Sustainability and Innovation SIG

The SIG Sustainability and Innovations is a platform where members can join forces to devise teaching material, create research connections and collectively brainstorm on the best methods and approaches to re-think and reinvent a hospitality industry which is kind to the environment, healthy to its workers, pleasing to its guests, active in the community, and efficient for the operators and owners.

Our aim is to ensure that sustainability is anchored in the hospitality academic conversation through enhanced cooperation.

Chair Willy Legrand IU International University of Applied Sciences [email protected]

Vice Chair Malu Boerwinkel Hotel Management School Maastricht ZUYD UAS [email protected]

Save the Date for Upcoming ICHRIE SIG Sustainability and Innovations Meetings

Dear ICHRIE SIG Sustainability and Innovations Colleagues,

As the fall season progresses, Malu Boerwinkel, our SIG Vice-chair, and I are pleased to announce the schedule for our upcoming meetings. Please mark your calendars for:

• Tuesday, October 22nd at 18:00 CEST | 17:00 GMT | 12:00 EDT | 09:00 PDT

EMAIL WILLY FOR THE LOGIN

• Thursday, December 12th at 18:00 CEST | 17:00 GMT | 12:00 EDT | 09:00 PDT

During these sessions, we plan to discuss a range of important topics, including:
• Insights and reflections from the NY Climate Week.
• The newly launched ESG Framework for Tourism (More Info).
• Highlights from the Thematic Day on Tourism at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (Details).
• Developments from COP16 focused on Biodiversity (Learn More).
• Introduction of the GBTA Sustainable Procurement Standards for Hotels (Read More).

For our Education Practice section:
• We will explore effective and innovative practices for integrating sustainability into classroom discussions.

Sustainability Research (featuring a guest speaker):
• Our session will focus on Social Sustainability, covering topics such as social responsibility, community engagement, and cultural preservation. We would greatly appreciate your suggestions on additional aspects of social sustainability to explore. If you have conducted research in any specific area of social sustainability and are interested in presenting your findings at our SIG meeting, please share your ideas and feedback. You can reach out to Malu Boerwinkel with your ideas and contributions at [email protected]. We look forward to your valuable input!

The detailed agenda for each meeting will be distributed in advance.

Warm regards from Bonn and Maastricht,
Willy & Malu

Faranak Memarzadeh Sustainability in Business Scholarship

Scholarship background and goals:

Dr. Faranak Memarzadeh was an Associate Professor of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management in the Lucas School of Business at SJSU.  She was also the interim MBA Program Director. Originally from Tabriz, Iran, which is on the old Silk Road, linking business and commerce between Europe and Asia, Faranak received her PhD in Hospitality from Texas Tech University, and joined the faculty at SJSU in 2015.  She loved her students and teaching, and was passionate about sustainability, technology, entrepreneurship and women’s issues, especially in the hospitality industry. This scholarship seeks to encourage and support Faranak’s ideals in future generations of SJSU students.

How to contribute to the fund:

Please feel free to share this with anyone who wants to give to the fund.

Online donation: giving.sjsu.edu/memarzadeh.

By Check: Make the check payable to the Tower Foundation of San Jose State University or Tower Foundation of SJSU and write “Faranak Memarzadeh Business Scholarship" in the memo line.

Mail to:
Tower Foundation
San José State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0183

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!

Dear industry professionals, academics, researchers, colleagues and friends, (apologies for cross-posting)

This month on Hospitality Net World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitality, it is viewpoint #30 and we look at the S of ESG Reporting.

From the sheer number of voluntary reporting frameworks around (a barrier?) to the drive for greater harmonization and standardization of frameworks (opportunity?) via regulations (e.g. EU CSRD), guest contributor, Anke Winchenbach, PhD, writes on materiality, metric and momentum and asks the following questions:

-Which social aspects should companies measure and report against, what metrics should be used?
-What are the main barriers assessing social sustainability and how can they be overcome?

Thank you Anke for the panel authorship and questions!

 Access the panel discussion:

How to incorporate the S in ESG reporting: materiality, metrics and creating momentum or here: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000212.html

Thank you to all expert contributors for the valuable input and industry insights: Anke Winchenbach, PhD, Marc Lores Panades, Chalana Perera, Brooke Hansen, Adam Maclennan, Trevor Girard, Henri Kuokkanen, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Sandi Lesueur, Glenn Mandziuk MEDes. MCIP FRSA, Marco Bevolo, PhD, Adj. Prof., Andreas Koch, Johanna Wagner, Maribel Esparcia Pérez, and Sven Wiltink

AI and Sustainable Hospitality:  Boon or Bane?

 Advancing the sustainability agenda is not (yet) the main driver for businesses to utilise artificial intelligence (AI). Studies point to other goals related to AI implementation such as 1) automating workflows, 2) cost savings and quality improvement in production processes or 3) personalized customer experiences (e.g. Eurostat; Informatik Spektrum).

But are we possibly missing AI’s potential on the sustainability front?

In tourism and hospitality, we deal with data quality issues, with carbon accounting issues including (largely) unmapped carbon along our supply chain, with energy efficiency targets, with increased regulations and those challenges can be tackled with the help of AI. AI has also a place in the operations (see: Forbes). But it’s not without challenges…

It’s Hospitality Net World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitalityvolume 32, and this month, we are taking a shot at AI and Tech linked to sustainability – and it’s a tall order surely with the following questions expert could choose from and provide short feedback:

1.  Is AI a panacea for all our sustainability challenges or just another tool whose efficacy still hinges on the blend of technological integration and human-centric strategies?
2. Where can I use AI as an operator or sustainability manager in hospitality?
3. Can you provide examples of successful real-world applications of AI in hotel development and operations that have led to measurable improvements in sustainability?
4. What frameworks or platforms could be established to help hospitality businesses in understanding and selecting the appropriate technologies for their specific sustainability needs?
5. In which ways will the European AI Act affect the implementation of AI in Hospitality?

 Access the experts’ input:

 AI and Sustainable Hospitality:  Boon or Bane?

(here: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000222.html)

with special thanks to: Sven Wiltink, Lucienne Mosquera, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Elena Cavagnaro, Glenn Mandziuk MEDes. MCIP FRSA, Jerome Pagnier, Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis PhD, MSc, FIH, SFHEA, CMBE, MCHME, Adam Maclennan, Nicolas Dubrocard, Marc Lores Panades, Dr Jonathon Day, Marloes Knippenberg, Henri Kuokkanen, Arjan van Rheede, Malu Boerwinkel, and Maribel Esparcia Pérez.

In addition, many of the experts have longer viewpoints which are then posted into opinion pieces from "AI & food waste monitoring" to the "risks associated to the over-reliance on technology" for example.

We are excited to announce the launch of the 4^th edition of Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations today! (https://www.routledge.com/9780367532505)

Hot off the press!

4^th edition of Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations (https://www.routledge.com/9780367532505)

Extending over 800 pages and 19 chapters, this edition is perhaps the most comprehensive guidebook to creating a sustainable hospitality operation. Highlights of the new edition are:

• 111 new case studies and info boxes from a vast variety of hospitality players, featuring day-to-day as well as strategic best practices, calculations, and recommendations.
• Newly designed chapters on Employees; Food Sourcing; F&B Management; Environmental Management Systems and KPIs; ESG, Environmental Accounting and Externalities; Investing and Financing; Stakeholder Relationships; and Challenges of Operating in the Global South
• Each chapter links to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers multiple in-class activities & projects for lecturers and students

With COP21 and the net zero imperative, 17 SDGs, dwindling global biodiversity levels and advances in ESG reporting, numerous topics are ripe to be explored, explained, and critiqued to stay on top of what matters to future proof the hospitality sector!

For those of you wishing to order a copy, please note that Routledge offers a 20% mid-year-sales discount, at the moment. Once the sale has ended, feel free to make use of our promo discount. CLICK HERE for more information.

Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand

Moving the Needle on Sustainability: Cooperation in Hospitality

When Businesses Need to Cooperate…

Cooperation, collaboration, and partnership have mushroomed in the post COVID-21 business environment perhaps as a response that ‘together we are stronger and more resilient’ and possibly since tackling the global polycrisis means ‘joining forces and resources’ in achieving a common goal. In fact, while cooperation, collaboration and partnership all have a slightly different meaning, all involve the willingness to work together towards a common goal.

With this in mind, experts were asked the following:
1.          Are we effectively using cooperation in climate and biodiversity action to drive social change?
2.          What are the possible areas where greater cooperation is needed in the sector to advance sustainability performance?
3.          What are examples of best practices in regard to cooperation in the greater tourism and hospitality sectors? (providing information on the challenge tackled and outcome)

With a special thanks to all contributing experts:
Erin Meezan, Glenn Mandziuk MEDes. MCIP FRSA, Swantje Lehners, Stefan Gössling, Johanna Wagner, Benjamin Lephilibert, Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Elena Cavagnaro, Prof. Dr. Gabriel Laeis, Juliette Van Vleck, Henri Kuokkanen, Marloes Knippenberg, Megan Epler-Wood, Andreas Koch, Arjan van Rheede, Celine Vadam and Maribel Esparcia Pérez

READ MORE

Sustainability in Class: How to use the Hospitality Net World Panel on Sustainable Hospitality in Class?

There are so many possibilities, but one activity that has especially sparked curiosity, discussion and debates in class is the following: 

1. Have students access the HospitalityNet World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitality online (https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/36001926.html). 

The panel tackles all sustainability issues (e.g. around energy, water, waste, food, facilities, communication, social, and strategy) and is supported by more than 100 industry professionals, consultants and scientific experts across many fields. The aim is to get sustainability anchored more than ever into the tourism and hospitality conversation and decision-making.  

2. Next, scroll down the page and browse the various topics discussed and in small groups select one topic. Once you have read the topic being discussed, prepare a summary of the 5 (Five) expert’s positions which you will review and present in class. 

3. In addition to the expert summary, students are required to provide their own thoughts on the topic by researching further – any points which you think the experts missed? Any new development since those viewpoints were written? Any industry best practices to share? Any research conducted by other academics which shed new light on the topic?

4. There is no paper to submit, the exercise is based on presentations, discussion and debates. 

Of course, you can tailor this to your needs and, for example, require that students support their thoughts with additional research from scientific articles or possibly industry reports or news for example.

This is a great way to introduce your students to current topics and spark their curiosity! 

Should you try this out – do drop me a line to see how it went and what further recommendations you may have. 

And now the topics as of January 2024: 

Shaping the Future of Hospitality: Continuous Improvements or Radical Changes?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000209.html)

Developing and Valuing Hotels: still ignoring climate risks?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000208.html)

Meaningful Guest Experience: Is Sustainability the Secret Ingredient? 

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000207.html)

Accessing Green Finance in Hospitality: Key to Transformation?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000195.html)

Moving the Needle on Sustainability: Cooperation in Hospitality

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000187.html)

Hotels and the Perfect Storm: Dealing with the global polycrisis

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000176.html)

Beyond Hospitality: Should Individuals have a Personal Carbon Allowance?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000169.html)

Circularity: The sustainable hospitality frontier?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000162.html)

30x30 target: Where does the Hotel Sector stand?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000152.html)

Global standards vs. local realities – how to make it work in hospitality?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000145.html)

The Best Sustainability Resources: Knowledge for Responsible Hoteliers

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000143.html)

The Decade of Decarbonisation & Restoration: Needed Actions in Hospitality

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000141.html)

Hospitality Supply Chains: Massive footprint or a force of good?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000128.html)

The price of hotel sustainability: willing-to-stay and willing-to-pay?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000126.html)

The solutions nature provides: how can hotels contribute and benefit?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000113.html)

Sustainability-driven legislation: setting the right conditions for hospitality?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000094.html)

Responsible travel: How do we make booking sustainable hotels easier?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000088.html)

Running out of energy: An underestimated threat to a "people's business"?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000078.html)

The (Green) Recovery Imperative: Hospitality Re-Set Or Bouncing Forward?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000070.html)

The Future of Sustainability Certification: Micro-Certification?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000057.html)

Hygiene and Sustainability: How to make both work?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000054.html)

Sustainability Gives Hotels An Edge In The War For Talent. Or Does It?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000040.html)

How can sustainability be communicated beyond clichés and greenwashing?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000036.html)

Who makes hospitality sustainability happen: Governments, Industry, Consumers?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000024.html)

Climate Emergency And The Hospitality Industry: Are We On Track?

(https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000020.html) 

Meaningful Guest Experiences: Is Sustainability the Secret Ingredient?

Travelers are increasingly aligning their journeys with their values – sustainability matters but increasingly with a desire for a transformative or regenerative experience. The now-mainstreamed initiatives of hotels – from water-saving schemes to extensive recycling programmes – though commendable, only scratch the surface of the potential role they play in promoting a meaningful guest experience.

Is there an unfulfilled potential to enhance meaningful guest experiences that the hospitality industry is missing?

With this in mind, Maribel Esparcia Pérez and I asked experts the following:

1. What is a meaningful guest experience for you?
2. Do you have examples of best practices in regard to sustainable hospitality and meaningful guest experiences?

 Access the feedback here:

Meaningful Guest Experience: Is Sustainability the Secret Ingredient?

(See: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000207.html)

Personal insights and experiences are shared from experts with supporting examples – great read all around and thank you to:

Glenn Mandziuk MEDes. MCIP FRSA, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Andreas Koch, Natasha Montesalvo , Arjan van Rheede, Marloes Knippenberg, Henri Kuokkanen, Elena Cavagnaro, Peter Varga, Nicolas Dubrocard, Chalana Perera, and MariaPia Intini 

And for those who may have missed this one, during the summer we tackled:

Accessing Green Finance in Hospitality: Key to Transformation?

READ MORE

With COP28 UAE going on (and some results on financing loss and damage), it’s an opportunity to bridge climate risks to the development and valuation of hotels – it’s tricky with some uncomfortable questions.

The hospitality industry increasingly considers factors such as erratic weather patterns and extreme events in their expansion strategies in risk-prone areas. These risks could introduce vulnerable elements to investments, in terms of financial loss, physical risks and reputational damage. And it's not just about how should the industry build but moreover if it should build at all?

With this in mind, experts at the Hospitality Net World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitality answer one or more of the following questions:

1.          As hotel asset valuations are increasingly linked to sustainability features and environmental risk exposure, do you foresee this trend changing the overall approach to hotel development and, if so, how?

2.          Data suggest that the luxury hotel construction pipeline is unaffected by climate change concerns. What mitigation strategies needs to be adopted by the hospitality sector at this point to live up to the promise of decarbonization?

3.          And more blatantly: Should the industry refrain from developing new hotels in risk areas?

Access the experts’ input:

Developing and Valuing Hotels: still ignoring climate risks?

or here: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000208.html

Thank you to all contributors for the views and experiences:
Marloes Knippenberg, Johanna Wagner, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Daniel Ruben, Dr Jonathon Day, Swantje Lehners, Dr. Frauke Fischer, Peter Varga, Elena Cavagnaro, Trevor Girard and Chalana Perera.

HYB 2024 HOSPITALITY ESG EDITION:  Unlocking the ESG Innovation Stack in Hospitality

Free Book Download: https://www.hotelyearbook.com/

30 short articles from industry professionals, expert consultants, supply chain service providers and researchers organized under six themes:

• The Rise of Net Positive Movement: Climate Resilient & Regenerative Hospitality
• From Strategy to Regulation: Navigating the ESG Landscape
• Operational Efficiency and Sustainability: Harnessing Technology & Education
• The Built Environment: Innovative Architecture, Design & Carbon Conscious Practices
• Validating Sustainability: Assurance, Certification and Awards
• Shaping ESG Practices: Collaboration for a Better Future

And in addition, a section on Roadblocks to Overcome where c-level executives answer the following question: “If there was one major roadblock you could remove towards a net positive journey in the hospitality industry, what would that be?”

In today’s competitive environment, ESG lies at the core of business strategy. Crucial to advancing sustainability is to leverage innovation. Thus, the "innovation stack" refers to a collection of technologies, methods, and strategies that, when effectively combined, can lead to more resilient, adaptive, and future-ready hospitality businesses.

The key lies not just in individual practices, but equally in the access, scalability, and application throughout the value chain.

Sustainability and Innovation SIG Playbacks

SIG MEETING, Friday, 31 May 2024

I am thrilled to then welcome Isabel Lissner, Business Product Manager & Senior Sustainability Manager (here on CC) at BeCause.eco (https://because.eco/) as our guest speaker on that occasion. BeCause.eco has become, in the span of a few years, the company providing a single hub to connect the demand & supply for sustainability data and information flow. If you don’t know the company or what it does, it’s a must attend!

We will spend one hour together which will be an opportunity to also explore the many ‘educational features’ the because.eco platform offers, particularly as it is THE platform that has taken the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative from being an Excel-based form to an online-based tool. I use the HCMI extensively with students and can explain how I find it to work best along the use of the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark database.

WATCH THE ZOOM MEETING

Password: 75V#+UqU

SIG Meeting, Wednesday, 24th January 2024

“Interactive Sustainability: The Net Positive Hospitality Simulation” (https://sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/net-positive-hospitality-simulation/) with guests Claire Whitely, Head of Environment at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and Tim Rogmans, Managing Director at Sim Institute

• Access the Net Positive Hospitality Simulation
• Download the supporting slides.

WATCH THE WEBINAR

SIG Meeting, 17 November 2022

SLIDES FROM SIG PRESENTATION

Sustainability on the Ground: Practices, Education & Resources with Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications at Radisson, Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner, Technical Assistance Advisor at The Long Run and/or Delphine Malleret King, Chief Executive Office at The Long Run 

CLICK FOR THE PLAYBACK

Sustainability and Innovation SIG Resources

Articles & Research

Sustainability in Hospitality, Hospitality.net

The Best Sustainability Resources: Knowledge for Responsible Hoteliers, Hospitality.net

Beyond Hospitality: Should Individuals have a Personal Carbon Allowance?, Hospitality.net

Drone Food Delivery is Taking Off, a Press Release from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Books

The Hotel Yearbook: Sustainable Hospitality 2020 – Available for Free Download

Social Entrepreneurship in Hospitality: Principles and Strategies for Change, 1^st edition, 2020 Routledge

Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations, 3^rd edition, 2017 Routledge

Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations, 4^th edition, 2022 Routledge

Videos

UN World Oceans Day: What are the Oceans Worth? Everything in Hospitality!

Websites

World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitality

Hotel Sustainability Basics

Circularity: The sustainable hospitality frontier?

FREE Online Sustainability Courses

Press Release for The Long Run FREE Online Courses

The Long Run

Reports

Circle Economy Presents: The Circularity Gap Report 2021

Dear industry professionals, academics, researchers, colleagues and friends, (apologies for cross-posting)

WithCOP28 UAEgoing on (and some results on financing loss and damage), it’s an opportunity to bridge climate risks to the development and valuation of hotels – it’s tricky with some uncomfortable questions.

The hospitality industry increasingly considers factors such as erratic weather patterns and extreme events in their expansion strategies in risk-prone areas. These risks could introduce vulnerable elements to investments, in terms of financial loss, physical risks and reputational damage. And it's not just about how should the industry build  but moreover if it should build at all?

With this in mind, experts at the Hospitality Net World Panel on Sustainability in Hospitality answer one or more of the following questions:

1.          As hotel asset valuations are increasingly linked to sustainability features and environmental risk exposure, do you foresee this trend changing the overall approach to hotel development and, if so, how?

2.          Data suggest that the luxury hotel construction pipeline is unaffected by climate change concerns. What mitigation strategies needs to be adopted by the hospitality sector at this point to live up to the promise of decarbonization?

3.          And more blatantly: Should the industry refrain from developing new hotels in risk areas?

 Access the experts’ input:

Developing and Valuing Hotels: still ignoring climate risks?

or here: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/viewpoint/125000208.html

Thank you to all contributors for the views and experiences:
Marloes Knippenberg, Johanna Wagner, Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Daniel Ruben, Dr Jonathon Day, Swantje Lehners, Dr. Frauke Fischer, Peter Varga, Elena Cavagnaro, Trevor Girard and Chalana Perera.

Coming Next: Radical Rethink – Radical Changes in Hospitality

Greetings from Bonn

Willy