Guests have increasingly become more environmentally conscious; almost 75% of global travelers reported preferring to staying at hotels that implement sustainable practices. Not only do hotels need to adapt their operations to help fight climate change, but they also need to adapt to keep guest loyalty and attract new guests. The problem, however, is how do you get guests to partake in your green initiatives, and how will they know what sustainability efforts you are making? Through effective communication and messaging, you will be able to bring awareness to your guests while also encouraging them to participate in your eco-friendly practices.

Keep it simple

If you want to encourage guests to participate in your sustainability practices, you need to keep it intuitive and simple. Make sure recycling and compost bins are colored differently than trash bins and are easy to find. Make environmentally-friendly housekeeping the default, and make sure they know they can still call or send a message if they need more assistance. That way, you aren’t asking your guests to put in more effort to be sustainable. The more simple you can make your sustainability efforts, the more likely they will be inclined to participate. 

Digital communication

While it is good to keep signs around for your guests to read about your conservation efforts, digital communication will help reduce paper waste while being able to connect with guests directly. Tech tools like guest messaging enable your hotel staff to relay important information regarding sustainability, or recommend activities or restaurants that prioritize the environment, all through texting. Clear your front desk of brochures and save them on file, and send the links via text to your guests. These can be anything from eco-friendly activities to maps and routes for public transportation. Digital communication is key to sending the sustainability message to your guests.

Talk to guests directly

Talking to your guests directly will ensure that your staff is relaying your sustainability efforts to guests. This can be right at check-in! When you have their attention, let them know all of the information about your green practices, share locations of water refilling stations, recycling bins, etc. If you have a rewards program for guests who participate in conservation, promote it! Even better, if you can share stories explaining why sustainability is important to you, and offer recommendations of the local partners who also prioritize sustainability, they will feel connected and encouraged to help make an impact, too. 

Communicating your environmental efforts to your guests is crucial to keep up with their demands for eco-friendly hotels and to reach your conservation goals. Digital tools like guest messaging are here to help both keep your guests informed and reduce your carbon footprint. Learn more about Kipsu’s guest messaging solutions and schedule a conversation with us today!