#39 | 18/07/2024

View this email in your browser

The Climate Change Committee has released its progress report today with the news that the UK is not on track to reach Net Zero. The CCC has made recommendations for the new Government to get the UK back on track – see below.

We shared the news this week that Weeva, the pioneering 'sustainability officer in your pocket' hotel technology company has closed for business. Having interviewed founding member and managing director, Julie Cheetham, last year and reported on Weeva's growth over the last couple of years, this is sad news for the sector. Weeva had a goal to make hotel data accessible and transparent and to help hotels, whatever their size or reach, to be on track for their sustainability targets. We have a piece below with comment from the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, of which Weeva was an affiliate member.

The Sustainable Hotel Exchange: DEI Matters webinar was a lively debate and we have the recording available for you below. Just remember to add the password in the piece when you register.

We also bring a FOCUS ON piece which looks at accessibility and inclusion in hotels. It's a huge topic to cover and one we will revisit. We've had some great feedback from readers so far who say this topic is not discussed enough and hotels need to do more to make the experience for all guests equal.

And just as we published that, Accor explained its accessibility initiatives across its properties for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and going forward across the rest of its portfolio. Read more below.

Until next time,

Felicity Cousins
Editor, Sustainable Hotel News

Photo by Sardar Faizan on Unsplash

The recording of the latest webinar for The Sustainable Hotel Exchange: DEI Matters is now available. Editor of Sustainable Hotel News, Felicity Cousins, hosted and moderated the webinar talking all things DEI in the hotel industry, with experts Michelle Mason Ethical Recruitment Programme Manager World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Jane Grammer, Diversity, Belonging & Employee Wellbeing Manager The Dorchester Collection and Naureen Ahmed, Founder, Inspiring Women in Hospitality.

Weeva, the sustainability management tool for hotels, has closed for business a statement on the company’s website explains. Founded in 2021 the idea for Weeva was based on the fitness apps people have to ensure they keep fit, but Weeva was for hotels to have a sustainability officer in their pocket. Founding member and managing director, Julie Cheetham, told Sustainable Hotel News in an interview at the beginning of this year, she wanted the whole industry to come together to achieve a proper downward trend in GHG emissions globally, and the aim was to become a global movement where everybody was doing better than before.

The Climate Change Committee has released its annual progress report with the headline that the UK is off track to reach Net Zero. According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC) only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the country’s 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. The 2030 target is the first goal in place to keep to a Net Zero trajectory. However, the CCC also explained that the country’s emissions are now less than half the levels they were in 1990 which is put down to the phasing out of coal and the introduction of renewable energy.

A survey by Clean the World, which offers environmental and social impact solutions for the hospitality industry, has highlighted a lack of trust from guests in how they view hotel recycling initiatives. A survey of 200 people between April and June this year showed a discrepancy between guests’ expectations and assumptions in hotel recycling practices. While 88 per cent of travellers factor sustainability into their hotel booking decisions, 58.7 per cent believe that most hotels do little, if anything, to recycle their bathroom amenities. These respondents assume hotels simply bin all recyclable items after a stay.

More than 380 Accor branded hotels are undergoing the French government’s ‘Tourisme & Handicap’ certification as the Group aims to make travel more accessible during the Paris 2024 summer Olympics and beyond. Sébastien Bazin, chairman & CEO of Accor said: “Over the past few months, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been a catalyst to improve the way in which we cater for disabled travellers. “Employees and hotels have been working hard to make Paris 2024 a wonderful experience for everyone. This achievement will be one of the legacies of this historic event for Accor and we are determined, once the Games are over, to continue rolling out the best innovations worldwide to welcome every single guest.”

HRS’s Green Stay Initiative has gained two world recognised sustainable certifications for its transparency in emissions data and reporting. The global corporate hotel booking platform says it is the only travel-focused technology company to hold certifications for both ISO 14067 and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standards.

The Social Hub has unveiled its strategy to expand with new spaces including a premium room design being piloted this summer. The premium rooms are being piloted at the Amsterdam City property and are available for booking from July 20th. The Social Hub is launching the premium room idea after conducting some research into what its current guests would like, as well as aiming for a four-star room experience.

In our FOCUS ON features we choose a topic and delve deeper. Here we look at accessibility and inclusion across the hotel sector from both the guest point of view, and for those who work in the industry. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people worldwide live with a significant disability, which is approximately 1.3 billion people. Of those people who are disabled only 7 per cent use a wheelchair. Here we look at how the hotel industry is treating guests with seen and invisible disabilities as well as how it treats guests from diverse backgrounds. It’s a massive topic to cover so we will be revisiting this throughout the year.

👉 More reviews, webinars and interviews here 👈

Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

© 2024 Sustainable Hotel News