Deutsche Hospitality participates in the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s ‘Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality for the Planet’
In cooperation with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Deutsche Hospitality contributes to a comprehensive sustainability project
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2022-Mar-11 — /Travel PR News/ — The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the leading global network in responsible hospitality, has launched the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality for the Planet. The vision of the Pathway is that every hotel around the world can, and must, aim for net positive environmental impacts, whatever their starting point. To achieve this goal, the Pathway provides a practical, four-stage guidance framework as a free resource that supports all parts of the hospitality value chain to progress in a cohesive, strategic manner. It includes detailed action guidance for hotel operators, brands and asset owners, applicable to both single and multi-unit organisations.
The Pathway outlines increasing environmental ambitions and scope across the four stages which take account of the different levels of sustainability maturity across the industry. The accompanying resources enable users to build individualised action plans which are relevant to their specific situation and location.
The Pathway recognises that sustainability is crucially important to the sector’s long-term success and that all businesses need to evolve and innovate as stakeholder needs and expectations change. With 83% of global travellers stating that sustainable travel is vital, combined with the vulnerability of the industry to environmental impacts such as extreme weather and water scarcity, a robust sustainability strategy is now an essential element for all hospitality businesses.
Climate action failure is ranked as the top global risk in the 2022 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report, which also includes extreme weather, biodiversity loss, human environmental damage, and natural resource crises. The Pathway has addressed these key environmental issues in relation to the hospitality industry, and includes emissions, water, consumption, waste and biodiversity in the action planning.
The Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality has both been created in direct collaboration with the hospitality industry and its value chain, in consultation with environmental and industry experts. The vision and approach are supported by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, and aligns with their work to provide a robust foundation for sustainability across the industry.
Wolfgang M. Neumann, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance Chair said: “Our Pathway fills the current vacuum of a coordinated and focused strategic plan across the hospitality industry to tackle the urgently needed climate actions. It is a practical tool for any hotel, no matter their starting point, to obtain guidance on how to prioritise and sequence targeted and measurable climate actions. The Alliance wants to encourage all hotels to embrace the journey all the way to net positive. We are spearheading the dialogue beyond having ‘zero’ impact and setting a vision for what we can be putting back into the natural world with a lasting ‘positive’ impact on our planet and its people.”
Marcus Bernhardt, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Hospitality adds: “We have only one chance with planet earth. Deutsche Hospitality with its approximately 11,000 employees is aware of this responsibility. Participation in the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s ‘Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality’ therefore is a matter close to our hearts. Let’s seize the opportunity to make a big difference together.”
To prioritise supporting the industry with its near-term needs, the first two stages of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality launched in March 2022. The final two stages of the Pathway will be released later in 2022 after further consultation to account for the changing landscape and fully explore the more complex challenges.
Find out more www.sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/pathway
About Deutsche Hospitality
Vision, passion and cosmopolitanism. Deutsche Hospitality delivers the perfect guest experience. Tradition and an eye for the future come together in an inimitable portfolio of eight brands operating across more than 160 hotels globally. “Celebrating luxurious simplicity.”: Steigenberger Icons are extraordinary luxury hotels which combine historical uniqueness and modern concepts. The Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels brand is generating innovative impetuses in the Luxury Lifestyle Segment. Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts represent the epitome of upscale hospitality on three continents. Jaz in the City’s Lifestyle Hotels dictate the rhythm in the Upscale Sector. House of Beats unites a passion for the hotel business with the fascination of lifestyle, fashion and music. IntercityHotel is located at the very hub of any destination and offers a true home of comfort and mobility in the Midscale Segment. MAXX by Deutsche Hospitality is a charismatic conversion brand which is also positioned in the midscale area of the market. Zleep Hotels provide a smart marriage of design and functionality in the Economy Segment. All of these brands are unified under H-Rewards, Deutsche Hospitality’s loyalty program which yields benefits from the first booking onwards. The vision is clear. In conjunction with its shareholder Huazhu, Deutsche Hospitality aims to advance to become one of Europe’s leading hotel companies.
About the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together engaged hospitality companies and uses the collective power of the industry to deliver impact locally and on a global scale. They work with leading hospitality companies and strategic partners to address key challenges affecting our planet and its people and develop free practical resources and programmes to enable the wider industry to operate responsibly and grow sustainably.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they commit to drive continued action on human rights, youth employment, equity, diversity and inclusion, and climate action, water stewardship and responsible resourcing. Their members make up 30% of the global hotel industry by rooms and include 16 world-leading hotel companies with a combined reach of over 35,000 properties and 5.5 million rooms.
Contact:
Sven Hirschler
Senior Director Corporate Communications
Tel: +49 69 66564-422
Email: sven.hirschler@deutschehospitality.com
Source: Deutsche Hospitality
###