How does sustainable housekeeping actually work in our Green Pearls® Hotels? Learn more about the hotels’ initiatives and what simple measures you can implement yourself.
Saving water made easy
Do you know this? You hang up your used towels properly in your hotel room so that they don’t get changed, then you are out during the day, come back to your room in the evening and look – the towels have been changed.
A hotel with 100 rooms can save an average of 270,000 liters of water per year if towels and bed linen are changed only every other day.
So if you abandon cleaning the linen during your stay, this has several positive effects: Water and electricity are saved and there is less wasted water.
The Green Pearls® Hotels also pay attention to the products that are provided to you. A sustainable approach always comes first. The hotels have found different solutions, which we present to you below.
Barefoot Resort
You will not find classic bathrobes at the Zeavola Resort in Thailand. There are kimono-style robes made of thin fabric, which are more comfortable in the tropical temperatures. You will also get slippers for your stay. They are made of plastic, but this has the advantage that they can be cleaned and reused. You will hardly need the slippers anyway because Zeavola is a barefoot resort. Also in the restaurants and at the reception you don’t need shoes. The beach is kept clean by the hotel team and the guests and the flooring of the reception and paths are made of pleasant tropical wood.
Local bed linen
The Peruvian hotel chain Inkaterra uses bed linen made of Peruvian Pima cotton, thus supporting local manufacturers and using local resources. The linen is washed in laundries near the hotels or, depending on location, directly in the hotels themselves. Inkaterra hotels also use biodegradable cleaning products.
Avoid piles of laundry
Stephanie Schießl, the CSR officer of the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA, also keeps an eye on the volume of laundry. And her commitment is proving its success: in 2019, less laundry was produced than in the previous year.
At the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA, towels are changed when you leave them on the floor. The bed linen is changed every three days. Due to Corona, the amount of table linen has been increased again, because compared to plastic products it is easy to clean and reuse. Whenever possible, glass plates are also used (for example as coasters at the coffee stations), in order to produce as little linen as possible.
For the wellness area of the hotel, you will receive a cuddly terry cloth bathrobe and bath slippers per person, which are packed plastic-free. The hotel is currently still looking for slippers without plastic soles.
Personal initiative desired
In contrast, the Hotel Outside is counting on your cooperation and asks its guests to bring their own slippers. If you do forget them, you can of course get rental slippers at the reception. However, this simple measure has saved about 90% of disposable slippers. This saves costs and resources!
A tip for your home
Saving energy while cleaning also works at home. Most cleaning products only need lukewarm water to take full effect. This saves energy because the water does not have to be heated up separately.
Read more: IMPROVING WATER MANAGEMENT AT ZEAVOLA – INTERVIEW WITH FLORIAN HALLERMANN
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Excellent article appreciate how you explained sustainable housekeeping with practical examples like reducing disposable items and encouraging responsible laundry practices. Small changes by both hotels and guests can make a big difference for the environment. Thanks for sharing these valuable eco-friendly tips