Ineffective Water Resource Management in the Hotel Industry

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Excessive Water Usage by Hotels
Recommendations
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Environmental problems are rising and becoming more severe, and prevalent in all life aspects. Solving them is becoming increasingly challenging and labor-intensive in all existing industries and business areas, including the service sector and hotels. According to experts, these are “the major contributors to the global environmental crisis” (Oaky, 2022, para. 47). Senior managers now have to deal with various environmental management issues. These include carbon emissions, excessive use of food, material resources, and, most importantly, water (Oaky, 2022). More experts from the hospitality business are starting to see the damage that hotels are doing to nature. For example, Justin Pierce (2021) claimed relatively recently that achieving the highest possible sustainability should be “the top priority in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)” (para. 1). However, innovative, comprehensive, and cost-efficient solutions are yet to come.

Industry leaders have begun to make bold moves to manage water more properly. Some started to remove some toiletries, develop towel reuse programs, and implement green building strategies (Hotel Tech Report, 2022). In 2019, “InterContinental Hotels Group has announced that its hotel estate of almost 843,000 guest rooms will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities” (Hotelier Staff, 2019, para. 1). In the same year, Marriott International claimed “it will get rid of single-use toiletries in favor of bulk-size pump-topped bottles by the end of 2020” (Thomsen, 2019, para. 3). These and other similar measures have enabled hotel companies to save a lot of money, material, and natural resources and reduce their pollution (Abdou et al., 2020). The current industry problem is that there is no comprehensive strategy to stop the wasteful use of water by hotels.

Excessive Water Usage by Hotels

Hotels are among the leaders in consuming this essential natural resource within the service sector. According to statisticians, “in the United States alone, hotel and other lodging facilities account for nearly 15% of all commercial and institutional water usage” (Tons of super-simple tips, 2022, para 3.). Capra (2022) notes that “a single room can consume between 60,000 and 220,000 liters per year” (para. 1). These figures are two or three times higher than luxury hotels (Davodi, n.d.). Implementing practices, equipment, and machinery for smart use of water, or, simply put, sustainable water resources management policies, is the top-priority direction for senior managers in the hotel industry today. Introducing these requires them to fundamentally change many of the critical functional aspects of the established operational structure of the business entity for which they are responsible.

In order to become a sustainable and environmentally friendly hotel, its essential elements, such as service management, technology, construction, and lodging and accommodation, must be transformed. Water in hotels is heavily used in those segments directly responsible for making profits, namely rooms, restrooms, landscaping, laundries, and kitchens (Tons of SuperSimple Tips, 2022). Changing how they operate in a more environmentally friendly way costs money and creates risks regarding visitors’ expectations, attitudes, and preferences. Another complicating factor is that customers and hotel staff use water in large quantities; senior managers do not control water consumption rates completely. According to Capra (2022), “water consumption in the rooms and common bathrooms represents 54% of total consumption” (para. 2). Other experts say that “laundry does account for about 16% of a hotel’s water usage” (Fanute-admin, 2018, para. 6). Landscaping and cooking use slightly less water for their operations, but the average amount is still significant. While educating staff and installing water-saving plumbing and infrastructure are not time-consuming measures, these are still costly and labor-intensive.

Recommendations

Researchers and hotel industry experts have already developed several practical measures that facilitate and accelerate the implementation of environmental initiatives in these business entities. In any business, the first step before implementing any solution is assessing and evaluating the existing operational structure by top managers. In the context of the problem of water overuse for service production and revenue generation, the most appropriate type of assessment is a water audit. Byrne (2020) defines it as a thorough review of “water bills, infrastructure, use, supply, and drainage” (para. 1). Companies can do this themselves or by hiring professionals from an energy consulting firm. Experts argue that such audits are very useful and beneficial for all firms and companies in the service sector and other industries (The Benefits of a Water Audit, 2021). It provides knowledge of how much water is consumed by the entire operational structure and each of its segments separately. It allows top management to develop the basis of a strategy for the efficient and smooth implementation of green policies.

Then, one can start introducing environmentally friendly changes to their hotel. Lowering the flow rate in guests’ restrooms and replacing current showerheads with new ones with stronger spray force is a simple, highly effective, and cost-saving solution. As Kelly (2018) notes, “the lower the flow rate, the more water is conserved” (para. 3). However, after implementing this measure, hoteliers should also constantly check their in-hotel pipes for appropriate thermal retention. Other potential modifications to restroom appliances include sink aerators, automatic faucets, motion-activated sensors, shower timers, and energy-efficient urinals. All these technological and infrastructural improvements, especially the sensor taps, contribute significantly to water conservation in commercial restrooms (5 reasons to install touchless faucets, n.d.). These also save monetary resources and reduce wastewater and pollution. It is also essential to develop or adopt a metric to measure the hotel’s water-use efficiency, like the one Alhudaithi et al. proposed (2022) in their paper. It will provide hoteliers with a better vision for continuous improvement.

Installing food traps and composter machines in kitchens will also reduce water consumption. The introduction of pedal-operated faucets will make a significant positive change. Zaied (2018) argues that these prevent both water overuse and infection. Moreover, their installation costs are low, and they are easy to use (Zaied, 2018). The best way to reduce water consumption for laundries is to install tunnel washers and use recycled water (Save Water, 2021). Creating a drip irrigation system and removing overhead sprinklers is how one can sustainably consume water in their hotel landscape (Stewart, 2021). An interesting fact is that drip-tape irrigation also prevents soil erosion. Implementation of these technologies should be followed by engaging and informative sustainability training for employees.

Conclusion

Impractical and ineffective water resource management remains an unresolved critical issue in both regular hotels and luxury ones. The hotel community offers practical strategies and measures, but often they cover only one segment of the hotel’s business processes. An all-encompassing solution is yet to be developed by the industry. In this paper, one attempted to develop a comprehensive recommendation for sustainable water management in hotels.

References

5 reasons to install touchless faucets. (n.d.). Wm. T. Spaeder. Web.

Abdou, A. H., Hassan, T. H., & El Dief, M. M. (2020). A description of green hotel practices and their role in achieving sustainable development. Sustainability, 12(22), 1-20.

Alhudaithi, M., Arregui, F. J., & Cobacho, R. (2022). Proposal of a Water consumption efficiency indicator for the hotel sector. Water, 14(23), 2-27. Web.

Byrne, A. (2020). What to expect from your business water audit. Brownlow Utilities. Web.

Capra, M. (2022). What is the water consumption of a hotel? Idral. Web.

Davodi, H. (n.d.). Hotel water consumption statistics & conservation. Pure Blue Sustainability. Web.

Fanute-admin. (2018). How hotel laundry impacts the environment and what you can do to change that. Fanute. Web.

Hotelier Staff. (2019). IHG reduces plastic usage replaces bathroom miniatures with bulk-size amenities. Hotelier Middle East. Web.

Hotel Tech Report. (2022). Hotel sustainability: 27 statistics illustrating the growth of ESG in the hotel industry. Hotel Tech Report. Web.

Kelly, M. (2018). More than a drop in the bucket: Conserving water with low-flow showerheads. Lodging Magazine. Web.

Oaky. (2022). Sustainability in the hospitality industry: 9 ideas to adopt. Oaky. Web.

Pierce, J. (2021). Why sustainability in the hospitality industry must be our top priority. Torrens University Australia. Web.

Save water: 4 ways to reduce your hotel laundry’s water usage. (2021). Standard Textile. Web.

Stewart, K. (2021). Drip irrigation vs. overhead sprinklers. Sprinkler Supply Store. Web.

The benefits of a water audit for your business. (2021). Star of Mysore. Web.

Thomsen, F. B. (2019). The end of single-use toiletries? Green Key. Web.

Tons of super-simple tips for reducing hotel water usage & costs. (2022). Reliable Water Services. Web.

Zaied, R. (2018). Using foot-operated tap mechanism to save water and prevent infection. In Proceedings of 115th IRES international conference, Medina, Saudi Arabia, 15^th-16^th May, 2018 (pp. 21–25). The IRES.

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