Increased global average temperatures, rising sea levels and changing weather patterns prove the time is now to step up and take action for a more environmentally friendly way of life. This beautiful planet of ours is the only home we’ve got, and we’ve got to take care of it.
We need to make greener decisions at work, at home and when we travel—and we are, now more than ever. According to Booking.com’s 2019 Sustainable Travel Report, almost three quarters (72 percent) of travelers believe people need to make sustainable travel choices now to save the planet for future generations. Seventy-three percent of global travelers intend to stay in eco-friendly accommodation at least once in the year ahead—a figure that’s been trending up year over year from 62 percent in 2016. Environmental friendliness sways booking decisions too, with 70 percent of global travelers more likely to book accommodation knowing it was eco-friendly, whether they were looking for a sustainable stay or not.
Green practices are becoming more important for businesses to attract increasingly eco-minded consumers. But going green is most important simply because we are responsible for the health of our planet.
There are many ways lodging operations can decrease their ecological footprint. Linen reuse programs, recycling, energy-efficient lighting, smart in-room energy controls, low-flow shower heads, non-toxic cleaning products, refillable shampoo and body wash pumps, filtered water (instead of bottled water), and composting are some popular examples. But did you know that your choice of property management system (PMS) can also impact your property’s ecological footprint?
Choosing a modern, cloud PMS that is accessible on mobile devices and integrated with your other hotel systems is a much greener choice than one that is not.
A Cloud Community
Unlike legacy systems that require substantial on-property technological infrastructure, including servers and cooling systems, cloud PMS are completely deployed online. Beyond a computer, a cloud PMS doesn’t require any on-property hardware, decreasing on-site power demands.
Cloud technological infrastructure (data servers, back-up systems, cooling equipment, etc.) is located remotely, in dedicated, secure data centers and shared among multiple users—optimizing server utilization for greater global energy efficiency.
While a small property switching from a legacy system to a cloud PMS may not notice significant energy savings as their system server requirements were low, the combined energy impact of multiple properties switching their property management systems to the cloud is huge.
Paperless Functionality
With a modern cloud PMS, hotel and reservation data is more readily available than ever. Cloud PMS that are optimized for mobile devices are accessible via a tablet or smartphone, eliminating the need to print reports and schedules in many cases. Instead, data can be accessed on the go directly from the system.
Mobile housekeeping reports allow housekeepers to access their assigned cleaning schedule and update room status in real time using their mobile device. There’s no need to print work schedules, saving paper while significantly improving productivity and inter-staff communication. And with instant access to live room status, housekeepers can attend to vacated rooms sooner, ensuring lights, TVs and thermostats are all switched off promptly.
Just think of the paper savings with a PMS that offers paperless check-in via electronic signature capture, allowing guests to sign check-in receipts on a tablet or smartphone—which can then be emailed to the guest.
Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change, so reducing paper consumption is an important way to help save our planet.
Eco-friendly Integrations
Cloud PMS are easily integrated with other hotel systems for greater workflow efficiency through data automation. Direct integrations with room control systems and mobile key solutions, in particular, provide practical ways to improve energy efficiency too.
Connecting your PMS to such systems helps reduce energy use and costs by facilitating automatic control of in-room lights and thermostats triggered by guest check-in and check-out. Mobile key integrations eliminate the need for plastic keycards, greatly reducing waste.
A modern, well-integrated, mobile-friendly PMS streamlines daily operations and improves a hotel’s bottom line in many ways—not least of which include improving energy efficiency and reducing costs while doing so. Eco-friendly practices are becoming more important than ever for businesses and individuals alike to implement. Going greener with a modern cloud PMS is one way your hotel can reduce its ecological footprint, and help preserve this beautiful planet we call home.
