Going Green - How To Reduce Water Waste In Your Hotel

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If you own or run a hotel, then you likely look for fresh ideas to bring new customers into your establishment. Coupons and general marketing promotions are a good idea, but you may also want to consider implementing permanent changes inside your inn. Green or environmentally friendly practices are a great selling point for your hotel, and they will also save you on operational costs. Consider some of the unique and easy water saving ideas below if you want to start going green.

Add Different Landscaping Elements

The outside appearance of your hotel says a great deal about your establishment. Trees, bushes, flowers, and grass can all add to the calm and serene atmosphere of your hotel. However, If the landscaping elements on the hotel grounds require a great deal of water every day, then they are not environmentally friendly. You can easily reduce this problem by replacing plants with varieties that require little water.  

If you want to replace grass, then make sure to choose a grass variety that is drought resistant. This means that rainfall will likely be enough to sustain the health of the greenery. St. Augustine, zoysia, and buffalo grass are all good choices. For the best results, plant either in the spring or fall so roots can take hold without having to endure dry or cold weather.

If you want to add bushes to the hotel landscaping, then consider low maintenance bee brushes, barberries, saltbushes, butterfly bushes, bird of paradise plants, and bush dahlias. Lantanas, geraniums, petunia, phlox, and verbenas are some great low water flowers you can add as well.

Use Gray Water

Flowers, shrubs, and grass may need to be watered on occasion even if you landscape with drought resistant greenery. To make sure you are environmentally friendly, use gray instead of fresh water to do this. Gray water is used water that has not come into direct contact with feces or urine. Water that is used to bathe, do laundry, or do dishes is all considered gray. This water can effectively be recycled to water plants once it is properly treated, filtered, and stored.

The best way to start using gray water for outdoor use is to install a gray water treatment system in your hotel. The system will require the separation of gray water pipes from sewage lines. Generally, these lines are already separated, but they meet up before sewage and waste waters are transported out of the hotel. Once the separation is completed, gray water will be collected in a large container. The container will allow water to feed through a filter and the clean fluids can run through a connected sprinkler system.

Ask Guests to Reuse Towels

In your hotel, you likely provide four or more bath and hand towels so that guests can clean themselves. Workers within your hotel may replace all used towels once a day. The towels are then washed and reused. Unfortunately, typical washing machines use between 15 and 40 gallons of water per load, and your commercial washers are likely to use two or three times this amount. If you are constantly washing towels in your hotel, this can add up to hundreds of gallons of wasted water a day.

You can greatly reduce water waste by simply asking your guests to consider using towels twice before they are replaced. Place a laundry bin in each room where used towels can be collected so guests can signify when they want new ones. Also, use gentle social pressure to persuade individuals to do the right thing. Add signs to bathrooms that show the approximate percentage of guests who chose to reuse towels. Also, calculate how much water this has saved and provide this information.

If you own a hotel, then becoming a green facility can bring new guests into your business. Reducing water waste is a great way to start going green.

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17 March 2015