Lodging and the Environment: Natural Allies

This program aims to help YOU, the owner, operator or employee of a hospitality facility. The environmental impact and costs of tourism and hospitality (including restaurants) have become the object of intense interest within the industry, within government, and among the general public. There are good reasons for you, to be deeply interested in the environmental impact of your hotel or restaurant. These considerations are divided among (scroll down menu): Practical Day-to-Day Improvements Sensible Long-Term Planning Constructive Eco-Tourism

Graphic Source: Ye Olde England Inne, Stowe, Vermont http://www.oldeenglandinne.com/accommodations/bluffhouse_rooms.html

1. Day-to-Day Improvements
   This program aims at improving the day-to-day operation and maintenance of hospitality and food service facilities. Simple decisions and reasonable precautions can save you money, improve the quality of experience for your patrons, and ensure the sustainability of your location as an attraction and environmental asset.

   To do this the program will lead you room by room through a "virtual hotel", demonstrating environmental concerns and opportunities in each location. There are 360-degree room panoramas that allow you to view and assess these opportunities.

   You can then assess your own situation through ten interactive questionnaires, locating those improvements that will have the most beneficial results for the environment, for your guests, and for your own operations.

   You can also examine dozens of case studies of large and small hotels to see how improvements to equipment or simple operational changes have produced major savings and reduced impacts

2. Sensible Long-Term Planning
   There are of course large issues and impacts of hospitality facilities and tourism that occur at the broad planning level. These center around the direct and indirect impacts of facilities location and construction, along with the recreational activities associated with them. Careful decisions about location and design can also increase the value of your facility, enrich your patrons' experience and ensure the future of your site as an attraction and environment asset. These considerations are not covered in detail in this program, but here is a preliminary matrix of potential impacts and mitigative measures, and sample links to some eco-tourism sites.
3. Constructive Eco-Tourism
   According to the World Conservation Union (1996) Ecotourism is: "...environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that:

   * promotes conservation,
   * has low negative visitor impact,
   * provides for beneficially active socioeconomic involvement of local populations."

   Ecotourism builds upon the beauty and interest of the environmental and local cultures as major attractions for tourism. It can operate at and of several levels, ranging from easy access and information on local environmental attractions to very close and intense personal interaction with local cultures and organizations in enjoying, monitoring and improving the local environment. For further information click here for ecotourism.

Note: This program is based upon the experience of hospitality owners, operators and employees in many different situations in many different countries. It is offered to you as a sample of possible approaches; there is no one way to run an environmentally sound hotel or restaurant. Your patrons or your government may have particular interests or requirements. Take and use those things that are helpful for your own situation.

Return to Title Page

© Copyright