Having your marketing appeal to 100% of travel consumers certainly is the coup de grâce or holy grail . . . But how about the opportunity to increase your marketing edge to that same audience by 33% . . . would that dramatically impact your sales?
According to Tripadvisor “Twenty-two percent of travelers expect to be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2010 than they were in 2009. Thirty-two percent consider their carbon footprint when traveling, and as a result, 
44 percent of these travelers choose to stay at “’Green’ or environmentally-conscious hotels, while 26 percent choose to drive rather than fly, and 20 percent travel shorter distances. A hotel having ‘Green’ policies also factors into 33 percent of travelers’ booking decisions.”
It wasn’t that long ago when, if you visited the new car dealership’s showroom you would find brand new cars had a laundry list of options . . . such as air conditioning, and power windows & seats. It wasn’t too long before a sharp marketing person saw a promotional advantage by including those options in the base model – - – WAHLA – - – a marketing edge!
Of course now, pretty much all cars come with full power and A/C – - – no more marketing edge.
It’s the same in the lodging industry right now. Integrating environmental friendliness into your lodging property currently gives you an edge on your competition, appealing to over 1/3 of travelers. Of course, promoting your eco initiatives to the public lets them know A/C and power come standard with your property.
With the increasing awarness and public demand for sustainability the market will continue to expand but so will adoption of eco initiatives by your competition. Take advantage of this current marketing edge by integrating quality environmental changes to your property and promoting them to the public. You’ll be doing something good for the environment and at the same time earn “Green” trust with your customers and travelers at large.
