Hotels peg guest experience rating way above green norms

Green is in, and the hospitality industry in India is trying to keep pace with the trend. While some luxury chains have taken definite steps to be environment-friendly, many others are just projecting their ‘green-edge’, pointed out experts.

“There was hardly any concerted or planned effort to encourage hotel guests in India to be environment-friendly,” said Pradeep Kumar, associate director, Building Energy Systems, TERI.

“Take, for instance, the incentive system put in place at a hotel in Tokyo. This hotel offers its customers free lunch coupons, if they do not ask for a change in bedsheet for 3 days,” according to a guest who went through the green experience recently.

“It is a way to incentivise hotel guests, if they choose to forego small luxuries for a better cause,” a hotel sector analyst said.

Kumar argued that the focus of hotels was more towards the overall rating based on guest experience, rather than being environment-friendly. Hotels feel that the clientèle won’t be impressed by incentives linked to the environment, he said. “They don’t want to cause them any inconvenience by asking them to do something particular to follow the green initiatives,” he added.

The standard measures being practised by luxury hotel chains to keep environmental damage in check include rain water harvesting, use of LED (light emitting diodes), recycling waste material, and using ‘green’ material during construction. A set of environment-friendly guidelines have also been put in place by TERI and the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India. But the implementation and monitoring of guidelines is not up to the mark yet.

According to the guidelines for hotels in India, the temperature to be maintained according to the climate prevalent in the country is 24 degree Celsius. “But most hotels maintain 22 degrees, which is against the norm. Hotels in America, Europe, etc strictly adhere to such directions,” Kumar said.

While the older hotel buildings are trying to be environment friendly through in-house practices, the newer ones are using green building technologies in the construction process itself. However, Kumar indicated that most of these buildings are designed by architects outside India, who are not conscious of what is needed here.

“There is scope for improvement in the initiatives taken by the Indian hospitality industry, especially when compared with international chains,” said Ravindra Singh, senior vice-president, projects, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. He added many times hotels were not aware of what could be done to be green or even the technology being available for the same.

But several hotels have managed to reduce energy, water and waste footprints through various means. “We reduce our energy consumption on room base by 5-10 per cent every year. Some of the ways by which we do it are use of LED lights, solar water heating, waste water recycling, tree plantation and efficient use of available new technology,” said P R P Ramakrishna, area director of engineering, Marriott Hotels.

An ITC Hotel spokesperson said sustainable development was a big task and it was being practised across the chain. “Considering the dynamics of each unit, the depth of practice will naturally be variable in nature. However, the concepts and the tenets remain the same for all units,” the spokesperson said.

Increase in power and water tariff in the late 90s had prompted hotels to take remedial actions to manage their costs, according to an analyst. “It is a win-win strategy for hotels, as they save on their costs, generate revenue and help in environment conservation,” he said.