The Luxury Debate: Extravagance Vs Environment
How can hotel groups appeal to increasingly eco-conscious consumers?
Vincent Mercurio, GM, The Address Dubai Mall: Smart approaches exist to tackle issues such as efficient waste disposal. Commitment to conserve and act responsibly will certainly build eco-conscious guest loyalty without compromising on luxury service delivery.
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Raki Phillips, area sales manager, FRHI Hotels & Resorts, Middle East, Africa and India: Sustainable practices within the hotel industry can be undertaken without sacrificing the luxury guest experience. Operational practices such as retrofits with low voltage lights, the installation of aerators to reduce water consumption, in-room recycling options to a towel exchange programme, can help achieve green credentials.
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Axel Jarosch, GM Six Senses Zighy Bay: There aren’t many challenges in achieving green credentials as keeping up the luxury bar doesn’t really affect eco-friendliness. Our guests understand the concept as they’re smart travellers.
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David Thomson, COO of JA Resorts & Hotels: I believe that the hotel industry in this region forms a large part of the tourism industry and if not managed properly, it has the potential to be detrimental to the social and natural environments within which it functions.
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Holger Schroth, GM Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi: One of the challenges is the preconception that luxury does not mean green. Luxury means extravagance and indulgence, which is usually not synonymous with being eco-conscious. Consumers forget with luxury hotels that there are multiple facets. A hotel is not just the glittery surface – there is a whole operation behind every corner.
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Andrew Humphries, regional VP & GM, Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi: It is extremely important to all hotels to have a balanced approach to energy consumption and waste disposal. The definition of luxury with the eco-conscious consumer is changing. It is less associated with excess and more with unique, interesting and individual experiences. This means that the world of luxury and eco-conscious, increasingly, no longer has to be a contradiction.
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Julian Ayers VP, India & the Middle East, Alila Hotels & Resorts: Mark Edleson, president of Alila Hotels & Resorts, acknowledged the demand from a new sector of guests who were looking to move away from ‘bling’, towards an experience-based holiday that created links between people and places. While this is great in theory, the reality of creating a successful property with this type of offering requires full commitment. People will quickly see through a hotel that ‘green washes’ itself.
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Ashraf Helmy, GM & area business development manager, Iberotel Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort:
The main challenge we face is that the guest has to adapt to and accept that change will come sooner or later. We need to educate the market that when I use a soap dispencer in a hotel bathroom that does not mean that it is not a luxury hotel, it’s a green luxury hotel. We can offer the best quality of soap that is still green and in a dispenser.