EUROPE: 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.
The statement on the website states:
“While the company achieved a great deal since its creation, the Weeva board has determined that continued operations are not sustainable and has therefore taken the decision to close Weeva.
“This decision was not taken lightly. It was informed by an extensive and considered commercial review of the Weeva business and the wider industry landscape.
This has been fully communicated to staff, clients and external partners and an orderly wind-up of Weeva has now commenced.
Thank you for your support and understanding.”
Weeva was an affiliate member of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Glenn Mandziulk, CEO commented on the news:
“We are deeply saddened by the news that Weeva is closing its doors. Their pioneering efforts in addressing the challenges of measuring GHG emissions and promoting transparent, credible reporting have been invaluable to our shared vision within the tourism and hospitality industries. It’s a vision we continue to strive for if we are to achieve Net Positive Hospitality.
“As an Affiliate Member, Weeva played a crucial role in shaping and driving sustainable progress, particularly through their active participation on the Alliance’s Senior Advisory Council. Their absence will be significantly felt. The foresight and ambition demonstrated by Weeva’s investors and team continue to inspire us at the Alliance, and we extend our best wishes to them in their future endeavours.”
Editor’s comment:
Having interviewed Julie Cheetham last year and reported on Weever’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.
Cheetham told me 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. To have that goal in 2021 was way ahead of the curve and in some ways Weeva has done the hard work to lay the foundations for others to build on.
Weeva had big plans for expanding to keep the conversation global and one day to create bespoke products for tour operators, restaurants and airlines.
Weeva was using leading technology to create its product and Cheetham said this of how AI was helping advance the product: “We want Weeva AI to be a sustainability officer in your pocket so the smarter we can get the more we can help. The more we can integrate into smart devices and existing systems the easier we can make it for everyone.”
When I asked how Weeva would stay ahead of its competitors Cheetham replied: “I want us to be the most accessible, the most accurate and the best, but I also feel like it’s such an urgent imperative that it’s better to work together than to compete.
“We’ve had a few conversations with BeCause already to see how we can work together with our data ingestion and with their certification alliance, so I think it’s about looking for how you can work smarter together, rather than competing with one another.”
It seems Weeva had all the right ideas, great foresight and was stretching the tech to reach new heights, but perhaps it was too early and to fresh for the market turn, which impacted heavily on its scalability.
It will leave the industry with some deep foundations to build on, and the message that working together could be the best way to achieve the global collective goal.
You can read our full interview with Julie Cheetham, founding member and managing director at Weeva here.
Q&A: Julie Cheetham, founding member and managing director at Weeva