Social sustainability is key to business success – after all, hotels that prioritise social sustainability have stronger relationships with their stakeholders (who leave money at your hotel and keep it running). Therefore, in The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People, we take a close look at how your hotel impacts People and we outline ways in which you can manage your impact to ensure it’s a positive one - not a negative one.
Whether you have an existing hotel that you want to make more sustainable, wish to open a new sustainable hotel, or simply want to learn more about social sustainability, this handbook has got deep insights and practical guidance to help.
But don’t just take our word for it, listen to what our clients have to say.
The Sustainable Hotel Handbooks have been successfully used by:
THOMAS KERSCHBAUMER, HEAD OF BUSINESS UNIT HOTEL & GASTRO, SENFTER HOLDING (SOUTH TYROL/ITALY)
MICH BONDESIO, AUTHOR, COACH & BUSINESS CONSULTANT, CREATING CADENCE (UNITED KINGDOM)
LUISE WEINERT, BACHELOR'S STUDENT AT FHGR CHUR (CHUR/SWITZERLAND)
Defining our own purpose, our own identity, is a challenge, but it makes our story tangible, credible, simplifies many things, and helps us use financial and personal resources wisely and purposefully. The Purpose handbook helps us tackle this challenge step-by-step, and starting with our own motivation is powerful.
I consider the ability to shape our environment and tell a story as a special gift. Especially in the hospitality industry, we must harness it. Defining our own purpose, our own identity, is a challenge, but it makes our story tangible, credible, simplifies many things, and helps us use financial and personal resources wisely and purposefully.
The Purpose handbook helps us tackle this challenge step-by-step, and starting with our own motivation is powerful. Purpose, a guiding principle that directs our decisions and actions throughout the entire customer journey.
LILIAN ROTEN, FOUNDER OF DESIGN JOURNEY AND HOTEL DE LONDRES IN BRIG (SWITZERLAND)
What I particularly appreciated was the way the content was presented. The diversity of formats, including checklists, interviews, and success stories, made the content very accessible and engaging. The visual design of the handbook, featuring images and quotes, also contributed to my enjoyment of reading it. Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People.
Unfortunately, the available literature on sustainability in the hotel industry was quite limited, but I was happy to find that The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People proved to be a highly-valuable resource.
The handbook lists the various hotel stakeholder groups separately and provides deep insights into each one. Additionally, it elucidates the needs of these stakeholders and how hotels can fulfill them in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, I was able to learn more about the subject through Tatjana's success story and interview, gaining intriguing insights.
What I particularly appreciated was the way the content was presented. The diversity of formats, including checklists, interviews, and success stories, made the content very accessible and engaging. The visual design of the handbook, featuring images and quotes, also contributed to my enjoyment of reading it. Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People. It not only provides a comprehensive approach to the topic of social sustainability in the hotel industry but also serves as a helpful resource for students like me who are exploring this subject.
LUISE WEINERT, BACHELOR'S STUDENT AT FHGR CHUR (CHUR/SWITZERLAND)
The Planet handbook (by the way, my personal favorite) provides easily-understandable yet practical steps to save energy and water in general. The handbook helped me shape communication with our guests to motivate them to minimise their personal ecological footprint. The "Waste Action Plan" in the handbook helped me adapt our culinary offerings to minimise overall waste (food, packaging, plastics).
In terms of sustainability, the hotel industry faced a significant challenge, particularly in the areas of energy and water consumption. Hotels often consume large amounts of energy for lighting, heating, cooling, and operating facilities like swimming pools and spas. This leads to substantial greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.
One personally significant ethical concern that also affected our hotel group was waste management. It was painful to observe how much waste a hotel generates, from packaging to food. No matter how well-designed it is, a buffet will always result in a certain amount of food waste.
The Planet handbook (by the way, my personal favorite) provides easily-understandable yet practical steps to save energy and water in general. The handbook encouraged me to seek technological support in South Tyrol, so I reached out to myGekko, a company from Bruneck that optimizes energy consumption using AI and other technologies.
The handbook also helped me shape communication with our guests to motivate them to minimise their personal ecological footprint. Saving a towel when washing or understanding that the sauna starts two hours later can have a significant impact when thousands of guests visit every month.
The "Waste Action Plan" in the handbook helped me adapt our culinary offerings to minimise overall waste (food, packaging, plastics). We eliminated the bi-weekly evening buffets in the hotels, and the breakfast buffet now only includes products that can be cleverly reused. All hot dishes are now prepared à la minute. Although we are not completely "zero waste" yet, as some adjustments are still needed in South Tyrol, we are definitely on the right path.
In conclusion, I must honestly say that we do not yet have the means to measure our ecological footprint or exact savings accurately. However, when it comes to electricity and water, simply looking at the bills shows an average savings of about 12% compared to the previous year. The almost daily trips to the recycling center have now been reduced to just two times per week. Overall, some noticeable changes have already occurred with open eyes. But most importantly, since the introduction of The Sustainable Hotel Handbook, I am proud of the willingness of our staff and guests to drive sustainability forward and to realise that each individual can make a difference.
THOMAS KERSCHBAUMER, HEAD OF BUSINESS UNIT HOTEL & GASTRO, SENFTER HOLDING (SOUTH TYROL/ITALY)
The Sustainable Hotel Handbook - Collection is an exceptional and timely resource to help hotels align their business goals with a triple bottom line that supports people, purpose, and most importantly, the planet.
Each beautifully-designed guide in the collection is jam-packed with helpful educational info, visual references, and relevant prompts to help you develop a more sustainable business model step-by-step.
With the environmental challenges we face, this responsible approach to doing business is now non-negotiable, and I’m encouraged to see such a valuable and innovative resource and service being offered to the hotel industry by MAp Boutique Consultancy. Investing in these guides and implementing the recommended systems and practices will not only differentiate your hotel business, but enable it to thrive, too.
MICH BONDESIO, AUTHOR, COACH & BUSINESS CONSULTANT, CREATING CADENCE (UNITED KINGDOM)
The Sustainable Hotel platform stands as an indispensable ally in our professional toolkit at Sainha, thanks to its rich library of insightful and actionable guides, and handbooks.
Whether it is about minimizing carbon footprint or waste, embracing circular economy principles, or optimizing supply chains for sustainability, The Sustainable Hotel unravels the intricate complexities in a refreshingly simple manner.
JEREMY TRAN, FOUNDER OF SAINHA
"Sustainability" was not tangible for me - it was always distant, and I didn't know how to efficiently implement sustainability into my hotel. The Sustainable Hotel opened up a new world for me, and with each handbook, I understood more about what I can successfully implement step-by-step and what truly makes a difference. Because it's of no use to talk about Mount Everest if you can't manage to climb the first hill.
"Sustainability" was not tangible for me - it was always distant, and I didn't know how to efficiently implement sustainability into my hotel. Just by reading the introduction to the handbook collection, which provides a clear definition (What is sustainability? What is a sustainable hotel? What does it mean for me?) and a clear breakdown of sustainability areas, sustainability became tangible.
I am a technician, a practitioner, and this clear division has helped me immensely. It opened up a new world for me, and with each handbook, I understood more about what I can successfully implement step-by-step and what truly makes a difference. Because it's of no use to talk about Mount Everest if you can't manage to climb the first hill.
RENATO BOTTE, OWNER OF LOCANDA MISTRAL (PIEDMONT/ITALY)
The Sustainable Hotel Handbooks are very user-friendly and therefore perfect for entrepreneurs looking to facilitate their entry into sustainable tourism development. I view it as a well-structured, comprehensive, and visually-appealing guide.
Particularly valuable are the numerous practical tips, concrete action steps, and expert interviews. This adds an additional layer of depth to the information and facilitates direct applicability.
HEIDRUN STOISER, LEAD GREEN EXPERIENCES AT PIZ (MONTAFON / AUSTRIA)
Most hotels focus on being green, but in order to qualify yours as a truly sustainable hotel, you have to address social sustainability too. We’ll dive deep into this important pillar.
With the help of action steps, we’ll help you to implement social sustainability action steps now. It’s that easy!
Whether you’ve got a full team or you’re doing it yourself, get the tools and resources you need to execute on your social sustainability strategy.
We highlight learnings, tips and recommendations from top industry leaders who are shining stars in the areas of social sustainability, and spotlight hotels that put People first.
We’ve aligned the action steps with the leading hotel sustainability certificates out there, and by executing them, you get closer and closer to qualification.
By uplifting and empowering your stakeholders, you benefit from increased support from them in return.
We’ve interviewed some of the brightest minds that are shaping the future of hospitality, and they contribute their personal learnings and insights just for you.
As a B Corp-certified company, we encourage you to buy the digital handbook, which comes in a PDF file with various versions for easy handling and sharing with your team. As a special bonus, you will also receive the Introduction PDF free of cost!
After payment, you can access your digital product (PDF file) immediately in your private and secured Community member area for easy, life-long access and download.
If you choose this option, we will organise the printing with our trusted and sustainable printing partners.
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The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People was crafted specifically with hoteliers in mind. As seasoned hotel consultants, we know better than anyone that especially boutique and independent hotels have limited time, budget and resources compared to bigger hotels and chain hotels.
Therefore, this handbook really focuses on everything hoteliers need to manage their employees in the best, and easiest, way possible.
Yes! The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People is perfect for hoteliers who already have a hotel and are looking to be smarter when it comes to hiring and managing their employees. We present activities and steps you can implement into your existing processes to help you achieve this.
All recommendations and action steps presented in The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: People applies to new hotels too, not just existing ones.
We’ve jam-packed this handbook with as much practical information and action steps as possible. By following our recommendations outlined in the handbook, you will not only learn to keep employee attrition rates low but employee morale high, which will in turn lead to increased guest satisfaction. The outcome = more Profit for you.
If you are interested in purchasing a digital version for CHF 148, simply click the "Add to Cart" button and follow the easy steps to guide you through the purchasing process.
If you wish to receive a physical printed copy, please contact us directly to inquire about pricing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work. Employees are looking for more meaning out of their jobs and better treatment by their employers – and if they’re not getting those things, they’re quitting. As a result, we’re seeing record numbers of resignations.
In an industry where it’s already difficult to keep employees on long-term, it’s especially critical that hotels take certain steps to find those employees who will stay engaged and deliver the best-quality service.
Employees are looking for the following from their employers:
Therefore, to keep employees happy and engaged, it’s about meeting these important needs. We discuss these topics in length in The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Employees.
Nice to meet you!
MAp is a B Corp-certified boutique hotel consultancy that empowers independent and boutique hoteliers, hospitality brands and investors in creating unique, innovative and sustainable hotels built for the future. Based in Zurich and woman-owned, the MAp team provides hotel concept development, hotel branding, hotel marketing and hotel sustainability services to award-winning clients worldwide. Through its focus on people and purpose, its innovative approach and bespoke solutions, MAp makes hotels, businesses and brands matter.
Create a thriving hotel business and learn more about holistic hotel sustainability with our practical handbooks, tools and resources. Let’s get started on the road to a more hospitable and purposeful Planet – together!
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