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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302 | Value Judgment: Hotel asset pricing in COVID-19 age is different from previous recessions
Hotel appraisers and brokers expect distressed assets to come to market as the pandemic recession continues into 2021. Analysts say billions of dollars in private equity are waiting in the wings to acquire hotels underperforming as a result of the coronavirus crisis. But pricing will be different than in previous economic downturns. While a transaction may be distressed, it will not necessarily reflect distress pricing,” said Daniel Lesser of LW Hospitality Advisors. Long Live Lodging explores the state of hotel values as well as what may lie ahead with regard to transactions in 2021 as the spread of COVID-19 continues to stifle lodging performance. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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301 | The Road Warrior Ahead: Business travel will come back ‘with a vengeance,’ say experts
Global business travel is a $1.4 trillion industry. The Global Business Travel Association calculates the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 resulted in a loss of $113 billion in business travel spend in hotels, airlines and other sectors of the travel industry. But all is not lost. GBTA, industry analysts and travel management companies see some green shoots of hope for 2021 as the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out and corporations put some of their people on the road again. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.