Hotel Owners for Tomorrow (HOT) has launched at HICAP 2016. The founding signatories of the HOT initiative will represent the first ever high profile coalition of hotel owners in Asia committed to a fixed set of sustainable actions, supported by brands, management companies, and industry supporters.
With sustainability so often seen as “nice to have”, a wide range of industry leaders are introducing HOT as a rallying platform to hotel owners in Asia and planting it centre stage with launch partners including AKARYN Hotel Group, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Horwath HTL Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, ITC Hotels, the International Tourism Partnership, Kokotel, Marriott International, Meritus Hotels & Resorts, Nikoi Island, PATA, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Swire Properties, TAJ Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Wyndham Worldwide.
“The initiative is simple,” said Greenview Founder and CEO Eric Ricaurte. “Commit to five actions to raise awareness and spread best practice. We will build the coalition to provide recognition for hotel companies, global industry organisations and hotel development players who are committed to the future of the industry.”
The five actions for building a sustainable future are: to incorporate sustainability from the beginning of investment decisions; to evaluate one renewable energy project and one efficiency project per property per year; to routinely monitor and benchmark sustainability performance; to support brand efforts; and, to share best practices.
“By becoming a signatory, owners will not only receive distinction for helping shape the industry in their destinations, they will also benefit by identifying future costs of regulation, opportunities for increased ROI on investments, and accessing capital from equity partners which require strategy, disclosure and action on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues in order to do business,” added Mr. Ricaurte.
“Asia is the centre of the planet’s future. It is also the battleground for sustainable development. More hotels are going up in Asia than the rest of the world put together. More people live in Asia who will attain a better quality of life. More resources will be needed in Asia to support this growth than anywhere else. The solutions to the planet’s problems will be scaled in Asia and that’s why we are here driving this initiative and inviting all hotel owners to join us.”
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas president Bernhard Bohnenberger said: “We are delighted to be a partner in Hotel Owners for Tomorrow. Sustainability lives at the foundation of Six Senses and is one of our highest priorities when it comes to building properties and operating them. We look forward to participating in this important initiative and making an impact through our actions.”
“At Marriott, one of our core values is Serve Our World and this includes supporting local communities and protecting the environment. To be able to do this with our owner franchise community – our key business partner, especially in this region, is why we helped form the HOT coalition,” said Daphne Tan, Vice President of Owner Franchise Relations. “HOT allows us to strengthen that relationship and support our owners and franchisees who want to help make a difference with their investment.”
AKARYN Hotel Group (AHG) founder and managing director Anchalika Kijkanakorn added: “Acting responsibly towards a destination and the immediate community in which we operate as a hotel and resort owner has always been a cornerstone commitment for us. We have developed barefoot luxury experiences throughout Thailand over the past decade and we will soon launch our first hotel in Laos. We are delighted to support HOT in this initiative across Asia.”
Leading travel and hospitality sustainability consultancy Greenview has coordinated the HOT Coalition since its inception one year ago. Given Greenview’s industry credentials, which include working with the World Travel & Tourism Council and UN World Tourism Organization on sustainability strategies, as well as many of the global groups and local hotel owner-operators showing interest in receiving guidance, working with a platform will provide the industry with a single voice.
For more information on HOT and how to sign up please visit: http://www.hotelsfortomorrow.org/
Earlier this year, Greenview also launched Asia’s first Green Lodging Survey. The results compiled from data collected at over 2,000 hotels provides owners with a sustainability benchmark of trends for the region and will be revealed in November this year. See: http://www.greenviewportal.com
