Some hotels in New York City are using new technologies to reach environmentally motivated luxury consumers, according to an article on the Business of Fashion website. Market reports are continuing to show that consumers say they are influenced by growing environmental concerns.
One brand that is succeeding in attracting these dollars is 1 Hotels, an SH Hotels & Resorts entity. Its Brooklyn Bridge hotel boasts state-of-the-art, energy efficient heating and cooling systems; rainwater reclamation systems; low-energy light bulbs and green cleaning chemicals. They also feature electric cars, plus eco-friendly Keetsa mattresses and living green elements in each room. The hotel strives to have no plastics in the guest rooms.
According to SH president Arash Azarbarzin, the company believes it is the first mission-based hospitality company — That mission being to create a sustainable hotel experience.
SH predicts the conscious consumer market to keep on growing in the years to come. As the environmental issues become more prevalent, the company expects people will continue looking for ways to integrate sustainability into their lives.
It's no surprise that hotels have seen success in going green. U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) officials identified hospitality as a viable industry for green and sustainable growth years ago. In a 2016 statement, officials commented, "Across industries we are seeing an increase in consumer demand toward sustainability practices, and no industry is better poised to meet these demands than hospitality."
Hotels consume natural resources at an extraordinarily high rate as they are occupied 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With more than five billion square feet of space in the U.S. alone, there is an enormous opportunity for the industry to transform the impact of the built environment.
SH says that touting its green credentials is not only good for business, but prevents it from “greenwashing” and encourages industry goals of energy efficiency in the design of hotels (LEED certification) or standards around removing single-use plastics out of our operations.