Green is the new black for hoteliers

Green is the new black for hoteliers - illustration photo

In its latest report on the “going green” movement among hotels in Vietnam, Outbox Consulting and Informa Markets Vietnam pointed out that the green hotel model has become a prominent trend in the hospitality industry and the hotel industry around the world. This model not only demonstrates social responsibility and environmental protection but also brings many business benefits and improves the quality of life of local people.

In recent years, changes in visitor’s perception, behaviour, and preferences towards sustainable development are reaching critical mass where green practices are becoming a base standard in the construction, sales, and operation of hotels.

Catching on to the trend, accommodation services providers in Vietnam have gradually rolled out measures and updated policies. Now hoteliers perceive that going green is not just an opportunity to polish their brand image but is part of their responsibility to protect the environment for future generations.

The new perception of hotel owners and general managers can have a determining effect on the extent of green practices applied in hotels and is expected to result in a marked increase in green buildings.

Akin to most other developing countries, the Vietnamese lodging sector is looking at several hurdles when going green. For new constructions and already operating hotels alike, green features can represent significant additional investment – which is doubly true for righting wrongs at older buildings.

As the ultimate purpose of a hotel is business, if hoteliers can make a convincing case for profitability in building green, shareholders will be less likely to stop them and may even loosen their purse strings some more.

With the green transformation being propelled to a great extent by community awareness (which alters management and investment attitudes as well as consumer expectations), customers are more willing to pay more to stay in hotels with a greener footprint, which could very well tip the scales in profitability calculations.

While in some instances a full-blown green transformation is not possible (or not financially viable), hoteliers can still generate tremendous benefits by looking to the future and implement smaller, more doable projects. This approach is particularly suitable for small hotels with limited budgets. Following a well-constructed plan, there are tremendous benefits and savings to be acquired through gradual improvement.

Seeing the initial gains even from the simplest improvements, hotels will be more confident in extending investing in eco-friendly facilities – not only boosting profitability and cutting costs, but leaving a greener, cleaner world for the future.