With the biggest names in hotel ownership and investment set to descend on Berlin next month for the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) there is one area that will be high up on the list of discussion points – ‘conscious hospitality’…
The focus on environmental and socially-conscious business practices is growing, so it is hardly surprising that many hotel companies are keen to develop new and existing brands in a more conscious and intuitive way and are paying greater respect to the environment and communities they operate within. So while investment certainly remains at the event’s core, a number of sessions will further the conversation around ‘conscious hospitality’ at next month’s IHIF.
IHG Hotels & Resorts, which will be supporting the forum in a number of ways, says caring for its people, communities and planet has been ‘at the heart’ of what they do for many years. Last year it launched Journey to Tomorrow – a 10-year action plan of clear commitments to drive change – and has adopted many sustainable practices. Conscious development is certainly at the heart of its growing brand Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants which has implemented over 100 practices to make its hotels, restaurants, community and world a better, more sustainable place.
Image credit: IHG/Kimpton Hotels & Resorts
While Kimpton is expanding at pace, with 75 open hotels and a 35-strong pipeline, it treats every property it opens around the world as an individual brand. It taps into the elements of each property’s design and the brand’s design ethos to offer guests ‘a richer, more authentic and playful travel experience’ while drawing inspiration and respecting its location to ‘inspire a more meaningful, heartfelt stay.’ Kimpton Mallorca, due to open this summer, for example, has been built with materials sourced from the island, including the local Zarci stone, while the company has worked with local architects, suppliers and artists to bring its inspired design to life.
A similarly thoughtful approach has been adopted by Hyatt International, whose president and CEO Mark Hoplamazian is speaking at IHIF on Wednesday, May 4 in a session titled Reflections on Hospitality Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions. For Hyatt, it is about open conversations with all parties and ensuring everyone’s needs are met. This holistic approach extends to design also.
“We take a flexible and thoughtful approach to working with our owners and franchisees, forming meaningful relationships to, firstly, create hotels which modern travellers are looking for and, once open, to maximise the financial outcome at each hotel,” said Peter Norman, SVP Development EAME/SWA at Hyatt International EAME, LLC. “Our international teams of experts are there to support our owners and franchisees as they move into pioneering projects in the areas of sustainability or food and beverage, and our dedicated design unit helps them to implement intelligent design and technology whilst keeping the guest experience front and centre.”
This conscious approach is not only being led by hotel companies. As Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, which created a pioneering in-house carbon footprint measuring program in 2007 and is aiming to achieve the ‘A’ level in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Climate Change in 2024, says, guests will come to expect these conscious moves.
“Changes in society and in travellers’ habits and expectations will make it critical for companies to adapt to the new ecosystem: more sustainable companies and destinations and digital immersion, not only regarding digital distribution, sales and marketing, but creating a digital or hybrid guest experience at the hotels as well,” said Escarrer. “I also think that travellers will demand brands that have ‘soul’ and strong links with destinations, too.”
A number of sessions will further the conversation around conscious hospitality at IHIF, and linking sustainable practice with investment is the focus of the panel discussion on Wednesday 4 May; Deep Dive: KPIs for ESG in hospitality investment, where Catherine Dolton, chief sustainability officer and vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility, IHG and Xenia Zi Hohenlohe, chief executive, Considerate Group will be among those providing insight.
Debunking one of the most significant perceived obstacles for stakeholders, Maribel Esparcia Pérez, Founding Partner of the European Sustainable Hospitality Group will be leading a session on How to Operate Sustainably and Profitably. This session precedes another pivotal discussion on Wednesday 4 May on Green Finance, a concept that looks at the prospect of how cheaper debt financing for sustainable hotels could create value.
IHIF, an event that Hotel Designs is a proud media partner of, takes place in Berlin on May 3 – 5.
Main image credit: IHG/Kimpton Hotels & Resorts
