Green Hotels Support Energy Efficiency

As more consumers are adopting a lifestyle that supports eco-friendly businesses and products, the demand for eco-friendly hotels is also growing across the country and the globe. These green hotels make a conscious effort to improve their structure and operations from an environmental perspective. Green hotels are eager to institute programs that save water, energy, and reduce solid waste—all while saving money and protecting Mother Earth.

Are green hotels any different than a regular hotel?

Aside from their positive impact on the environment, there isn’t necessarily a noticeable difference between eco-friendly hotels and standard lodging. From the hotel owner’s perspective, it is argued that implementing eco-friendly solutions (such as installing renewable energy technology) will increase the property value of a hotel in the long-term, which can easily be argued to be a benefit. And from the consumer’s point of view, this increase in property value may result in lower prices or expanded services and perks!

However, there are some that worry that while investing in these eco-friendly programs is good for the environment, it might actually cost hotels too much money in the short-term to be worth the investment. Would the necessary costs of investment, and the increased prices of rooms, drive consumers away?

According to one study, this clearly doesn’t appear to be the case. The study, Hotel Sustainability: Financial Analysis Shines a Cautious Green Light, found that average booking revenue stayed about the same for eco-certified hotels. But the study also found that eco-friendly hotels made better use of their resources, and therefore were found to be more productive than their less sustainable counterparts.

Why should you stay in a green hotel?

There are many reasons why you might choose to stay in a green hotel. First and foremost, you are likely to seek out a green hotel if you are interested in supporting a hotel or business that is actively taking steps to become more environmentally friendly. You can look at your decision as another way to reduce your personal carbon footprint on the environment.

How do you find green hotels?

You could spend hours tracking down all of the green hotel options for your upcoming trips if you had to manually review each hotel’s website. Luckily, aggregators like Expedia make the process of finding eco-friendly lodging much easier. Aggregator sites allow you to easily search for a green hotel in the area you wish to stay.

Looking to learn more about green hotels? Check out our helpful list of resources below!