The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA), which brings together the industry to create a prosperous and responsible global hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes out, has released the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality v2.0.
First launched in March 2022, this updated version provides a more holistic and practical four-stage roadmap to accelerate hospitality towards a sustainable and contributory future, the alliance reports. It harnesses the power of the four pillars of people, planet, place and prosperity combined with the industry’s transformative power, innovation and resources. It aligns with leading global frameworks and standards and integrates them into one place to combine the collective power of resources available to industry and reduce fragmentation of effort. This approach enables every hotel to advance its positive impact, regardless of size, starting point or location.
Hotel Business first covered the SHA’s efforts in the April 2022 issue.
Specific elements of the Pathway released today include:
- Definition of Net Positive Hospitality and demonstration of how people, planet, place and prosperity are interrelated.
- An outline of the material topics for the industry.
- Ambitions that the industry should look to achieve on its journey towards net positive hospitality.
- Alignment with various leading frameworks and standards, including the World Travel and Tourism Council Hotel Sustainability Basics, Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism, Global Business Travel Association RFP template, Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria, Travalyst Accommodation Criteria, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“Net Positive Hospitality is a philosophy and approach that unlocks our industry’s potential to contribute to the world’s future,” said Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. “When we look at critical global issues, both social and environmental, it requires bold and collaborative approaches. The Pathway creates an integrated and pragmatic framework which any hotel can follow to advance their sustainability journeys in a prosperous and responsible way.”
Across all industry sectors, the private sector is implementing actions to reduce carbon emissions, improve biodiversity, conditions for employees and impacts on local communities. This Pathway builds on that effort and promotes pollution minimization, efficient resource use, protection and regeneration of destinations, creating fairness in the workplace, including equitable and better opportunities for employees, working with communities to develop partnerships and social respect and maintaining net positive governance.
“We’re pleased to be a part of the Alliance’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality which includes our Hotel Sustainability Basics; the globally recognized and coordinated set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable travel and tourism,” said Julia Simpson, president/CEO, WTTC. “Our research shows that most business owners know their environmental responsibility, but many sustainability practices, such as efficient water use initiatives, are patchy. Basics fill the gap by creating that level playing field for the sector.”
The Pathway has been developed in close collaboration and strong support with the industry and sustainability experts, such as EY, Considerate Group and Greenview, the Alliance reports. It will continue to evolve as understanding of what it means to be Net Positive advances. In future releases, the Alliance will include detailed guidance to support every hotel (regardless of ownership structure, size and location) to work towards these ambitions. Further, to help measure progress towards Net Positive, this additional guidance will include content on regionality and a KPI measurement framework aligned with ESG reporting requirements.
Leading hospitality leader offer support:
“We are proud to be part of creating the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality,” said Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International. “Led by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, this collaboration will allow the hospitality industry to have a much greater impact collectively than we can individually. We encourage others in the industry to join us on this Pathway to help our communities remain vibrant places to live, work and visit and create a better, more sustainable future for all.”
“The world is in the midst of rapid change,” said Geoff Ballotti, president/CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “As an industry, we all have a collective responsibility to collaborate, move quickly and take action to reduce our environmental impact. We all believe in the power of travel. Being part of an organization like the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, we are helping achieve a more sustainable and inclusive world for all, so our future remains bright.”
“There’s never been a more important time to take meaningful action to protect the destinations where we live, work and travel,” said Chris Nassetta, president/CEO, Hilton. “So, we’re doubling down on our environmental and social ambitions for our communities, with an eye towards a net positive future across the hospitality industry. But we can’t get there alone. Collaboration and innovation will be critical for achieving this shared vision. So, all of us at Hilton are committed to working with our friends and colleagues across the industry to make a brighter future a reality.”
“People have an inherent desire to travel, to see the world, to connect and have new experiences,” said Keith Barr, CEO, IHG Hotels and Resorts. “We know this has to be done in a responsible way and that no one company can shape the future of responsible travel alone. It requires teamwork and a collective effort across the industry to achieve a common goal. The Pathway will help create tangible change locally and internationally at scale, supporting every hotel globally, no matter their starting point. Alongside our own clear sustainability plans and programs, IHG looks forward to working with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to ensure the Pathway plays its part in helping write a more sustainable future for us all.”
“It’s a matter of moving from compensation to contribution,” said Sébastien Bazin, chairman/CEO, Accor Group. “To do this, it cannot only be talk. You need a Pathway, and you need a guide. You need to think together and act together, regardless of how big or small you are. So, within this Pathway and this ambition, we will make a marker.”
“Sustainability in the hospitality industry cannot be a matter of competition,” said Federico J. González, CEO, Radisson Hotel Group. “It requires collective and coordinated action. Only by working together can we tackle the major challenges of our time and make a positive change for a better future for the entire planet. Therefore, I am inviting everyone in the hotel industry to go beyond a vision for sustainability and commit now to very concrete actions on the Pathway to net positive hospitality.”
“Our future depends on preserving and regenerating the beautiful places we operate and leaving a positive, enduring impact on our communities,” said Alejandro Reynal, president/CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We must meaningfully work together as an industry to advance sustainable practices and leave the world a better place for future generations.”
“To maximize the effect of our efforts, we have chosen the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as an experienced and knowledgeable partner,” said Jörg Böckeler, CEO, Dorint Hotels & Resorts. “For us, it is important to take this strategic journey with the leading industry experts at our side. In our ambition to minimize our footprint and implement the highest ethical standards, we fully support the objectives of net-positive hospitality. We are confident to set our goals higher and contribute positively rather than only reducing our negative impact.”
“Kerten Hospitality is focused on ESG because it’s the future of all generations coming after us,” said Marloes Knippenberg, CEO, Kerten Hospitality. “So what’s important to us, and why we are part of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, is that we collaborate. We partner so we can make that needed impact to stop where the world is going, reverse whatever we can still reverse and ensure that people, the environment, the globe and everything else is sustained for many years in the future.”
“Soneva is proud to support the development of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality—an industry collaboration led by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO/cofounder, Soneva. “As an industry, it is paramount that we work towards a net positive future and at Soneva, we continue to pioneer a more sustainable solution.
“The Alliance wants to encourage all hotels to embrace the journey to net positive,” said Wolfgang M. Neumann, chair, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. “We are spearheading the dialogue beyond having ‘zero’ impact and setting a vision for what we can put back into the natural world, communities and destinations to have a lasting ’positive’ impact on our planet and its people. Our Pathway not only sets the vision for the industry but provides a practical framework for any hotel, no matter their starting point, to prioritize and progress along measurable sustainability actions.”
