World Water Day will take place this week (March 22). It is a United Nations program which reminds us of our responsibilities to protect this vital—and limited—resource. Hotels (and their guests) are high water consumers and it is time for them to get more proactive on their water stewardship.
Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for everyone on the planet is one of the new SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) which governments and businesses are being asked to implement through combined action. With hotels often sited in exotic locations and water-scarce areas, it’s particularly important that hotel companies also do their bit to ensure water security for everyone.
Hotels are generally big water consumers. With swimming pools, lush golf courses and landscaping all adding to the guest experience—no matter whether the surrounding landscape is arid desert or no—water responsibility is a big risk factor. When ITP (the International Tourism Partnership) conducted a survey of more than 200 stakeholders for an event in 2014, water was identified as the highest ranking issue of concern for hotels to address. Campaigners revealed that irresponsible locating of hotels can see developers drilling down to tap into the water table to provide water on demand for guests, while the village down the road finds their well running dry.
In addition, hotel guests are often far more liberal with their use of water in hotels than they are at home. A 2014 study by Professor Susanne Becken revealed that tourists to some countries might use almost 1,000 liters per day, up to four times the amount used by the local population. It’s clear that towel and linen programs are just not going to cut it when it comes to hotels playing their part.
A ‘Moon Shot for Water’
Hoteliers in California know this is not just an issue for the further-flung properties. A report in USA Today suggested that 64 percent of wells in the United States show declining water levels. The drought in the Golden State has been ongoing for the past four years and is probably one of the prompts behind the White House launch in December of a “moon shot for water” with a report entitled Water Resource Challenges and Opportunities for Water Technology Innovation. The aim is to increase water stewardship through the faster adoption of water reuse and efficiency programs, alongside a call for more investment in research and development that could help scale new water technologies. Specifically they are looking to the private sector for investment to build water projects like reservoirs, boost data collection, support water-sharing agreements and find new technologies to recycle and conserve water. This is supported by a U.S. water summit on World Water Day.
Businesses should be aware of the risk to themselves. Last year the World Economic Forum identified water crises alongside unemployment, interstate conflict, failure to adapt to climate change and cyber attacks as the top five risks to business around the world. Water crises are ranked as the number one risk in terms of impact.
Extreme weather events, flooding and drought are no longer a threat only to less developed countries. In 2013 ITP commissioned a Global Water Risk Assessment to help its member companies better understand regional water issues—present and forecast. The report examines water availability and quality alongside cost and regulatory implications in selected geographic regions, and highlights the threat to the industry around the world but particularly in Brazil, China, Dubai and parts of India. As well as shortage of fresh water, for hotels and other businesses there are risks in some regions from pollution and increased costs of water treatment. Flooding presents an immediate risk to impacted businesses but also affects local infrastructure.
The report notes: Nearly one in five people live in areas of physical water scarcity; places where the development of water resources is approaching or has exceeded sustainable limits. By 2030, the world might face a 40 percent global shortfall of accessible, reliable water supply for economic development. The private sector is a major water user and is dependent on water for production and service delivery.
It is time to act and many hotel groups are doing that. IHG got proactive in California and sent every one of their hotels a water reduction kit to help each property discover ways of cutting water consumption without affecting guest experience. And guess what? It cuts costs too.
Hotel Water Measurement Initiative
Following the results of a Stakeholder Engagement process in 2014, ITP began working with 18 global hotel groups to create the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI). Following the success of HCMI (the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative) where hotel groups collaborated with ITP and WTTC (the World Travel & Tourism Council) to create a universally recognised methodology and tool for measuring and reporting on carbon footprints per room, stay or meeting, it became clear there was a need to produce an equivalent tool for water. The HCMI is now used by more than 24,000 hotels worldwide and the water working group is currently testing the tool which will launch later this year.
Looking ahead, it may become necessary to manage the expectations of guests. Millennials are more aware of sustainability and many are adopting responsible travel habits, but hotels often struggle with the idea of asking guests who are paying for a luxury stay to consider the environment as well. Behind the scenes hoteliers may be doing everything they can to ensure that guest’s stay has as minimal an environmental impact as possible, but eventually, in order to keep meeting consumption reduction targets, guests will have to play their part as well. Is it unreasonable for guests to see a desert landscape around their hotel when they’re vacationing in Vegas or Egypt? Should a guest at a hotel in water-stressed Brazil expect five different pools at their resort?
It’s unpalatable for many hotels to consider asking guests to modify their behavior but there are ways to share a sustainability message without it negatively impacting guest ratings. Some hotels are testing fun messages that turn water saving into a game. Egg timer in the shower anyone? Others help guests who choose responsible consumption to turn those savings into points to spend in the hotel, or even to help local communities. The right message will win guests over until responsible behaviour becomes second nature.
However they choose to act, it is essential hoteliers act now.
Siobhan O’Neill is Editor of Green Hotelier and ITP Comms Manager.
