackay Global Sustainability Director Chris Truss says. “There isn’t a global standardisation across every single property, but there are ways, including this technology, where you can view data to make that conscious, more sustainable choice.”
learN more about a hotel’s green credentials
· Check a hotel’s website for details on its energy consumption and efficiency. Do they use local resources and eco-friendly suppliers? What do they do with food waste; what water-recycling systems do they use; have they installed solar panels and do they use renewable energy?
· Talk to your TMC about choosing accommodation that is actively investing in social sustainability. Is the local culture promoted throughout the hotel and are local people employed? By working with local communities, hotels can help boost the local economy and provide career opportunities to the residents.
· While there are hundreds of sustainability standards, which can you trust? The Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index from Cornell University in the US allows a hotel to benchmark its carbon, energy and water performance against others in the same city, class or climate zone.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) awards standards when a hotel cares for its community and environment in a meaningful way.
GSTC-recognised standards include Green Key Global Eco-Rating, EarthCheck Certified, Green Growth 2050 and others. Environmental certifications are also awarded by EcoVadis, ISO 14001 or Green Tourism so check whether the hotel you’re looking to book has those.
· Could you select a hotel that is close to where your meetings are held and walk to them? Or is it located near public transport systems so you can cut down on taxi usage, which further reduces carbon footprint?
Checked in? Continue being energy efficient during your stay
· When you’re in your hotel room, one energy saving tip is to only use lighting you need.
· Reuse towels and bed linen as much as you can.
· Choose showers over baths.
· Bring your own toiletries to avoid single-use plastic waste from hotel-provided toiletries.
· Support local businesses as it helps support the destination’s economic sustainability. Sample the food at locally run restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients and less single-use packaging.
· Staying on for leisure time? You’ll have a more enriching experience by hiring local guides to take you round – tap into their insights about the destination.
are you a reed & Mackay client?
Carbon-aware notifications for every booking option are now live across R&M/iQ. This means whether booking online through R&M/Book or offline via a consultant, travellers will be able to understand the impact of their travel choices in the same, granular detail.
