With sustainability becoming a growing concern for individuals around the world it is no surprise that a recent study by the World Travel & Tourism Council, Trip com and Deloitte discovered that 69% of travellers are actively seeking sustainable travel options For younger generations in par ticular, sustainable travel decisions are star ting to become a priority but, faced with the cost-of-living and energ y crises, it is unclear if customers are in fact willing to fork out for more sustainable travel options The impetus is now on those in the hotel industr y to take the driving seat by assessing their current environmental credentials and evaluating how best to bolster these to meet growing consumer demand

LUXURY IS LEADING THE WAY

For some hotels the transition is already well underway as being sustainable is at the hear t of their brand For luxur y brands that have the money to make large-scale sustainability decisions, they are able to use renewable building materials, grow produce on-site and go plastic free Some hotels are even able to create their own waste management and recycling facilities and harness the technolog y to capture waste heat to create energ y For example , Fairmont Hotels have heat recycling systems and green roofs – some of them even include bees! All of their hotels are top rated when it comes to green building practices Meanwhile Hilton Hotels & Resor ts is prioritising recycling and waste reduction by making small but significant changes that most hoteliers can implement The chain recycles mattresses and par tially used soap; donates to local food banks to minimise food waste; and even claims 94% of its energ y is green energ y

The popularity of these hotels has naturally risen in recent years, as we have all become more aware of the effects of our actions on the planet but these premium hotel companies are of course not accessible to all

Although this move towards sustainability can be seen in most sectors globally there is a par ticularly pressing cost incentive behind this shift in the hotel industr y With energ y prices soaring hotels will find sur vival challenging if they do not take bold leaps to find alternative energ y sources or at least reduce their energ y consumption Those that prioritise reducing their carbon footprint will see their utility bills drop

A POSITIVE FUTURE?

There are a significant number of hotels making changes to become more environmentally friendly but there is one factor that may get in the way of this progress – consumer demand With younger generations leading the sustainability agenda, there is little incentive for hotels to completely transform, as affordability still reigns supreme in their list of priorities The cost-of-living crisis has meant that even those who would prefer a more sustainable hotel, would not choose this over securing an affordable option In the shor t-term, without a wholesale change in consumer demand major sea changes in sustainability commitments from the hotel industr y are likely to lag behind

That is not to say that the future is completely bleak Any developer looking to bring new hotels to the market risks looking completely out of touch with the forward momentum of the sector if they do not prioritise environmental initiatives within developments And with energ y prices unlikely to dramatically reduce anytime soon, hotel owners and developers would be wise to consider more sustainable energ y options to suppor t their path to success in the years ahead For a complete transformation of the sector, consumers must help drive this mindshift to encourage the hotel industr y to find creative , affordable and sustainable solutions

Osprey Charging, the one of the UK’s leading EV charging networks, par tnered with Marston’s (amongst other UK wide hospitality groups) to install EV chargers across their UK estate The ongoing par tnership has proved a huge success and provides a footprint of how businesses can embrace the transition to electric mobility

The Marston s project is an excellent example of how EV charging can be integrated into existing business operations The pub chain has over 1,500 locations throughout the UK, and as more people switch to electric vehicles, it became clear that offering charging facilities would be a valuable ser vice for their customers The process of installing EV chargers requires a significant investment in infrastructure and logistics, so Marston’s decided to work with Osprey Charging, as a leader in the UK market, to deliver and operate the infrastructure Osprey worked with Marston’s to understand their requirements and to find the best solution for each location, with a range of hardware speeds to suit each site The chargers were also designed to be user-friendly and simple to operate , with easy payment options and clear instructions, making the customer journey as simple as possible The installation of the chargers has also helped Marston’s to attract new customers, as well as to retain existing ones who have switched to EVs

The roll-out continues at pace , with Osprey installing and operating over 200 chargers across the Marston s por tfolio As the market has grown, Osprey have worked with Marston’s to revisit and upgrade earlier sites to keep up with customer expectations and demand To date , the par tnership has delivered over 25 million electric miles, the equivalent of nearly 7000 tonnes of CO2 savings

The par tnership provides an excellent example of how businesses can embrace the transition to electric mobility, with the help of exper ts such as Osprey Charging It’s not just about providing a valuable ser vice for customers – it’s also about future-proofing your business With the UK government planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 the shift to electric vehicles is inevitable Businesses that are ready to offer EV charging facilities will be in a better position to meet the needs of their customers, as well as to contribute to their company ’ s ESG targets and the UK’s wider decarbonisation effor ts proper ty@ospreycharging co uk www.ospreycharging.co.uk