Introduction

An eco hotel, or a green hotel, is an environmentally sustainable hotel or accommodation that

has made important environmental improvements to its structure in order to minimize its impact
on the natural environment. The basic definition of an eco-friendly hotel is an environmentally
responsible lodging that follows the practices of green living. These hotels have to be certified
green by an independent third-party or by the state they are located in.
These improvements can include non-toxic housekeeping practices, the use of renewable
energy, organic soaps, energy-efficient light fixtures, and recycling programs. One beneficial
certification specifically for hotels is the LEED certification. A LEED-certified hotel provides
benefits to the environment through energy efficient practices. An eco hotel should follow a set of
best practices in order to do their part to benefit the environment. Some of these best practices
include serving local organic food in restaurants, reusing linens when a guest is staying for more
than one night, and incorporating in-room recycling and composting programs.
Eco-hotels have become an increasingly popular alternative in the tourism industry.
An ecological hotel is one that is fully integrated into the environment without damaging the
environment, contributing in some way to progress and improvement of the local community and
sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

An eco hotel must usually meet the following criteria:

 Dependence on the natural environment

 Ecological sustainability
 Proven contribution to conservation
 Provision of environmental training programs
 Incorporation of cultural considerations
 Provision of an economic return to the local community

Characteristics[edit]
Green hotels follow strict green guidelines to ensure that their guests are staying in a safe, non-
toxic and energy-efficient accommodation. Here are some basic characteristics of a green hotel:

 Housekeeping uses non-toxic cleaning agents and laundry detergent

 100% organic cotton sheets, towels and mattresses
 Non-smoking environment
 Renewable energy sources like solar or wind energy
 Bulk organic soap and amenities instead of individual packages to reduce waste
 Guest room and hotel lobby recycling bins
 Towel and sheet re-use (guests can tell housekeeping to leave these slightly used items
to reduce water consumption)
 Energy-efficient lighting
 On-site transportation with green vehicles
 Serve organic and local-grown food
 Non-disposable dishes
 Offers a fresh-air exchange system
 Greywater recycling, which is the reuse of kitchen, bath and laundry water for garden and
landscaping
 Newspaper recycling program

 Page 3 of 8 Original Research

 hp://www.actacommercii.co.za
Open Access
 policy and environmental education are being considered
in
 various hotels in mitigation of the negative impacts on the
 environment (Mensah 2006:415). Quite a number of best
 practices are undertaken in the hotel sector in this regard.
 This will render the sector more sustainable and
 environmentally friendly. Given that 85% of leisure
travellers
 consider themselves environmentally conscious, that is,
 ‘green’ consumers (Miller, Mayer & Baloglu 2012:395),
some
 hotels have embraced the principles of sustainable
 development to mirror customer concerns and have thus
 attempted to minimise the energy consumed during the
 customers’ stay through the introduction of minor
measures
 such as re-using linen and towels (Page 2009:287). Major
 steps have also been taken by hotels, which have
conducted
 environmental audits to assess the environmental costs of
 their activities in relation to energy consumption,
transport,
 waste, purchasing, health and the local environment (Page
 2009:288). Environmental sustainability is one of the
major
 aspects to be considered regarding general sustainability
 (Jeter 2009:9; Page 2009:287).
 Demands from governments or regulators require hotels to
 implement green practices (Kim & Choi 2013:159). Green
 practices are ways to use products and methods that would
 not negatively impact on the environment through pollution
 or by the depletion of natural resources (Smith & Perks
 2010:3). These green practices include sustainable
management
 of water, energy conservation, solid waste management,
 ensuring air quality, environmental purchasing, community
 awareness and maintenance of permits (see Table 1).
 The aforementioned practices are practised by some
highly
 branded green hotels in certain parts of the world. Such
 practices could possibly be used in Zimbabwe and South
 Africa to mitigate the environmental impacts of hotels.
 The current situaon in Zimbabwe and
 South Africa
 A study conducted in Zimbabwe revealed that there is no
 existing legislation for environmentally-friendly initiatives
 to be mandatory in hotels (Maphosa 1997:1). Concern is
also
 raised regarding waste dumping sites in Zimbabwe as
some
 of the waste is discharged into aquatic environments in
 contradiction with the prescribed water pollution control
 standards (EMA:CAP 2002:72). A study undertaken on an
 approach to sustainable wastewater management based
on
 pollution prevention and minimisation, treatment and
reuse
 raised concerns about water loss both at the treatment
plant
 and in the distribution line (20%) (Nhapi & Gijzen
2005:137).
 Thus, the study revealed a scant awareness regarding the
 management of environmental resources.
 In South Africa, a number of surveys were carried out in
an
 attempt to establish the level of participation of tourism
 organisations in responsible tourism (Dondo et al.
2002:198;
 Rogerson & Sims 2012:398; Spenceley 2005:3; Van der
 TABLE 1: Green pracces in hotels.
 Green pracce Green hotel iniave
 Sustainable
 management
 of water
 • Low-ow xtures used to conserve water in hotels.
 • Detecon and repair of drips and leaks in guest rooms
as well as the use of water-saving devices, such as
diverter valves, are also crucial (Hsieh 2012:116;
 Nhapi & Gijzen 2005:137).
 • Placing a glass jar in the toilet tank reduces the amount
of water used per ush, which can make a di erence
(Allen 2007:57).
 • Rainwater harvesng is one way hotels can keep their
operaons waste free, for example, by using it to ush
toilets (Allen 2007:57; Moreo 2008:2).
 • Reclaimed or grey water can be used for irriga ng golf
courses and landscaping (Moreo 2008:2; Timothy & Teye
2009:87).
 • Water from bathrooms, washing machines, dish
washers and kitchens could be collected and be reused for
gardening or car washing (Nhapi & Gijzen
 2005:137).
 • Concerns about the careless use of water resources led
to the linen and towel reuse eorts adopted by most of
the world’s hotels (Timothy & Teye 2009:87).
 Energy
 conservaon
 • Green hotels implement measures for reduced energy
consumpon through operang as much as possible
during daylight hours (Hsieh 2012:99).
 • Using energy saving light bulbs such as compact
eorescent light bulbs and energy star-ecient hea ng,
venlaon and air condioning (HVAC) (Moreo
 2008:2).
 • Invesng in new renewable energies will make a
dierence to the hotel’s carbon footprint (Allen 2007:55),
for example, renewable energy such as sunlight
 and wind power (Rogerson 2012:402).
 • Occupancy sensors are also used in hotels to use
energy in occupied rooms only.
 Solid waste
 management
 • Recycling is one way in which hotels are par cipa ng
in important waste management programmes (Timothy &
Teye 2009:86).
 • Composng at the establishment is encouraged or
municipal refuse collecon can merge refuse at the
composng depot that processes organic waste for
 use in the community gardens (Swilling & Annecke
2006:324).
 Air quality
 management
 • Air ltraon can be implemented in hotels.
 • Passing of decrees requiring that restaurants ins l
venlaon and create smoking secons would have a
migatory eect (Dearlooe, Bialous & Glanntz
 2002:96; Moreo 2008:2).
 • Hotels can cut vehicle polluon through li  sharing.
 • Use of bicycles or public transport can reduce pollu on
and congeson on the roads (Allen 2007:58).
 Environmental
 purchasing
 • For guest rooms, administrave o ces and kitchens,
hotels can purchase recycled eco-friendly packaging such
as take-out boxes and bags, staonery, toilet
 ssue and other items made from previously recycled
goods/biodegradable packaging (Taylor et al. 1994:21;
Timothy & Teye 2009:84). Hotels should
 purchase locally-grown food.
 • Locally-produced food items are fresh, indigenous and
representave of the area, which signicantly reduce
economic leakages in hotels, thus suppor ng the
 local economy as much as possible.
 • Green purchasing for hotels involves buying
biodegradable products such as eang utensils, cleaning
soluons, soaps and shampoos toilet ssue and other
 items made for guest houses or hotel environmental
programmes (Timothy & Teye 2009:84).
 Community
 awareness
 • Environmental educaon is important within the
organisaon as well as within the community (Mansah
2006:415).
  • Green informaon can be made available to the
society using sources such as TV, radio news programmes,
newspaper arcles, magazine arcles and leaets
 in libraries.
 • Conservaon training acvies should involve
parcipaon in local environmental iniaves, for
example, cleaning a beach or park and nancially
supporng
 an associaon for the protecon of the environment
(Taylor et al. 1994).
 Managing
 permits
 • Building permits could include, for example, green
buildings, which seem to show noceable improvement in
the health and producvity of people working
 in them.
 • Another important consideraon is compliance with
legislaon. When green management was rst
introduced, the major reasons for a hotel to go green was
 focused on complying with government regulaons and
saving money by reducing waste and energy usage (Lee
et al. 2010:902).
 • Laws and regulaons may include recycling
requirements, building codes, incenves such as tax
exempons and credits for installing renewable energy

nternational Journal of Management and Social Sciences

Research (IJMSSR) ISSN: 2319-4421
Volume 6, No. 2, February 2017

Impact Factor: 4.954 www.irjcjournals.org

13
Green Hotels and Sustainable Hotel Operations in India

Amandeep, Asst. Professor, Department of Tourism and Hotel

Management, Central University of
Haryana, Jant-Pali, Mahendergarh, Haryana

ABSTRACT
‘Tradition is the democracy of dead!’
It has been rightly said by Hitler and highly appropriate
for the present day scenario of the hotel industry. The shift
of focus of the global traveller from high rise hotel
buildings in cities to places that are close to nature and
have a peaceful natural environment which does not
damage the natural ecology around is highly evident. In
the light of the above fact hoteliers strongly need to update
our commercial hospitality trends and practices with
reference to the environment. With the awareness of the
preservation of ecological balance a new concept known
as Eco Hotels or Green hotels has emerged. Green hotel
is a hotel or accommodation that has made important
environmental improvements to its structure in order to
minimize impact on the environment. This paper is an
attempt to understand eco-friendly hotels – That is, the
Latest Trends and best practices. It will also attempt to
give an overview of the Government Policies and
legislation with a reference to hotels in India further
mention will be made of easy strategies and methods
which can be adopted by hotels for Eco-Friendly Hotel
Operations.
Keywords
Conservation of the environment, Green hotels, Ecotels,
Tourism, Certification, sustainable development
INTRODUCTION
Sustainable development includes almost all areas of
economic activity, it is easily applied in the hotel and
tourism industry. It is well known that the environment is
an important resource for the tourism industry, and so the
acquisition and application of new technologies that
contribute to environmental protection in some sectors
such as hotel industry has been a priority for tour operators
(1)
and for owners of accommodation structures .
The phrase 'green hotel' is searched 2,900 times on Google
in India the 12-month average of user queries and 60,500
times across the globe. We could be optimistic and say
that it reflects the rise in the number of environmentalists
 (2)
Tourist and travellers .
Going green has been a growing trend within the hotel
industry, the number of green hotels in India has amplified
in last 10 years, ITC Windsor, Alila Diwa Goa, The
Orchid, Mumbai are the few to mention yet more in
pipeline. The Green Hotels have adopted policies like use
of low-flow showers and toilets, occupancy sensors to
control lighting and air conditioner requirements and the
commonplace practices like linen and towel reuse policies.
In addition, most major hotel companies have green
mission statements and strive for getting better green
certifications, by getting certified the green hotels use
energy efficient practices and also attract a widely
growing number of Eco conscious guests.
Given the fragile condition the natural ecological balance
and the limited nature of most energy sources of the
earth - Each individual, has a responsibility to take care of
the environment – the large producers and consumers of
natural resources even more so. The hospitality sector
presents a variety of environmental aspects that,
depending on the activity, may have a significant impact
(3)
on the environment . Its users are consuming resources
such as energy and water on a daily basis and generating a
great deal of solid waste and effluents.
Hotels in India have number of motivations for going
green including a feeling of social responsibility and a
consciousness towards the environment, government
legislations, and economic benefits in long run
improvement by enhancing a hotel's bottom line and most
smart operators pass on the savings to guests by way of
lower room rates which in turn further increases the
occupancy.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Given the fragile condition the natural ecological balance
and the limited nature of most energy sources of the
earth - Each individual no matter how small a user has a
responsibility to take care of the environment – the large
producers and consumers of natural resources even more
so. The hospitality sector presents a variety of
environmental aspects that, depending on the activity, may
have a significant impact on the environment. Its users are
consuming resources such as energy and water on a daily
basis and generating a great deal of solid waste and
effluents.
International Journal of Management and Social Sciences
Research (IJMSSR) ISSN: 2319-4421
Volume 6, No. 2, February 2017

Impact Factor: 4.954 www.irjcjournals.org

14
The term "green hotels" describes hotels that strive to be
more environmentally friendly through the efficient use of
energy, water, and materials while providing quality
services. Green hotels conserve and preserve by saving
(4)
water, reducing energy use, and reducing solid waste .
They have seen benefits such as reduced costs and
liabilities, high return and low-risk investments, increased
profits, and positive cash flows. Identifying these benefits
and incentives has allowed the popularity of green hotels
to grow. Hotels are consistently becoming greener. The
most costly and wasteful use of resources in hotels are
usually in the consumption of non-renewable energy,
excessive water use, and the generation of waste.
Individually, hotels do not have a significant negative
impact on the environment. Collectively however, they
can be very wasteful and consume huge amount of
resources. It has been estimated that seventy-five percent
of hotels environmental impacts can be directly related to
excessive consumption. This is wasteful in terms of
(5)
resources and it creates unnecessary operational costs .
A hotel stay have been generally assumed as an occasion
to pander on food, swimming pools, bar or other luxuries,
but the modern business explorer more likely to demand
in-room yoga mats and a green-energy policy. According
to a 2008 poll of 1,000 business travellers in the U.S. by
Deloitte, 95 percent of respondents believe the hotel
industry should be taking green initiatives and 38 percent
had taken steps to determine whether a hotel was green
(6)
.A delicate balance has to be struck between the services
being offered and the impact that providing those services
has. The answer to this quandary maybe found in green
hotels. Environmentally responsible business practices
dovetail well with the newfound popularity of ecotourism.
They harmonize tourism and environmental sustainability.
Properties have been responding to consumer demand as
they adapt to becoming the venues in which
environmentally aware, health conscious people want to
stay, eat, play, exercise and relax. Large and small
measures are taken to save water, lower electricity usage,
and recycle. Most of the ways in which the hotel goes
green are behind the scene. Going green not only has less
of an impact on the environment, but cost savings go right
back to the hotel. After recovering the costs of the initial
investments, a green hotel often finds that lowering the
water and electricity usage lowers expenses as well. With
the help of guests, these hotels can also lower the amount
of garbage put in landfills and turn much of the trash over
to recycling centres.
The concept of a green hotel starts from the construction
(7)
stage , the hotel which has the features and equipment’s
incorporated which helps in saving energy, water and
reduces waste, this can be done only in the project stage.
The second point, the hotel policies and procedures have
to be fine-tuned keeping environmental factors in mind.
Third, the management has to take this message forward to
its internal and external customers. An already running
hotel may also turn the hotel into an environmentally
friendly hotel, what is required isObtaining management
commitment towards environmental, Sustainability,
Recording current and chronological usage, Establishing
baselines, benchmarks and targets, Prioritise action plan,
Monitor and measure, Proper education and motivation of
(8).
the staff members.

MAJOR CERTIFICATION FOR HOTELS IN INDIA

S.No.
Certification
Name
Organisation
Description
Source
1.
Leadership in
Energy and
Environmental
Design (LEED)
U.S. Green
Building Council
LEED certification confirms that the
building has been made keeping green
principles in mind, for example, energy
conservation and everything of that nature.
Developed by the United States Green
Building Council in 2000, the LEED
certification process gives commercial
buildings a scorecard for meeting
standards relating to such areas as location
and transportation, materials and
resources, and water efficiency, among
others.
www.usgbc.org
2.
Green Key
Global
Hotel Association
of Canada,
LRAWorldwide,Inc
Environmental certification program for
hotels. Provides technical guidance.
Participating facilities are awarded
www.greenglobe.com
International Journal of Management and Social Sciences
Research (IJMSSR) ISSN: 2319-4421
Volume 6, No. 2, February 2017

Impact Factor: 4.954 www.irjcjournals.org

15
between 1 and 5 Green Keys depending on
adherence to criteria.
3.
ECOTEL
certification
HVS
The ECOTEL certification remains among
the pioneering programs that incorporated
the pillars of sustainability with a focus on
environment protection. The Employee
Education and Community Involvement
globe foresaw an environment
management system through the creation
of a green team and training for staff to
empower them to enable the agenda for
sustainability. The ECOTEL program,
over time, shifted its base to India.
www.ecotelhotels.co
m
4.
ISO 14000
certification
International
Standards
Organization
The International Standards Organization
in 1996 and is essentially a road map for
organizations seeking to implement a
standardized program for environmental
operations. Once the plan is implemented
within an organization, ISO sends auditors
to review the entire program and measure
energy consumption, recycling efforts, etc.
for certification.
www.iso.org
5.
The Indian
Green Building
Council (IGBC)
The Confederation
of Indian Industry
and the Godrej
Green Business
Centre
IGBC is continuously striving towards the
wide adoption of green building concepts
in the Indian industry. In the last 10 years,
more than 687 projects have been
registered or certified under IGBC’s green
building guidelines developed in India.
They also motivate and certify hotels
which use and full fill the minimum
environmentally friendly practices in their
hotels.
www.igbc.in
6.
Sustainable
Tourism Eco-
Certification
Program (STEP)
Sustainable Travel
International
Environmental certification program for
tour operators, hotels, attractions,
transportation, and the cruise industry.
Provides guidance, self-assessment tool,
and 2 to 5 star eco-logo rating system.
Separate certification offered for luxury
accommodations.
www.sustainabletrave
l.org
(10)
Source: Respective websites and HVS
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
With the increase in sustainable practices implemented by
various hotel and hospitality organisations around the
globe the Indian hospitality industry also need to upgrade
their positive social impact with adopting eco-friendly
sustainable practices, and that can only be done when the
industry have the insight of how these practices can be
managed and adopted. The objective of this paper is to
highlight and analyse various trends and methods for
achieving sustainable goals and certification. The present
study is explorative and conceptual in nature, data have
been collected from secondary sources such as research
journals, websites and newspaper articles and conclusion
of the research have been supported by observational facts.
International Journal of Management and Social Sciences
Research (IJMSSR) ISSN: 2319-4421
Volume 6, No. 2, February 2017

Impact Factor: 4.954 www.irjcjournals.org

16
FINDING AND ANALYSIS
Present day Scenario in India
The ITC Gardenia, a luxury hotel
in Bangalore, was awarded the
US Green Building Council
LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) platinum
rating, making it the first hotel in
India to achieve the highest
rating for green buildings.
ITC now has a platinum rating
for all its luxury hotels—the
ITC Windsor in Bangalore, the
ITC Mughal in Agra, the ITC
Sonar in Kolkata, the ITC
Kakatiya in Hyderabad, the
ITC Grand Central and the
ITC Maratha in Mumbai, and
the ITC Maurya in New Delhi.
The Pune Marriott Hotel and
Convention Centre has been
awarded gold certification.
The Leela Palace Hotel in
New Delhi has also been
certified platinum.
Many hotels are
registered for LEED
certification such as
Piccadilly Hotels for its
forthcoming Hyatt
Regency properties at
Gurgaon and Ludhiana
for a gold rating.
Source: Ashok K. Verma (May 2012), Hotels in India going
green
A few of the salient green features incorporated in these
buildings are zero water discharge, 25-40% energy savings
over conventional buildings, 40% reduction in potable
water use, use of treated grey water for flushing, air
conditioning and landscaping, use of fly ash in bricks and
concrete, high efficiency equipment, and eco-friendly
(9)
housekeeping practices .
Making the business environmentally friendly not only
benefits the environment but can also save money
Promoting environmentally friendly methods can set the
business apart from the competitors and attract new
customers who want to buy products and services from an
environmentally friendly business. Reducing the
environmental impact of business will improve the
sustainability of business. If we are less dependent on
natural resources than competitors and have ways to deal
with rising costs due to climate change, then the business
will have a greater chance of long-term success.
CONCLUSIONS
“Hospitality with responsibility” is the present need!
Awareness regarding protecting environment and green
hotels needs to be widespread in the industry as well as in
academics so as to involve the future hoteliers in pursuit
for achieving environment friendly green hotels. Initiative
must be taken by the Indian government to encourage the
Hotel industry in India by means of schemes and policies
which are in favour of Green Hotels. Further the steps and
measures taken by the Hotels in India confirm that many
hoteliers understand that the activities they carry out have
an extreme high impact on the environment, both short
and long term. Under these conditions, green hotels are
one of the most sustainable measures, with visible results
in a short time.
REFERENCES
[1] Tourism and sustainable development, the global
importance of tourism. Report by World Travel and
Tourism Organization and International Hotel and
Restaurant Association.
[2] The Economic Times, India's top green hotels by
Shushmita Chaudhary Agarwal.
[3] Essays, UK. (November 2013). Environmental
Impacts and the Hospitality Industry Tourism
Essay.
[4] Sarah Alexander (September 2002), GREEN
HOTELS: Opportunities and Resources for
Success.
[5] Sumedha Naik (February 2014), Hotel Industry and
Environmental Issues.
[6] Reuters Business Travel (November 2012), Do
hotels need to green up, make their guests happy
and healthy?
[7] India Hospitality Review (December 2012), Indian
hospitality going the green way by Sana Mirza.
[8] Dr. Ankush Ambardar & Dr.Megha Gupta (March
2015), Green Hotels: A step towards environmental
sustainability.
[9] Livemint website, Ashok K. Verma (May 2012),
Hotels in India going green.
[10] Current trends and opportunities in hotel
sustainability (February 2012). HVS Sustainability