Water Conservation in the Hospitality Sector – A Socially Responsible Business Strategy

The average water usage per person per day in India is between 135 and 150 litres. This includes water used for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, and other household chores. However, it is a different story when it comes to hotels. Water usage in Indian hotels can vary depending on the hotel's star rating and location. On average, hotels in India use 400–450 litres of water per person per day. Five-star hotels use an average of 1500 liters per person per day and can go much higher. This is ten times the average of the local community where the hotel is situated putting pressure on the local water resources and affecting the people living nearby while also driving up the operational costs of the hotel through energy and water bills.

Luxury hotels are synonymous with extravagance – spacious pools, towels, and linen changed daily and beautifully manicured exotic gardens. Such an upkeep does have its effect on the environmental impact of the hotel, requiring huge amounts of energy and water among others. However, studies have shown that environmentally conscious travelers are willing to spend more money on ‘sustainable hotels’ and are willing to adopt water-saving initiatives by the hotels. Todays’ travelers care whether hotels are promoting sustainable tourism, reducing water usage, reusing water wherever possible while giving them a luxurious experience without impacting the environment. Hence, conserving water will be in favour of the business rather than putting off customers.

According to Euromonitor’s Sustainable Travel Index from August 2023, nearly 80% of travellers are willing to pay at least 10% more for sustainable features. Hotels that conserve water are not just being responsible and reducing cost and energy - they’re trailblazers defining guilt-free luxury for a growing group of consumers. Booking.com’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Data reveals ongoing challenges for consumers and highlights a heightened opportunity for cross-industry collaboration. With a pool of 31000 global travellers, 83% of confirms that sustainable travel is important to them. 75% of global travellers say that they want to travel more sustainably over the next 12 months and 43% feel guilty when they make less sustainable travel choices. However, a sense of disillusionment towards making more sustainable travel choices may be counteracting those intentions. 33% feel that the damage already done is irreversible 28% feel their time spent traveling is too precious to put sustainability at the top of their decision-making list. For hoteliers, this is an opportunity to make more eco-friendly choices in their business ensuring comfort and luxury by providing an eco-friendly choice to the travellers. This will cut down on operational costs, ensure better relationship with the local populace and gain the loyalty of the eco-conscious traveller.

How Can Hotels Save On Water

• Reduce Usage
  • a. Only run dishwashers and laundry on full load.
  • b. Let the guest opt-in for linen and towel reuse, reducing the laundry loads.
  • c. Educate the staff to follow through more sustainable practices. E.g. using a mop instead of hose.
  • d. Instead of using running water:
    • Wash fruit and vegetables in a sink
    • Pre-soak dishes and utensils
  • e. Install low flow and dual-flush toilets.
  • f. Ensure swimming pools doesn’t have leaks
• Reuse
  • Rainwater Harvesting – Hotels have a large-footprint. Harvested rainwater can be used for non-potable requirements like gardening and cleaning.
  • Greywater System - Installing a grey water system enables up to 50% of wastewater to be returned to the hotel after treatment for functions such as toilet flushing.
• Water Audit - Measure
  Measuring water use will help analyse the patterns and pinpoint areas where water consumption can be reduced. Todays water meters like Aegir Smart Water meters along with Level Sensors can automatically detect leaks ensuring speedy notifications without any manual intervention. Visualizing the water flow in the hotel becomes easier with a digital integrated system that measures and reports while saving water.