QUALITY IN TOURISM | WHEN AN INSPECTOR CALLS
do so without compromising their social , ethical or environmental responsibilities . In fact many of the individual stories we have been told seem unprecedented in the market . One hotel replanted its garden as a wildflower meadow , before installing and maintaining a series of bees hives to help pollinate ; it had no commercial value initially , but now guests benefit from beerelated produce on the menu , in a gift-shop , and with beekeeping events and days . A small and simple change driven by an owner with a passion for pollinators , but a change which has supported the local environment to flourish and prosper . We ’ ve seen everything from a hotelier that has worked with suppliers to ensure 100 % plastic free deliveries , to a self-sustaining energy programme that has taken the hotel off the grid . Natural swimming pools which double as wildlife ponds , worm farms , employee bonus schemes that link community support to the opportunity for bonuses ; the stories have been endless and inspiring , and certainly an area of the industry where one size does not fit all .
What is considered responsible , ethical and sustainable ? There is a huge range of considerations that fall under this banner , and it is important to recognise that businesses can excel in one area , without being strong in another . Yet all it takes to improve is passion and a strategic approach to getting it done . Researching the issues at the forefront of consumer minds , statistics show that 50 % of consumers say energy usage is an important decision-making factor when booking a hotel , one third want providers to be judged on sustainability , one in five are more likely to stay somewhere that is considered ‘ sustainable ’, three in five believe ethical issues are important when selecting a hotel , and 48 % of consumers consider employee relations when determining whether the business is ethical or not .
We ’ ve seen waves of positive PR stories in recent months , from banning plastic straws or committing to a closing gender pay gap , to steps preventing human trafficking and the exploitation of workers within supply chains . These are all admirable and should be recognised on their merits , but there is still a significant shift to be made from being a single-issue pioneer , to being a responsible , ethical , sustainable business across the board .
To simplify and consolidate the challenge , there are four core ‘ pillars ’ that businesses can and should turn their attention to . These are : n Environmental and economic management , including everything from waste and pollution , to energy and water consumption and energy generation tactics . Any step towards being material and energy-neutral is a step in the right direction , and changes can be simple , such as switching to an energy supplier which uses renewable sources , to installing your own , on-site energy production and storage . n Corporate social responsibility considering your business relationship with charity , the local community and local people . This is perhaps the easiest pillar to implement , and one of the hardest to maximise , as there is so much which can be done . I ’ ve seen hotels which encourage you to leave your car key and walk , cycle ( on hire bikes provided ) or use public transport to get around the town . Others which have electric cars for hire on site ( a big capital investment , but great for areas where there is heavy congestion and pollution ), to the inclusion of locally sourced crafts and gifts within gift shops , particularly fundraising ones . Policies of priority employment of people within a set radius of the hotel , work to support and restore natural habitats locally , information packs on the best local restaurants with the lowest combined food miles . This is perhaps the most imaginative aspect for your business , and the best place to start is by asking your staff what they are passionate about , and what they can help to design and implement . n HR and Ethical Employment with a focus on going beyond mandated employment laws , to look at proactive staff retention strategies , training and development programmes , creating a safe working environment ( sexual harassment free for example ), and even how staff view you as an employer . It ’ s about more than being just an equal opportunities employer as is expected and about being an employer who nurtures staff and helps them to succeed . n Supplier practices and business compliance considering not just how you operate as a business , but how you source suppliers who match your ethics . Can you really be an ethical business just because you look after your staff and reduce your energy usage , if in reality your suppliers are busy employing trafficked individuals , or acting unethically ? This will prove the biggest challenge to quantify , but it is possible with stringent supplier sourcing questionnaires and charters , and ultimately , there may be significant benefits to the business to change or improve your supplier sourcing and roster .
If you do have to focus on the commerciality of all changes , it is naturally hard to quantify the potential value many of these changes will have , and so we always encourage both a cost-benefit analysis , and a risk assessment before making any changes . It is important however that these changes are not viewed exclusively in the financial sense , as many of the benefits will be less tangible ; improved customer satisfaction , long-term increase in occupancy rates , even improved footfall from local communities . All are benefits that can be reaped , but none will be easy to quantify in a directly relational sense .
Quality in Tourism has launched the new REST standard to help benchmark your current business performance in terms of being Responsible , Ethical and Sustainable . Businesses will also be advised and encouraged how to make improvements for the long-term gain of the business . For more information visit www . restourism . com . If you have any comments on the article , please direct them to our team .
48 www . hotelowner . co . uk April 2018