An Ecotel is a new concept in hospitality that requires the property to comply with strict standards in terms of environment concern. There are basically ‘5 globes’ to this concept.
Energy conservation: This involves the use of minimum usage of electricity for applications in lighting and air conditioning purposes.
Water conservation: Evaluates the effective conservation of water in all departments of the hotel, across all levels. It also involves effective reutilization of water in the hotel.
Solid waste management: A proper waste management system must be in place that disposes off waste. The hotel must also device strategies in order to reduce wastage.
Employee environmental education: Evaluates how involved the employees are in the efforts of the hotel to contribute towards the environment. The hotel must have training modules in place to educate the employees on green issues.
Environmental commitment: The mission statement of the property must make mention about its environmental dedication. One member of the top management must head a ‘Green Team’ among the staff and the entire workforce must confirm with the hotel’s mission statement.
As far as running a green hotels, India leads from the front being the only country in the world to have 13 certified Ecotels within the next 2 years! These hotels must meet stringent standards to be certified. It is, therefore, an elite group. While it adds to the brand value of the hotel, there are some drawbacks in terms of technologies available. One more aspect of the concept is the cost. An Ecotel is about 15% more expensive to maintain than a normal hotel because of the kind of equipment and systems used to manage resources.
Moreover, many hotels already have eco-friendly practices in their hotel except that they do it without certification. So looks like the road to the future for hotels around the world is clean and green. Maybe even lined with a lot of vegetation on either side!
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