【Perspective Society, Green Development】It's time for a low-carbon hotel

　　With 78% of travelers choosing low-carbon and eco-friendly accommodations when booking global trips, green development is also becoming a way for hotels to attract guests and increase returns.

　　As the concepts of sustainability, ESG and responsibility continue to strengthen, the pace of green and low-carbon development in the hotel industry is accelerating, and many brands are actively certifying industry standards in addition to promoting their own green development measures. Data shows that 78% of travelers choose low-carbon and eco-friendly accommodation when booking global trips, and green development has also become a way for hotels to attract guests and increase returns. In this regard, Zhou Jinfeng, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the "Green Society"), said that the cultural tourism industry can become a leader in the new era and new civilization through the transformation of low-carbon service models.

　　According to the "Hotel Environmental Protection Data Report" released by Fliggy, the use of disposable products in hotels in Shanghai and Guangzhou has been significantly reduced, with combs alone being reduced by 4 percent, and nearly 9 percent of hotels believe that their disposable consumption has saved more than 30% per day. Photo by Ning Ying

　　Lead by example and advocate for environmentally friendly behaviour among residents

　　From Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, to Beijing, Henan...... More and more cities and provinces have put forward requirements for local hotels to "not actively provide 'six small' disposable products (toothbrushes, combs, razors, shoe mitters, bath wipes, nail files)" to guide consumers to develop green living and consumption Xi. From the perspective of environmental protection trends, controlling disposable products can not only reduce resource waste, but also protect the environment and alleviate the problem of secondary pollution. In 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Plastic Ban Catalogue for Comments", which has included disposable plastic products in hotels and hotels in the list of prohibited and restricted plastic products. According to two surveys from Questionnaire.com and Ctrip.com, a leading domestic OTA company, more than 70% of consumers support this green development initiative made by the hotel industry. Cheng Lei, who is on a business trip, told reporters from "Xiaokang" magazine and China's Xiaokang Network that he has to travel at least once a month, as short as three or four days or as long as half a month, but he will bring his own toiletries every time he travels, even if the hotel has provided them before. "The quality of hotel toiletries is uneven, such as toothbrushes, some will lose hair, and it is not only easy to use your own, but also energy-saving and environmentally friendly. ”

　　Do not take the initiative to choose excessive packaging items, reduce the amount of solid waste generated, and actively advocate and remind guests to practice the "disc action...... Hefei's Chinese Calligraphy Building, Jungger Banner Dacheng Langjing Hotel and Jingjing Banquet City Hotel are carrying out the construction of "zero-waste hotels" through these measures. Globally, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year, about 40% of which comes from the hospitality industry. In this regard, Zhou Jinfeng said that changing dietary Xi with the help of ecological civilization is not an empty slogan, but a practical choice of daily life. Reducing excessive packaging and non-use of disposable tableware in the food industry is conducive to resource conservation. By reducing food waste, you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

　　In addition to disposable products and hotel restaurants, many hotels are also making efforts in room cleaning to help reduce carbon emissions. Zhou Jinfeng said that during his participation in the "Stockholm Food Forum 2019", the conference accommodation hotel initiated the "Say 'No, Thank You!' for room cleaning" This action is well worth replicating. According to Zhou, the Swedish hotel provides each room with a hanging door sign that reads, "Every month, more than 30,000 of our travelers hang this small sign on the door of their room." This not only protects our planet, but also allows more than 400,000 children to sleep in safe beds every year. This is a partnership between the hotel group and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to help children who are at risk of being trafficked or rescued from trafficking. If a guest stays for more than one night in a row and chooses to hang this sign on the door – without cleaning the room, then it is equivalent to a donation of 10 Norwegian Krone (NOK). The hotel then matched the same amount of 10 NOK to UNICEF.

　　The Sheraton Hotel in Denver, USA, also offers guests a no-clean door number. The difference is that the hotel offers a $5 per night voucher for guests who choose to skip cleaning, and guests can choose to use the voucher at the hotel's lobby bar or accumulate it into a member's account for their next stay. This kind of "take from the people, use it for the people" approach is more motivating.

　　In this regard, Zhou Jinfeng bluntly said: "We should also make a batch of similar door hangings." He called on the mainland to formulate and introduce domestic standards for "green hotels" related groups, so that the cultural tourism industry can become a convenient channel for the general public to practice ecological civilization and participate in ecological environmental protection and philanthropy. At the same time, he advocated for the Green Society to launch similar projects, calling on hotels in China to take action to make green travel and sustainability a norm in tourism.

　　Businesses certified to the Low Carbon Hotel Standard benefit even more

　　Only by organically combining low-carbon environmental protection with hotel operation and income generation can hotel owners be more motivated to join the ranks of green development. According to the U.S. Green Hotel Association, lights powered by motion sensors are used, fluorescent light bulbs are installed, and recycling bins are placed in guest rooms and throughout the hotel...... Whether it's a single boutique or a large hotel chain, these sustainable operating models have a positive impact on hotels. Save energy and money by equipping your property with HVAC smart sensors that know when guests are coming in and out of the room and can heat or cool the space accordingly. IoT and AI-based solutions provide data and insights that can help hotels save nearly one-third of traditional energy costs. According to the "Hotel Environmental Data Report" released by Fliggy, the use of disposable products in hotels in Shanghai and Guangzhou has been significantly reduced, with combs alone being reduced by 4 percent, and nearly 9 percent of hotels believe that their disposable consumption has saved more than 30% per day.

　　In this regard, Song Xiangqing, deputy dean of the Institute of Government Management of Beijing Normal University and director of the Industrial Economy Research Center, said that from a macro point of view, the hotel does not take the initiative to provide "six small pieces" The practice is conducive to the development of a low-carbon economy, saving energy and resources, and enhancing the ability to guarantee the high-quality and sustainable development of the national economy and society. But from a micro perspective, it will have an impact on both the hotel industry and the producers who produce disposable products.

　　In addition to promoting their own green development measures, many hotel brands are also actively certifying industry standards. At present, more than 1,500 partners have been shortlisted for Ctrip's low-carbon hotel standard, and the number of low-carbon hotel certification inquiries has increased nearly sixfold. Based on big data, the standard calculates and verifies the carbon emissions of a single room in a single day based on the volume of the hotel, the hotel's electricity and gas consumption, and low-carbon measures, and formulates the shortlisted threshold based on the different star ratings in each region. After the merchant obtained the certification, the clear and clear "low-carbon hotel" label has increased user clicks, and the number of orders has steadily increased, and the first batch of hotels selected for this standard have received dividends. Taking "Pan Pacific Beijing" as an example, after being selected as a low-carbon hotel by Ctrip, the number of exposures increased, driving the number of bookings to increase by 43% month-on-month, realizing the impact of environmental protection on performance. "Being selected for the low-carbon hotel standard can not only demonstrate the hotel's low-carbon measures and attract the attention of potential users, but also bring more bookings to the hotel. The person in charge of Ctrip's low-carbon hotel product introduced.

　　Ctrip's data shows that more than half of the top 10 low-carbon hotel cities that have passed the application are second- and third-tier cities. In terms of the distribution of provinces and cities, Beijing accounts for the highest proportion. In Hunan, a number of hotels in 9 cities, including Changsha and Zhangjiajie, have passed low-carbon certification, becoming the province with the largest number of cities. As the backbone of tourism consumption, 8090 users have undoubtedly become the main consumer group of low-carbon hotels, and they have contributed nearly 7% of low-carbon hotel orders. According to the data, for every 10 users who book low-carbon hotels, there are 2 users in Beijing and 1 user in Shanghai.

　　As a bridge between users and hotels, Ctrip Business Travel will complete the carbon emission data of its core business lines such as hotel accommodation, trains, and vehicles in 2023, following the launch of flight carbon emission data in 2022. In addition, Ctrip's personal carbon account and corporate carbon account have also been officially launched, allowing users to choose a low-carbon travel mode according to the green logo on the Ctrip business travel order page, and can also confirm their own carbon reduction data through their personal carbon account. Enterprises can use the corporate carbon account to calculate the carbon reduction of employees' business travel.

　　According to Ctrip's 2023 ESG report, in the past year, more than 16 million global travelers have chosen low-carbon travel, and more than 90% of them have experienced the beauty of low-carbon travel for the first time. At the same time, based on China's dual carbon goals and its own carbon reduction path, Ctrip has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 for its own development.

　　Source: "Xiaokang" • Yuan Shuai, reporter of China's Xiaokang Network

　　Proofreader: Li Xuying

　　Review: Gong Zimo