Tourists prefer eco-friendly accommodation

A pan-European survey commissioned by Samsung Electronics shows that guests increasingly pay attention to their accommodation’s eco-friendly credentials. Almost one-third of the 5,000 respondents to the survey said that they would select an eco-friendly hotel if their preferred booking engine offered this possibility; while over half the respondents said that accommodation should use some form of sustainable energy source, like wind, solar or hydro-electric power.

Other concerns that topped the survey were the need to use more power-efficient electrical appliances such as flat-screen TVs, supported by 48% of respondents; and the need to have low-flow toilets installed, which would help save water, and which was supported by 65% of respondents.

The survey showed that guests are not just demanding for the sake of it, however, and that their requirements are in line with their own behaviour, with about 75% of respondents being conscious or more conscious of the impact their behaviour can have on the environment when staying in a hotel as opposed to how they would behave at home.

The survey also found that 88% of respondents switch off the lights when leaving their hotel room, 63% tend to reuse their towels more than once, and 59% tend to switch off the room’s electrical equipment at the base.

Pammi Mudhar, B2B sales and marketing director for Samsung Electronics Europe said that accommodation providers can “appeal to the ‘green’ consumer by responding to their expectations; putting in water-saving toilets; using sustainable energy; or installing eco-friendly appliances like energy efficient flat screen TVs.”

In addition to providing guests with what they want – and hence becoming more appealing to a wider range of potential customers – switching to more energy-efficient installations and appliances and relying on more sustainable sources of energy will also help to reduce costs in the long term.