Working for a sustainable hotel sector
The CEO of H UP Interiorismo + Diseño talks about sustainability as a competitive strategy for the hotel industry
from her position as co-founder of Eco-One, the first company specializing in 360 degree sustainability that advises
and manages small and medium-sized hotel chains to become more sustainable.
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Reaching sustainability is a journey, a longdistance
race that cannot be achieved overnight;
however, hoteliers should know that it
is possible both in terms of designing hotels
and in existing hotels. And what is more important:
being sustainable positions them for
a future where it will not be an option, but an
obligation.
The hotel industry is a great economic engine
in our country. This is a sector that has
suffered the pandemic intensely and that has
reflected upon the matter, seeking competitive
strategies such as sustainability to accelerate
its recovery. That is why we have came up
with the idea of creating Eco-One, a platform
whose main objective is to help hotels on their
path to sustainability under a single representation,
by always recommending profitability
and sustainability measures to the hotelier.
In other words, we accompany the hotelier
throughout their journey towards sustainability.
We want to make hotels a new benchmark
for tourism in Spain.
The hotels that already exist pollute a great
deal: waste, squandering energy, food that is
thrown away ... There are a whole series of
habits that make a hotel pollute the environment.
They are like small cities. That is why
sustainability must be 360º, at all levels. It is
always easier for a new hotel to be born already
sustainable, but the owners of existing
hotels must be convinced that they can also
do the same; and contract professionals must
make it easy for them.
Being sustainable is not an option
Sustainability in hotels is important at all levels.
Whether or not entrepreneurs believe in
the need to protect the environment, the truth
is that the objectives of the European Agenda
2030 have to be met, and they are going to permeate
all companies. In 2050 the EU wants to
be a world benchmark in zero carbon emissions.
Whoever gets a head-start will have a competitive
advantage; while those who do not, will in a
few years be obliged to do so by law.
Hotels have to position themselves and retain
customers who are increasingly demanding
this type of establishment. Clients want to stay
in hotels that are committed to the environment;
it is an emotional feeling that pushes
them to look for this type of accommodation.
In Spain there are many young and disruptive
companies, very technological, that have sustainability
in their DNA and that work in a
very nimble way. There is a market of suppliers
that can help hotels to become more sustainable:
from the mattresses or furniture they
purchase, to the packaging of the food they
serve, the cleaning products, the amenities ...
In this sector, sustainability and profitability
go hand in hand, both due to cost savings and
to current demand levels.
This is the moment for sustainability: the regulations
are clear, there is a market and there
is demand.
MAISON CONDESA. ALICANTE