LODGING LEADERS
117 | Practical Hospitality Sustainability with Aurora Dawn Benton
LODGING LEADERS
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton (formerly Reinke) is a passionate and dynamic speaker and consultant who specializes in sustainability for the hospitality industry. Aurora launched Astrapto LLC to help owners and management teams with practical and strategic approaches to sustainability and corporate responsibility.
Aurora’s favorite quote, from Fernando Trias de Bes, is “Better a mediocre idea with brilliant execution than a brilliant idea with mediocre execution.” She believes sustainability strategies are generally straightforward, but require dedication and diligence to come to fruition. Her services and tools turn sustainability from a lofty idea to a feasible reality.
In addition to her love of sustainability, Aurora loves teaching and nurturing future leaders and entrepreneurs. She co-founded a social enterprise incubator, has judged international business plan competitions, and is a volunteer social entrepreneur coach.
In This Episode, Aurora Reveals:
- The power of triple bottom line impact – running a business with the goal of generating positive returns in three areas: People, Planet and Profit.
- Practical ways hotels can become more sustainable, including forming a “green team” and doing a purchase audit.
- The ROI for sustainability initiatives, the importance of measurement, for example, food waste, and building a solid business case.
- One trend hotels should really be going after as part of their sustainability strategy.
Resources & Links
Aurora Dawn Benton
- Email: aurora@
astrapto. com
Astrapto LLC
Key Hospitality Sustainability Resources
Rather than trying to become an expert on sustainability, follow these resources (on Twitter, subscribe to their newsletters, or check out their educational offerings) to learn what is most relevant for the hospitality industry.
- GSTC – the Global Sustainable Tourism Council sets forth recommend criteria for hotel sustainability certifications (such as Earth Check, Bioshpere Responsible Tourism, and Green Key)
- ITP – the International Tourism Partnership has created free tools such as the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative and the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative
- AHLA Sustainability Committee publishes a number of helpful guidelines and basic business case scenarios for green initiatives
- GBTA – the Global Business Travel Association has a Sustainability Committee and has included sustainability criteria in their standard Hotel RFP template.
- WTTC – the World Travel and Tourism Council publishes economic impact and other industry indicators.
- UNWTO – the World Tourism Organization supports sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible tourism
- WWF – the World Wildlife Fund partners with hospitality companies such as Royal Caribbean and Hilton to promote sustainable practices
News and Blogs:
LODGING LEADERS
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346 | Repositioning For Recovery: Hotel conversions to outpace new builds
Lodging Econometrics has tracked the hotel industry since 1998. Its global database includes new-hotel pipelines as well as renovations and brand conversions. Hotel franchisers once eager to launch new brands are focused on converting existing hotels because it’s a faster way to recover revenue lost to the COVID-19 pandemic than through new construction. In Episode 346, Lodging Leaders explores the increasing number of conversions in the U.S. hotel industry and what owners and operators need to consider before repositioning an asset.
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345 | ‘Rosy View of Future’: Hotel industry sees unleashing of pent-up investor demand
In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., financiers anticipated a swell of distressed hotel businesses. Some raised rescue funds to respond to what they thought was a pending crisis. Though there are financial rescues taking place, the level of such activity is far below what industry advisers and fund managers expected. Commercial real estate investors positioned to act in the early days of the pandemic held off and are now just beginning to unleash their cash hoards totaling billions of dollars. Episode 345 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the state of capital investment in the hotel industry.