Sustainability leaders from the industry gathered for a private, closed-door meeting to share experiences and work toward a more sustainable hospitality industry in the region.
On October 20, Ecostars, the sustainability certification body and platform for hotels and hotel chains, held its Hotel Sustainability Forum for Mexico in Cancún, an event that brought together sustainability leaders from the region’s leading hotel chains.
Attendees agreed that the challenge facing the regional hospitality industry is no longer whether it should be sustainable, but how to turn sustainability into a source of profitability and competitive advantage. To achieve this, it is essential to integrate sustainability into operations and link it to measurable results. In this process, having reliable data and clear metrics makes it possible to identify savings, guide investments, and demonstrate the return on these initiatives.
The forum brought together Gerardo García (Grupo Posadas); Juan Carlos Narváez, Francisco Medina, and Daniel Yarritu (Hyatt); Alejandro Meza (Aimbridge Hospitality LATAM); Andrea Mendoza (Palladium Hotel Group); Diana Velázquez and Malula Prieto Márquez (Grupo Brisas); and Vanessa Peña (Original Resorts & Cruises), who shared experiences and strategies for moving toward a more sustainable and profitable hospitality industry.
Efficiency and Savings: Measure Before Investing
Waste management and food waste prevention represent another major opportunity for improvement in the sector. According to data shared during the meeting, organic waste accounts for nearly 70% of the total waste generated by a hotel, and a significant portion of it can be prevented.
Among the advances highlighted are a reduction in waste sent to landfills to less than 22% and a decrease of up to 99% in single-use plastics. In addition, environmental indicators have been incorporated into equipment evaluations, with the goal of translating sustainability commitments into day-to-day management. The next challenge is to extend these practices to areas such as the buffet, promoting responsible consumption without compromising the guest experience.
Supply Chains and Organizational Culture: Sustainability for All
Beyond technology and processes, participants identified organizational culture as one of the main challenges to embedding sustainability in the hospitality industry. For sustainability to cease being a responsibility limited to the maintenance or environmental departments, it must be incorporated into the decision-making processes and objectives of every department. In this regard, linking sustainability indicators to the KPIs of directors and managers was proposed as a way to extend accountability throughout the entire organization.
Although sustainability is not always the primary reason for choosing a hotel, it plays an important role in building customer loyalty and in the corporate segment, where companies’ purchasing policies place increasing emphasis on environmental criteria. Integrating sustainability into the business strategy therefore makes it possible to meet new market expectations and strengthen long-term competitiveness.
Participating chains
The forum was attended by sustainability officers and executives from the following hotel chains:
- Gerardo García, Assistant Director of Operations, Upscale & Luxury Hotels | Posadas
- Juan Carlos Narváez, Global Sustainability & Social Impact | Hyatt
- Francisco Medina, Regional Quality Manager | Hyatt
- Daniel Yarritu, Regional Vice President of Quality | Hyatt
- Alejandro Meza, Corporate Director of Engineering and Maintenance | Aimbridge LATAM
- Andrea Mendoza, Social Responsibility Manager, Mexico | Palladium Hotel Group
- Diana Velazquez, Certifications and Accreditations Manager | Brisas Group
- Malula Prieto Márquez, Corporate Director of Impact and Strategic Alliances | Grupo Brisas
- Vanessa Peña, Environmental Manager | Original Resorts & Cruises