The Sustainable Savings Guide
Commissioned by The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Sustainability Committee and aligned with the AHLA Responsible Stay Initiative, this guide is designed to be a starting point to help existing hotel teams build awareness of and implement energy and water management practices.
The guide supports properties at any stage of their sustainability journey with the overall objective of driving utility cost savings and reducing environmental impacts through conservation and reduction in use.
Accenture – Renewable Energy Sourcing in Hospitality
Carrier – Abound Smart Platform for Healthy and Efficient Buildings
Carrier – Energy Audits and Analysis, Including Local Law 97
Carrier – Energy Management Services
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Carbon Methodology Index One-Pager
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Net Zero Methodology for Hotels
Alternative Fuels Data Center – State Laws and Incentives
Better Buildings – Decarbonization Resource Hub
Better Buildings – Decarbonizing HVAC and Water Heating in Commercial Buildings
Better Buildings – Framework for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Planning: Building Portfolios
Better Buildings – Low Carbon Technology Strategies Toolkit
Clean Energy Buyers Association – Clean Energy
DSIRE – Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency®
Electrification Coalition – EV Funding Finder
Ecolab – Advancing Water Stewardship
Ecolab – Marriott: Sustainability Goals for 2025 and Beyond
Ecolab – The Sustainable Solution for Cleaner Linens
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Destination Water Risk Index
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI)
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Water Stewardship for Hotel Companies
Global Food Chain Council & Carrier – Reduce GHG emissions through food loss and waste reduction
Carrier – Sustainability Consulting
GreenView & WWF – Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Food Waste Factsheet
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Single-Use Plastic Factsheet
Proposed US Food Loss & Waste Policy – Action Plan
APTIM – Goal to Zero Waste in Hospitality
APTIM – New Local Organic Waste Laws
Clean the World – Donating Soap and Plastic Amenities
KAB – A Guide to Reducing and Managing Litter
Rubbermaid Commercial – Methodology Increasing Recycling Rates and Efficacy
Freshworks™ Produce Saver White Paper
2021 Hospitality Benchmark Report – Mobile and Contactless Maturity Analysis
Carrier – Reimagining the Cold Chain in a Post-Pandemic World
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Responsible Procurement Factsheet
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Sustainable Sourcing Resources
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Introduction to Sustainable Purchasing
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – White Papers
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Deep Dive
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Sustainable Food Service Ware
The Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard
WFP and partners bring first-of-its-kind transport training centre to West Africa
World Resources Institute – Creating a Sustainable Food Future
Additional Resources – AHLA Allied Members
Ecolab – Elevating Safety at Wyndham with Simple, Sustainable Solutions
Ecolab – Powering Critical Outcomes for Hotels
Cvent – Sustainable Corporate Travel and Meetings Report
Accenture – Better Sustainability Practices in Hospitality Industry
Accenture – Sustainability in Travel Industry Recovery Report
Accenture – Sustainable Travel Solutions
Amadeus Hospitality – A Business, Financial and Sustainability Overview
Amadeus Hospitality – The New Golden Rules of Meetings & Events
Amadeus Hospitality – The Value of Service Optimization
Carrier – BPS Implementation Guide
Carrier – City Energy Project – The Business Case for Efficiency in Action
Carrier – Code Adoption Toolkit
Carrier – Energy Management with Automated Logic Energy Reports
Carrier – Green Leasing Tenant Fit Outs
Embark – Travel, Tech and Trust Podcast Series
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Biodiversity Factsheet
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Business Case for Sustainable Hotels
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Environmental Management for Hotels
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Understanding your Environmental Performance
Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index
Cumming – Sustainability in the Hospitality Sector
KPMG – Climate Change, Decarbonization, Renewables
Nareit – Practical Reference for ESG Implementation and Reporting
Science Based Targets – Ambitious Corporate Climate Action
Sustainability Reporting In Travel & Tourism
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures – Benefits of Better Disclosure
Many organizations have created tips, solutions, and products to help advance sustainability initiatives at hotels. These can help hotels shift operations to be more sustainable across areas like energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and sourcing. However, they are shared resources and not necessarily resources that AHLA is endorsing/requiring members to utilize.
Accenture – Renewable Energy Sourcing in Hospitality
Alternative Fuels Data Center – State Laws and Incentives
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) – Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) for HVAC
Better Buildings – Case Study: Ground-Mounted Solar Array in Hospitality
Better Buildings – Decarbonization Resource Hub
Better Buildings – Decarbonizing HVAC and Water Heating in Commercial Buildings
Better Buildings – Framework for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Planning: Building Portfolios
Better Buildings – Guidance on Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation
Better Buildings – Low Carbon Technology Strategies Toolkit
California Energy Commission – Dishwashers – Energy Efficiency Filing
Carrier – Abound Smart Platform for Healthy and Efficient Buildings
Carrier – Energy Audits and Analysis, Including Local Law 97
Carrier – Energy Management Services
Clean Energy Buyers Association – Clean Energy
DSIRE – Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency®
Electrification Coalition – EV Funding Finder
Energy Star – Checklists of Energy-Saving Measures
Energy Star – Commercial Buildings
Energy Star – Commercial Refrigerators & Freezers
Forbes – Are Solar Panels Worth It?
NY Engineers – Financing Building Upgrades: Blended Payback Period Explained
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Carbon Methodology Index One-Pager
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Net Zero Methodology for Hotels
U.S. Department of Energy – Certified Dishwashers
U.S. Department of Energy – Heat Pumps
U.S. Department of Energy – Weatherstripping
U.S. Energy Information Administration – Trends in Commercial Whole-Building Sensors and Control
U.S. General Services Administration – Low-Cost Window Retrofits
Bob Smith-McCollum – Ozone Puts a Fresh Spin on Laundry
Ecolab – Advancing Water Stewardship
Ecolab – Marriott: Sustainability Goals for 2025 and Beyond
Ecolab – The Sustainable Solution for Cleaner Linens
EPA – WaterSense at Work – Faucets
EPA – WaterSense at Work – Landscaping
EPA – WaterSense Draft Specification for Showerheads
EPA – WaterSense High-Efficiency Bathroom Sink Faucet Specification
EPA – WaterSense Labeled Toilets
EPA – WaterSense Ozone Laundry Water Recycling
National Geographic Society – Xeriscaping (Reduce or Eliminate the Need for Landscape Irrigation)
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Destination Water Risk Index
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI)
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Water Stewardship for Hotel Companies
The Water Council – Corporate Water Stewardship Overview
The Water Council – WAVE: Water Stewardship Verified
The Water Council – Water Stewardship Strategy Framework (Sector strategy)
The Water Council – Water Stewardship Action Matrix (Site-level)
APTIM – Goal to Zero Waste in Hospitality
APTIM – New Local Organic Waste Laws
Cargo Crew – Uniform quality & longevity
Cargo Crew – Plastic-free packaging
Carrier – Sustainability Consulting
Clean the World – Donating Soap and Plastic Amenities
Global Food Chain Council & Carrier – Reduce GHG emissions through food loss and waste reduction
GreenView & WWF – Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology
Oracle – 2021 Hospitality Benchmark Report – Mobile and Contactless Maturity Analysis
Rubbermaid Commercial – Methodology Increasing Recycling Rates and Efficacy
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Food Waste Factsheet
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Single-Use Plastic Factsheet
Cargo Crew – Ethically sourced hotel uniforms
Cargo Crew – Fully circular hotel uniforms
Carrier – Reimagining the Cold Chain in a Post-Pandemic World
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Responsible Procurement Factsheet
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Sustainable Sourcing Resources
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Introduction to Sustainable Purchasing
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – White Papers
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Deep Dive
Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council – Sustainable Food Service Ware
The Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard
WFP and partners bring first-of-its-kind transport training centre to West Africa
World Resources Institute – Creating a Sustainable Food Future
Accenture – Better Sustainability Practices in Hospitality Industry
Accenture – Sustainability in Travel Industry Recovery Report
Accenture – Sustainable Travel Solutions
Amadeus Hospitality – The New Golden Rules of Meetings & Events
Amadeus Hospitality – The Value of Service Optimization
Carrier – BPS Implementation Guide
Carrier – City Energy Project – The Business Case for Efficiency in Action
Carrier – Energy Management with Automated Logic Energy Reports
Carrier – Green Leasing Tenant Fit Outs
Cornell – Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index
Cumming – Sustainability in the Hospitality Sector
EarthCheck – Certification, Consulting and Advisory Group
Ecolab – Elevating Safety at Wyndham with Simple, Sustainable Solutions
Ecolab – Powering Critical Outcomes for Hotels
Incentifind – Partnership One-Pager
KPMG – Climate Change, Decarbonization, Renewables
Nareit – Practical Reference for ESG Implementation and Reporting
Science Based Targets – Ambitious Corporate Climate Action
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Biodiversity Factsheet
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Business Case for Sustainable Hotels
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Environmental Management for Hotels
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Understanding your Environmental Performance
Sustainability Reporting In Travel & Tourism
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures – Benefits of Better Disclosure
In collaboration with Greenview, AHLA Responsible Stay has compiled the second U.S. Market – Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR), which benchmarks the prevalence of sustainability best practices of hotels in the United States. GLTR seeks to assess and catalyze sustainability innovation and best practices while promoting awareness of the state of sustainability across hotels nationwide.
AHLA has collaborated with our Premier Partner Accenture to produce Destination Sustainability, a report that compiles input from hotel owners across the country – reflecting ESG and sustainability strategies being implemented.