Hoteliers Say Sustainability Efforts Must Ramp Up Immediately

Industry Impacts Include Financing, Operations

Hoteliers must prioritize efforts in sustainability with a particular eye on helping to mitigate the effects of climate change, and those efforts must start right away, according to experts.

Speaking in SAHIC’s “2022 — The Year Sustainability Moves to the Top of the Agenda” session, Ana Ramirez, senior lead designer for OBM International, said there has been a “shift in consciousness” among consumers that must be matched by hoteliers.

“This crisis has raised the demand on sustainable strategies and design,” she said. “In the Caribbean, we’re not just seeing clients that request sustainability and green strategies but fully integrated, sustainable communities that have wellness at the core of the business.”

Ana said that sustainability is a “strategic pillar” of many of the operators her company works with. Hotel owners are lagging on sustainability efforts overall, Ramirez said, noting they have been more focused on “staying afloat” during the pandemic than making big changes and investments into their businesses. “But we’ve seen many savvy owners getting ready and taking this as an opportunity to do better whenever the economy recovers,” Ramirez said.

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