As more and more of us are becoming aware of the need to look after our planet and the environment in which we live, being environmentally friendly is no longer the habit of the few. Indeed, it’s no longer even a habit, but more frequently becoming a way of life. Being eco-friendly is something schools are teaching students at a younger age, with it transcending into other areas of our lives, including our homes and even affecting where we decide to go on holiday. Eco-friendly hotels are on the rise, along with sustainable practices, so here are some ideas if you’re considering creating an eco-friendly resort.

Recycling and Waste Reduction

Perhaps one of the first things you should do is audit your resort, looking for ways you can become more energy efficient, with a view of adopting more sustainable practices. There are some organizations that will do this for you, and provide recommendations specific to where your resort is situated, taking into account available resources. 

One of the main issues for resorts is reducing waste, particularly paper and other disposable items. One easy way you can immediately facilitate this is by having mini recycling bins in each room and larger ones in public places, like your resort’s reception and lobby. You could inform your guests of these bins at their time of booking, so they’re aware of what you’re doing to promote sustainability and how they can help.

Your resort could also stop providing paperwork and instead email receipts, booking confirmations and other documentation guests require when intending to stay at your hotel. You could take the hassle out of processing payments and opt for contactless payment via an app. If you haven’t done this already, do some research, so you select a reputable app that meets your business’s needs. Look at customer reviews and ensure that there are at least two layers of security, perhaps also encryption, to protect both your customers and your business.

Bath Amenities 

Anyone who has stayed at a resort would have used the miniature bath products. Some may have even been cheeky enough to take them home. Maids will regularly replace these items, meaning if you’re staying for 5 nights at a hotel, 5 times as many products are replenished. Bottles made of plastic aren’t sustainable, so many hotels are now opting for packaging that is. Perhaps your resort could go one step further and have reusable bottles in each room’s bathroom, so all they require are refilling whilst guest stay and then cleaning when they vacate. This method would not only reduce plastic waste but will end up saving you considerable money, as all you’ll require to purchase is the actual product itself and not packaging as well.

Additionally, you may want to stop giving guests new towels automatically every day the maid comes to clean their rooms. Obviously, new guests should have new towels, but perhaps you could mention to guests that their towels won’t be changed daily. Instead, what you could do is explain to them in their booking information that your maids will only replace towels if guests put them on the floor. So if towels are hanging on the hooks in the bathroom, they’ll be left as they are.

If you provide any other amenities, like a shower cap or ear buds, you can let guests know when they book their stay at your resort about what’s available. But rather than having them available in their room in the possibility that they may be used, if guests want any of the items listed, all they have to do is ask the reception at your resort for them at any point during their stay.

Cleaning Products

This is an area that could make a massive difference to your resort’s eco-friendly reputation. Cleaning is something that your resort will do daily, sometimes even several times a day due to legal requirements. Toxic cleaning products are harmful to health and will cause damage to the environment every time they’re used. They’re also in plastic containers that will often be replaced each time the product has finished. Natural cleaning products will obviously be less harmful than toxic ones and if it’s something you’re interested in, look for certified green cleaners.

Maids and cleaners could stop using disposable materials to clean your resort. Instead, they could use washable rags and dusters to reduce overall waste in your resort. When you think about all the rooms and public places that need to be cleaned every day, this could make a drastic difference to your resort’s waste.

Food Preparation

This is a major area where your resort could really make a difference to the environment. With approximately 11% of overall CO2 emissions belonging to food distribution, opting to use local produce will reduce your resort’s carbon footprint and support your local community at the same time. This is becoming more of a trend in hospitality, with seasonal food providing original authentic dishes, unique to the area your resort is in.

Another way to become more eco-friendly would be to reduce meat options on your menu. You could offer meat alternatives as well as provide vegetarian dishes, perhaps even providing tasters to encourage guests to try something different. Reducing animal products is good for the planet as well as our health. 

Water Bottles

A lot of hotels are reducing their bottled water consumption and providing different methods for people to keep hydrated, such as water dispensers and refillable water bottles or alternatives to the traditional plastic bottle, for guests and visitors alike. Having a water dispenser in public places in your resort, as well as on every floor of your hotel, will contribute to helping greatly reduce plastic pollution.

As people are becoming more environmentally conscious, sustainability is featured in more areas of their lives. It’s only natural that it would feature in the hospitality industry, including hotels. Many people, when on holiday, are now opting to stay at hotels that are environmentally aware and are using practices that are eco-friendly. When it comes to spending money, people are making sure their money is being ethically spent. Therefore, it would make sense to look into sustainable measures with a view of adopting or adapting them to your own resort.