Do travelers prefer eco-friendly hotels?

Eco friendly hotels are growing in popularity among travelers who prefer these hotels over the non-ecofriendly ones. A recent survey conducted by TripAdvisor shows that nearly two-thirds of travelers, 62 percent, often or always consider the environment when choosing hotels, transportation and meals.

Seeing the steep demand, TripAdvisor had launched TripAdvisor Green Leaders, a rating service which rates various hotels in USA ranging from Bronze to Platinum based on their environmental friendly practices. Over 1000 hotels have partaken in this initiative and have received over 100 million reviews so far.

TripAdvisor also added a new category to their site alongside the famous categories like business, family and more. The new category is a green button which showcases all the green hotels and their green practices. Other OTAs such as Travelocity and Hotels.com have also introduced the green button.

Even business travelers are choosing green hotels over other lodgings. In a survey conducted by Timetric, it was found that 47 percent of business travelers prioritize ‘green hotels’ when staying out of town for work.

Canadian Travel Intentions Survey also found that 42 percent of surveyed business travelers reveal that practices like recycling and energy efficiency matter to them when choosing where to stay. The same percentage of all travelers said they would pay $1 or more to offset their carbon footprint during a stay at a property.

Travelocity also reveals that travelers rate green hotels higher compared to non-ecofriendly hotels. Based on their rating system of 1- 5 points, with five being the best, 94 percent of green hotels received a rating of 3 or more points while 82 percent of non-green hotels received at least 3 stars.

Going by all the above findings, it is clear that there is a significant demand for environmental friendly hotels. The demand is more so in USA where residents practice methods of decreasing waste and supporting nature. States like Florida and California have made provisions of making their employees stay in green hotels during business travel. (Source: hmghotelsblog)

Benefits for the hoteliers

Since hotels consume a significant amount of resources that can have adverse effects on environment, going green is the only way for both hotels and guests to experience the following benefits.

Stay ahead of competition: Your hotel can gain competitive advantage over others as today’s guests respect the idea of conserving the environment.

Decreased costs: Hotels can considerably lower their operating costs by implementing environment friendly practices.

Provide a healthier environment: Due to the significant reduction of energy and water waste, you can provide your guests a healthier living and a healthier workplace for your employees.

Marketing opportunities: Hotels can market their property in a unique way highlighting the environmental friendly practices.

Enhanced guest experience: Hotels can provide their guests with natural and green amenities (toiletries, in-room services) to create a lasting impression.

The hospitality industry is practicing eco-friendly practices to save money and resources. Begin environment friendly practices by saving water, energy and train your staff to implement and execute the green programs. (Also read: Simple tips on going eco-friendly)