Five environmental initiatives to try in your accommodation business
Today is World Nature Conservation Day (28 July) and there's never been a better time to reflect on how your accommodation business can make a meaningful difference to our planet.
Modern travellers are increasingly environmentally conscious and many seek out experiences that align with their values. Small, conscious changes to your accommodation offering can create ripple effects that benefit the environment, the guest experience and your bottom line.
Here are five practical initiatives that can transform your property into a beacon of environmental sustainability.
Support local conservation through booking donations
Extend your environmental impact beyond your property boundaries by establishing partnerships with local conservation charities. Create a simple donation mechanism where guests can contribute to environmental initiatives as part of their booking process.
This approach works well because it connects your guests directly with the destination they're visiting and helps them appreciate it more. Whether it's supporting local marine conservation, native species protection or habitat restoration projects, you're creating a tangible connection between tourism and environmental stewardship.
The key to getting buy-in from your guests is to make the connection feel authentic and locally relevant.
Partner with tree-planting programmes
An effective way to offset your property's carbon footprint is through strategic tree-planting partnerships. In New Zealand, Seekom’s partnership with Trees that Count makes it simple for accommodation providers and their guests to contribute to environmental restoration.
Trees That Count is a registered charity in New Zealand that connects donations for native trees with green-fingered planting groups across the country. Every $10 donated leads to a native tree being planted in a restoration project across the country, improving biodiversity, supporting cleaner waterways and mitigating carbon dioxide emissions.
You can mirror this initiative by connecting with organisations on similar missions in your country or easily set up optional tree donations as add-ons during online bookings or at reception check-in with Seekom’s software.
Guests increasingly appreciate the opportunity to make their stay carbon-positive, and you might be surprised how many choose to participate when they have the option.
Get started today. Sign-up with Trees That Count and find out more on the Trees That Count website.
Implement a comprehensive waste-reduction programme
Transform your property's waste from a necessary evil into an environmental benefit. Start with the basics: eliminate single-use plastics where possible, encourage recycling and compost organic waste.
But don't stop there, feel free to get creative with your approach. Install water-refill stations to reduce plastic-bottle consumption, provide reusable shopping bags for guests exploring local markets and partner with local farms to donate food scraps for composting.
Waste-reduction initiatives that are visible often get more buy-in. Guests are more likely to want to match your efforts when they can see the tangible results of their environmental stewardship – like the healthy lemon tree fuelled by your compost outside their window.
Create energy-efficient guest experiences
Energy efficiency doesn't have to mean compromising guest comfort. Instead, think of it as enhancing the guest experience through thoughtful design and smart technology.
Motion-sensor lighting in corridors and communal areas reduces energy consumption while providing convenient illumination. Smart thermostats allow guests to personalise their room temperature, while automatically adjusting when rooms are unoccupied. The softer diffusion of LED lighting throughout your property not only reduces energy costs but also creates warmer, more inviting atmospheres.
Asking your guests to support a towel and linen reuse programme and engaging them with the environmental story behind their choice is a wonderful way to make it stick. A simple sign explaining that reusing towels for just one night saves enough energy to power a television for three hours makes the impact real.
Establish partnerships with local businesses
Your purchasing decisions have a ripple effect on the local economy and environment. By prioritising local suppliers for anything from breakfast ingredients to cleaning supplies or wine you're reducing transport emissions while strengthening community connections.
An easy way to start is with your food and beverage offerings, especially if you have an on-site restaurant. Partner with local farms, breweries and artisan producers to create a menu that showcases the flavour of your region. Guests love discovering local flavours, and ingredients sourced in the vicinity are often cheaper and fresher than alternatives imported from afar.
Extend this philosophy to furnishings, artwork and amenities. Buying local reduces your carbon footprint while creating authentic experiences that guests remember long after they've returned home.
Making It happen
The most successful environmental initiatives share three common characteristics: they're easy to implement, they enhance rather than compromise the guest experience and they create stories worth sharing.
As World Conservation Day reminds us, it’s important to take action to conserve and protect our planet’s natural resources. Your accommodation offering, no matter its size or location, has the potential to make a difference.
The planet, your guests and your business will thank you for making the effort. Start with just one initiative today and watch how quickly environmental stewardship becomes part of your property's DNA.
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