How to turn your Hotel into a green Hotel

Making your Hotel more sustainable is good business. Many customers are attracted to eco-friendly hotels and many of the practices can save your business money and make it more efficient.  Get your green fingers out and earn more of the green pound. Here are some quick wins that will save the world!

Tip 1 Old beds and mattresses can be recycled! It takes over 20 years for a mattress to decompose! Make sure that the company that recycles beds and mattresses recycles it wholly rather than parts of it. It will certainly be a talking point with your guests.

Tip 2 Place signs in your guest rooms indicating that you offer towel reusage service. Increasingly popular in hotels it is a cost-saving, water-saving and time-saving measure that works well. Most guests will definitely choose to hang up their towels instead of wanting it changed immediately.

Tip 3 Save water and energy by Installing low-flow shower heads, low-flow toilets and install toilet tank fill diverters.

Tip 4 To save energy switch to LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting to reduce electricity use. LED’s have the lowest carbon footprint, last 5-20 times longer, and are safe. Use sensors and/or timers for areas that are infrequently used.

Tip 5 Use daylight exclusively throughout the day as possible. Consider installing skylights if needed.

Tip 6 Replace old washing machines with both water and energy conserving models.

Tip 7 Bulk buy. Whenever possible, buy food and guest amenities in bulk (i.e., use refillable hair and skin care dispensers). This saves extra journeys and packaging.

Tip 8 Recycle your hotel’s waste in the kitchen, guest rooms, dining room etc. There are several ways in which you can encourage guests and staff to recycle:

Place recycling baskets in public areas for newspaper, white paper, glass, cardboard, and plastic.

Provide recycling bins both in public areas in the kitchen and in the back office (including one at each desk) to make recycling as easy as possible.

Set up a points system to motivate staff to recycle. For guests provide discounts to eco-oriented groups. Offer discounted rates to environmental groups who would like to stay at your hotel.

Tip 9 Buy products that are made from recycled material.  The initial outlay for rechargeable batteries plus charger, for example, is much higher than buying a simple set of disposables, yet the savings start adding up as soon as you have recharged and used the batteries a few times. Rechargeables are especially good for use in ‘high-drain’ gadgets such as cameras and toys.

Tip 10 Buy organic, fair trade, cruelty-free guest amenity products whenever possible such as coffee, tea, and chocolate.

Tip 11 Clean green. Use non-toxic or least-toxic cleaners, paints, pesticides, etc. throughout the hotel. Make sure all chemicals are stored safely in a well-ventilated area.

Tip 12 Live green. Offer bicycles, walking maps, and information on public transportation as a means of getting around from your hotel.

Tip 13 Avoid disposable products or throwing away useful items. Disposable products fill up landfills and create rubbish on your property. There are suitable alternatives:

Tip 14 Provide reusable items such as glass cups, ceramic dishes, etc. with all food and beverage services. Provide glass cups and ceramic mugs (instead of plastic) for tea and coffee making facilities in guest rooms.

Other useful tips that can also help your hotel are by using a compost bin for recycling food leftovers; donate leftover old furniture and appliances to charities.

If you would like more information on how to incorporate recycling into your hotel just give us a call on 01708 550641 or simply email us at sales@phoenixcomp.co.uk. Alternatively, you could check out our range of compactors and bailers and see how they could transform your business. You might be pleasantly surprised…