Hotel Sustainability: Part II - Using A Crisis To Build The Future We Want

Thank you to all my readers for the amazing feedback I have received after publishing the first part of this article. It is with deep gratitude that I present to you some of the insights I have to offer on this all-important topic. I'm also thrilled to share a professor's perspective on how to leverage this downturn.

Last week I proposed that we need to consider the interconnectedness of people and the planet. The more we see that taking care of our health, each other and our planet directly impacts business growth and profitability the easier it becomes to make strategic shifts within the organization.

I trust you agree with me on that.

But I wanted to take it a step further and offer more than just my personal opinion. So I reached out to Rachel Dodds Ph.D., a professor at Ryerson University and the Director of Sustaining Tourism.

Here's what she had to share...

Sustainability is not just a game to eliminate plastic straws, it's a bigger game.

Sustainability is a concept that relates well to raising children. We don’t want our children to just survive, we want them to thrive.

I give my daughter oatmeal rather than Fruitloops in the morning because oatmeal will give her the nutrients she needs to thrive all morning rather than have a sugar rush then crash. 

I think the same can be said about our future tourism industry.

For too long ‘more’ has always been synonymous with ‘better’ but this is not always the case. Covid19 has perhaps helped us to see this silver lining in the dark cloud that has hit our industry.

Many do not want to go back to the way things were and the pandemic has provided us with the opportunity to make a plan about what we want the future to look like. 

Of course, many places are looking for any tourists after having none for so many weeks but we need to remember to protect the very resources we promote. If our rivers and beaches become polluted, we cannot easily move our attractions or hotels, if our residents resent tourists, then there is not a positive experience for either tourists or residents. Sustainability is not just a game to eliminate plastic straws - it is a bigger game - protecting all our resources - people, planet, and profit. 

Now is the time to take a leadership role to really stand out. I think the customer not only is concerned about hygiene but true value on all these levels.

Well stated. Wouldn't you agree?

Some of my insights and how my company is using this crisis to build a future that is focused on people, planet, and profit.

Our efforts to becoming a more sustainable hotel have not been deterred. In fact, we are confident that by mid-2020, we will be 100% free of single-use plastic. But as we said before, it's not a hot topic anymore. And as Rachel Dodds eloquently put it, sustainability doesn't just end when you eliminate plastic.

The new thing is figuring out how to face the pandemic.

Aside from the fact that most of what you will read is pure speculation and opinions, I'm inclined to think that real progress can only happen if we keep our vision intact and develop new strategies that compensate for the detours we are experiencing. 

In other words, we've known for some time now that business has to shift from the traditional approach to focusing on people, planet, and profit. If we look at the sustainable development goals, those core objectives are still relevant.

In my opinion, the way to create a better future post-COVID-19 is to proactively innovate in line with the pillars of people, planet, and profit.

This leads back to a common statement I make: Education is the passport to our future.

For us to create the kind of future we can all enjoy, we need to prioritize the right kind of education, set up infrastructures that can facilitate better education, and continue to promote lifelong learning.

If you think about it, the education we are lacking is the main reason we landed into a pandemic. Something foreign to our knowledge attacked us, and we were rendered defenseless.

In business, the more experience we have, the less vulnerable we become, and the easier it will be to operate in sustainable ways.

At Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, we are striving to continue our pursuit of excellence through this same philosophy. We believe that by offering better education and creating infrastructures that facilitate and cover some of the sustainable goals shared by the UN, we can truly make a difference.

That has to be central to our strategy moving forward. 

It is expected that layoffs and unemployment will persist as the economy staggers back to growth over the next two years.

None of us have much control over that. But we can all play a part in ensuring that whatever role we have is contributing positively to a better future.

At our company, we want to reinforce our presence and company values by:

? Providing better education for the future workforce.

? Creating opportunities for underprivileged, minorities, etc. to study and work with us.

? Helping our students get real career opportunities with our Mandarin Oriental brand as well as other highly respected hospitality brands.

We also want to use education as a means through which sustainability practices such as sustainable sourcing of products can be implemented.

By associating with farms and local communities, we get to increase our knowledge and build connections that enable us to take care of our local people better, preserve the environment, all the while providing the highest quality to our patrons.

That is just scratching the surface of the possibilities that lie ahead. You and your organization have the opportunity to restructure and emerge better than ever before as a result of this pandemic.

Of course, it's easier said than done. It's one thing to nod in agreement and another to take action. Regardless, you are in a unique position of shifting gears, switching lanes, and getting onto the path of sustainability. 

The next two years could be used up to lament and passively wait in anxious anticipation, or they could be used to launch your brand into a more sustainable business.

The only question is, are you willing to innovate and adjust?

Speak soon,

Franck.

Ps:

A big thank you to Rachel Dodds for adding her expert voice to this topic. The work she's doing is impeccable. Check out her book Overtourism and let us know your thoughts as well on how we can strategically take steps to build a more sustainable industry.