Responsible Sourcing
By sourcing responsibly and prioritizing sustainability in our supply chains, America’s hotels are making a positive environmental and social impact.
This guide was prepared in compliance with AHLA's Antitrust Policy. As part of its Responsible Stay initiative, AHLA provides this resource in support of the hotel industry's efforts to reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, and responsible sourcing. Each business should determine the strategies, tools, vendors, or investments that best suits its needs.
The Responsible Sourcing focus area offers comprehensive resources to guide owners, brand leaders and operators through every stage of their responsible sourcing efforts.
The modules are designed to help navigate a wide variety of considerations, and each module can stand alone, without the need to review prior modules for the content to be useful. Review the focus area checklist and visit each module to learn more.
The Importance of Responsible Sourcing in Hotel Operations
The decision to invest in responsible sourcing will look different for each hotel and is based on a variety of considerations, including financial, regulatory, reputational, and operational risks and opportunities.
While owners, brand leaders, and operators should understand how each risk and opportunity affects their business, there are specific aspects that each group should focus on to create a strategy that works best for their hotel.
A note to owners:
Investing in responsible sourcing can help support and enhance the long-term value of your assets. It reduces exposure to regulatory, reputational, and supply chain risks while supporting operational efficiencies that can lower costs over time. As lenders, investors, and buyers increasingly evaluate ESG performance, responsible sourcing can also improve access to capital and enhance asset attractiveness.
Responsible sourcing can also support revenue performance by aligning your property with brand standards and evolving guest expectations. Travelers and corporate clients are increasingly choosing hotels that demonstrate responsible business practices, making responsible sourcing a practical investment in competitiveness, resilience, and long-term financial performance.
A note to brand leaders:
Responsible sourcing protects and strengthens brand reputation while ensuring consistency across your portfolio; it can act as a significant differentiator as well. Clear sourcing standards may help mitigate regulatory and reputational risks and support compliance across markets.
By embedding responsible sourcing into brand frameworks and procurement guidance, you empower owners and operators to deliver on your brand promise. This alignment builds trust with guests, investors, and partners, while positioning your brand for long-term growth, as transparency and accountability increasingly influence decision-making.
A note to operators:
Responsible sourcing helps you manage daily operations more efficiently while reducing risk. Clear supplier standards and responsible purchasing practices improve reliability, support compliance, and help control costs through better inventory management and waste reduction.
Many guest-facing products significantly impact the guest experience. Your purchasing decisions have the potential to improve guest experience and reflect your hotel’s values. By integrating responsible sourcing into everyday operations, you strengthen operational performance while supporting your property’s long-term success.
Dignity of Work Pledge
In partnership with Procure Impact, AHLA launched the Dignity of Work Pledge to accelerate responsible sourcing and social impact across the sector.
“As businesses work toward a more sustainable future, the suppliers, products, and services they choose play a major role in how transformative they can be. Smart policies – from businesses, suppliers, and governments – are instrumental in supporting this work. America’s hotels, through Responsible Stay, are leading the way on transformational change needed to achieve a more sustainable and carbon-free future. We can all work together to incentivize sustainable sourcing that spans from energy to the food we source, to encourage broader adoption of clean energy sourcing practices, and to push forward on this transformative change.”
An emerging practice that is implemented by around half of all hotels is purchasing at least 50% of their food and beverage items from fair trade sources.
Key Findings:
- Nearly all hotels (99.1%) are taking action to source at least one type of produce/product sustainably.
- 46.5% of hotels purchase at least half of their food and beverage items by spend from fair trade sources.
In Practice
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa rates the
environmental and social impact
of manufacturers and their products when sourcing products for the hotel
The edible and
sustainable gardens
on-site at some JW Marriott locations grow fruits, herbs, and vegetables that are used for their food and beverage menus
Cargo Crew products are
tested and certified under OEKO-TEX® Standard 100,
ensuring they are free from harmful substances and safe for both health and the environment.
Hyatt has introduced new coffee featuring beans from
Rainforest Alliance Certified™
farms, offered at participating brands in guestrooms, restaurants, banquets, and function areas