Dubai Tourism and DEWA list green practices for hotels in a push for sustainable tourism

In an effort to push for a sustainable future, Dubai Tourism, through its Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative, has partnered with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and other industry experts to list a set of recommendations for hotels, regardless of size.

The recommendations aim to provide strategic tools to encourage cost-effective solutions as well as promote sustainable practices within internal operations, a statement said.

The statement from Dubai Tourism noted that the practices listed in the government initiative are aimed at increasing awareness about sustainable methods within the hotel industry.

The statement said: “As such, it is becoming increasingly imperative for hotels and hospitality establishments to continue to expand their knowledge of sustainability to offer guests more choice when selecting hotels and destinations. This, in turn, can help nurture the sector’s growth with continued guest satisfaction while simultaneously reducing their impact on natural resources”.

Practices listed are:

1. Save electricity and promote energy-efficient ways of illumination by turning off unused lighting across the property. In fact, installing Light Emitting Diodes (LED) or Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) in all the guest rooms further reduces energy consumption and costs.
2. Keep the temperature low across public areas and save energy by keeping shades drawn during the day to avoid absorbing heat from the sun. Set thermostats in guest rooms to 24 degrees Celsius when occupied and in unused rooms to 28 degrees or switch them off completely.
3. Introduce re-fillable water bottles and encourage guests to use a these throughout their stay
4. Ensure the installation of low-flow faucets, showerheads, and other fixtures that can reduce consumption during peak hours (12:00pm to 6:00pm).
5. Equip guest rooms with high-efficiency in-room mini refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, hairdryers, etc. Avoid placing equipment such as televisions, hair dryers, and lamps close to air conditioning thermostats. The heat from these appliances can affect the thermostat readings and increase energy consumption.
6. Say no to straws, disposable cutlery and other ‘single-use’ products. They are not essential and will only end up on a rubbish dump, or worse in our oceans.
7. Guests may not always recognize how many resources it takes to have housekeeping launder all of their towels and linens every day of their stay, and a small awareness campaign can put them in the know and engage them in your efforts.
8. Operate washing machines and dryers, at full loads, at the hotel’s laundry area during off-peak hours, between 12- 5 pm from May to September. The staff can also reduce the temperature of water used for laundry from 85 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees.
9. Near the fitness centre, pool, sauna and spa, encourage guests to take only the number of towels they need to reduce their environmental impact. 
10. Encourage a comprehensive recycling program throughout the hotel, with hotel information to be displayed on screens rather than paper.
11. Conduct regular community activities focused on environmental conservation, including city clean-up projects and community recycling days in honour of Earth Day and the UAE National Environment Day such as sponsor a city clean-up initiative.
12. Implement sustainability strategies by modifying hotel employee behaviour through ‘Green Champions’ who pave the way for an environmentally friendly facility.