How about a few incentives to encourage the guest to be Green?
Elan Inn - Hangzhou China
That’s exactly what the Elan Inn in Hangzhou China has implemented. The hotel has created a carbon rewards program where guests will get reward points for various carbon-reduction actions they take.
Guests can exchange accumulated reward points for gifts such as room coupons or short-haul travel. Currently guests are rewarded for:
- bringing their own toothbrush
- using their own towel from home
- setting the air-conditioning above 26 degrees Celsius in summer
- setting the heating below 20 degrees Celsius in winter
China seems to be on to something here . . . recognizing that energy costs account for 8%-15% of a hotel’s total business expenditure the hotels in Zhejiang decided to take a leading role in doing something about it. According to the secretary general of Zhejiang Provincial Hotel Association, Du Juexiang, the association put forward the concept of environmentally-friendly hotels around ten years ago and to date there are more than 300 green hotels in Zhejiang.
Offering Green Points to eco-concious guests is another great step in not only giving the guests incentive to be environmentally friendly but also creates a more profitable operation by consuming less resources.
