By Rachel
Amidst the COVID chaos, normalcy is on everyone’s wish list. Yet, normalcy is hard to come by when the world is facing a global pandemic. Nevertheless, the world goes on but with a new set of standards. Travel has had to adapt greatly. So while travel has had to adapt to a global pandemic, they are also adapting to being more environmentally friendly as the climate catastrophe continues to worsen. Before you book the first hotel to see when traveling, check out these three hotel chains that are focused on sustainability and social responsibility.
Hyatt Hotels
Starting big, the Hyatt Hotels are making great strides in bringing environmentally conscious techniques to their hotels. Since 2014 they have been committed to tackling the large environmental concerns that come with travel and lodging. Since then, they have been collecting data on their water usage, electricity, food waste, and energy consumption. Check out their carbon footprint by using the Hotel Footprinting Tool.
Food Waste is a major issue with most hotels as food consumption changes on a daily level. Hyatt is making waves in changing that. For their North American locations, they donate extra food to communities in need. In 2011 they began purchasing cage-free eggs and natural meat while also sourcing their ingredients from local farmers. To further reduce their waste, they implemented recycling and compost programs in their hotel kitchens.
In addition to their environmental tracking, Hyatt welcomes guests openly. Their hotels often come with a variety of rooms, workout areas, spas, and impeccable amenities. They are often located in the city centers so good food and attractions are easy to come by. Looking for a more business location, mosy Hyatts have business rooms as well for meetings. As a major global hotel chain, Hyatt is demonstrating large hotels need to be held accountable for their environmental impact and should make changes to better the environment.
Hyatt Locations in China:
Grand Hyatt Beijing
Grand Hyatt Chengdu
Hyatt Regency Liberation Square Chongqing
Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai
Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa
Map of Hyatt Hotels across Euroasia and Northern Africa
1 Hotels
Looking for a hotel that is committed to sustainability, look no further than 1 Hotels. They are the definition of sustainability in a hotel with environmental practices being their main focus. With only six locations across the globe, 1 Hotels are still rather small but fortunately, they are currently working on opening nine more locations. They currently have one location in Sanya China at Haitang Bay. The Haitang Bay location has a variety of rooms, ocean views, meeting rooms for events, gym classes, and a spa along with farm-to-table dining, farm tours, and a seedling program for younger guests. Even more so, they have yoga mats and Nespresso machines in every room. They bring sustainability and relaxation into one place.
Left: Oceanfront views at the Haitang, Sanya location.
Right: Pool front views at the Haitang, Sanya location.
Their hangers are made from 100% post-consumer waste.
Unlike most hotels, their room keys are made from wood instead of plastic.
Each hotel has a farm stand with local and seasonal fruit and veggies at the guests’ disposal.
Plants litter the lobbies and rooms of their hotels to create a green ambiance.
Skip the paper and use the reclaimed chalkboards in their rooms for notes and comments.
Hotel toiletries (think shampoo, soap, and condition) are stored in large refillable bottles.
They provide clean filtered water for guests to use instead of plastic water bottles.
Gently used clothing that is left behind in rooms is donated to charity.
Top Left: 1 Less Thing donation program for gently used, unwanted clothes.
Top Right: Wooden key knobs used for guest rooms.
Bottom Left: 1 Hotels mobile app which can be used for information on activities, COVID-19 updates, and general help.
Button Right: 1 Kitchen, the onsite dining area at the Haitang, Sanya location.
1 Hotels host events for guests to partake while staying at their locations including, yoga, biking tours, city tours, dance lessons, and beach parties for their coastal locations. Looking for more? They have a blog, named The Field Guide, that discusses how to be environmentally positive while traveling along with discussing modern events and the global impact. If you’re worried about COVID restrictions, 1 Hotels have help for that as well with in-depth room cleanings that include UV lights to ensure spotless cleanings, sanitation kits come in every room and they require negative COVID-19 tests from guests that are traveling via air. With over a dozen partners, 1 Hotels are committed to providing services that benefit the guest while simultaneously benefiting the environment.
KIMPTON Hotel and Restaurants
KIMPTON hotels are dedicated to being socially responsible while providing great services to their guests. Founded in San Francisco, USA over three decades ago, they were the first boutique hotel company in the US. Since then, they have expanded across the globe including opening multiple Boutique Hotels in Asia pacific including one in Taipei, Taiwan, and with the hopes to open two new hotels in Sanya and Shanghai, China. KIMPTON provides a plethora of resources that are unique to them. They offer wine hour at every hotel, yoga mats in the room for extra relaxation, and complimentary bikes for guests to use while staying at their hotels.
Social Responsibility with KIMPTON
In regards to sustainability and social issues, they’ve got it covered. First things first, they are dedicated to fighting hunger. They partnered with No Kid Hungry in 2020 to reduce food waste and food scarcity. KIMPTON donates 10 USD for every night booked in a reservation. Additionally, their chefs partook in Chefs Cycle where culinary experts ride for three days (300 miles) while raising money in support of No Kid Hungry. Their partnership with No Kid Hungry has helped raise thousands of dollars to bring food to tables that would otherwise be empty.
Chefs Cycle program in which culinary experts from hotels and restaurants cycle for three days to raise money for No Kid Hungry.
Now onto green practices. KIMPTON recently partnered with Clean the World to bring green practices to their hotels. First and foremost, they use non-toxic cleaning supplies. Secondarily, they recycle their soaps and hygiene products through Clean the World. Clean the World then distributes hygiene products to communities in need and provides education programs on hygiene practices worldwide. KIMPTON is at the top of bringing sustainability into the hotel world while still providing services for business and pleasure.
Choose Sustainability
Whether traveling for business or pleasure, it is important to remember the environmental impact that comes with traveling. Whether it is carbon emissions from flights and trains, the waste produced from constantly eating out, or the waste produced from hotel products, there are ways to curb waste from traveling. Choose hotels that practice sustainability and monitor their green practices to ensure growth and change that benefit the environment.
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