How the green message has matured

It's essential to adopt ethical, sustainable policies but don't lose sight of the financial benefits, says John Firrell, chairman of the Considerate Hoteliers

We live in a world where we need to manage businesses more responsibly in order to combat climate change, while also accepting that acting in a totally ethical and considerate manner is becoming increasingly mainstream.

To their credit, many in the hospitality sector do just that and have been doing so for many years. In addition to being the perfect hosts, they also run their business using extremely responsible parameters, allowing them to make their guests feel good about their stay and, more importantly, for guests and others to know they are dealing with a thoroughly good egg.

In the early days of Considerate Hoteliers, an initiative that originated in 1991 via Westminster City Council and included hotels, restaurants, theatres and builders, the word 'green' referred to plants and dripping 'greenery'.

Later of course green took on a totally different guise and although we have now found other words to replace it - the term now sounding hackneyed in the modern world - in those days we were tending to spend money without any thought of a financial return. Those of us who did this were thought to be evangelical, and of course we were!

How the world has changed. The 'What's in it for me?' or 'Where's the return?' brigade are demanding that the ferryman must be paid. Well, I am delighted to say that those operators who adopted sustainable, ethical and socially responsible policies together with rational investment in new
energy-saving equipment are at last getting their rewards.

Here at Considerate Hoteliers we can show copious examples of where these applications have proved their financial worth. We live in a changed world where those who use our facilities are now the worldly wise, they want to know we are indeed being a goody two shoes, doing the right thing, saving energy, water and zero waste to landfill, supporting local businesses and the local economy.

Where it used to be the engineers in our establishments who were responsible for adhering to our green policies, now everyone is involved, from chefs to housekeepers, spa and health club personnel and front of house. Most of all though, it is the people who come through the portals of your property
who are the latest recruits and they are the people who make your business viable.

Considerate Hoteliers has launched its Considerate Hotel of the Year Awards 2015. For full details visitwww.consideratehoteliers.com