Sustainable Hospitality and Premier Inn - Assignment Example

PREMIER INN Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date Premier Inn Introduction of Sustainable Hospitality and Premier Inn Sustainable practices have gained popularity in most of the fields including hospitality due to its importance. In the hospitality industry, sustainability takes consideration of the hotel operations and development. In explanation, sustainability is about the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the hotel. Conventionally, the hospitality industry has affected the environment negatively through unsustainable products. Some of the major issues in the industry have been water and energy consumption, the creation of hazardous and solid waste, and use of durable and consumable goods. Hotels consume energy through transportation of the raw materials from their source, fuel, and lighting among others (Doherty 2013). Water is consumed in the laundry, food and breakfast, bathrooms, and other operations such as maintenance, cleaning, and irrigation. The hotels also produce waste through the disposal of food residues, paper, bulbs and batteries, appliances, equipment, and furniture among others. Sustainable practices on food product include local sourcing the food materials to minimize the energy consumed in storage, transportation, and production of the meals (Bruns-Smith, Choy, Chong, & Verma 2015). Sustainability can also be achieved when the hospitality industries support sustainable agriculture, farmers, and the local communities. The hospitality industry should also give fair deals to the farmers found in the developing counties. Furthermore, the hospitality operation should minimize food wastage and packaging. Premier Inn is a Whitbread hospitality operation. Whitbread established the company in 1987 under the name Travel Inn. In 2004, Whitbread bought Premier Lodge and merged it with Travel Inn to form Premier Inn. Premier Inn is a budget hotel chain in Britain and the largest hotel brand in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 700 hotels and more than 50,000 rooms (Premier Inn n.d.). The company operates in several areas including airports, suburbs, and city centres. Premier Inn accounts for approximately 70 percent of the Whitbread's earnings. It serves areas such as United Kingdom, India, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates. Identification of Key Elements of Consideration Sustainable procurement is a process that takes into account the ethical, social, and environmental consideration when conducting a purchase. It is also known as responsible procurement, green procurement, environmentally friendly purchasing, or responsible purchasing. It looks beyond the conventional procurement parameters such as availability, functionality, quality, and price. It entails identifying commodities with lesser impacts on the environment, society, and human health compared to their substitutes. Life-cycle costing is one of the principles used in green procurement and entails the total cost of a service or product in each of its lifecycle stages (Green Hotelier 2012). It takes into account the need of the commodity, the product components, and the conditions under which the products are made. In addition, it considers the distance travelled, packaging components, the usage of the product, and their disposal. There are several key elements for consideration in responsible procurement. First, the hotel needs to opt for the best quality of products and services available that it can afford. It should ensure that the appliances, uniforms, and furniture are services and repaired whenever appropriate since it is more cost-effective compared to buying new ones and also reduces exploitation and wastage of raw materials. Second, the company should ensure energy efficiency. It should engage in ‘green’ air condition, heating, and lighting. Even though going ‘green’ might be costly initially, its operating costs are lower. Third, the hotel should ensure that it avoids products with toxic substances (Brammer & Walker 2011). It should opt for the non-harmful products including chemical-free amenities, and biodegradable and hypoallergenic cleaning products. Furthermore, the hotel should use only certified organic drink and food products and cotton whenever appropriate. Hotels should also use organically and naturally produced food. In explanation, hotels should use certified organic drink and food products whenever possible. In addition, they should buy products made from a reclaimed or recycled material or those that can be recycled or reused at after being used through a process known as upcycling (Verma 2014). Companies should also work on avoiding disposable products unless they are recyclable or biodegradable. They should also focus on using Fairtrade products. In explanation, their coffee, tea, and chocolate should be certified. Fairtrade promotes sustainability through ensuring that the producers are given a fair price for their outputs thus making them able to fight poverty. Sustainable procurement policy has social, environmental, commercial, ethical and legal implications. For instance, some of the ethical consideration is the implementation of encouraging the use of products with ecolabels from the certification schemes. The certification schemes act as a third part that promotes the sustainable ethical, social, and environmental practices. Some of the certification schemes for energy efficiency, sustainable-wood harvesting, natural resources protection, and ethical impact are Energy Saving Trust, Forest Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance, and Fairtrade respectively (Preuss 2009). Sustainable procurement can lead to savings of costs. In explanation, it can be less costly in the long term and reduced consumption of some products. It also encourages the purchasing of durable and efficient products. Green procurement can also promote the reputation of a company. As a result, it will attract new customers and increase the customers’ loyalty. On the other hand, association with suppliers with poor social, ethical, and environmental record can be detrimental to the business. For instance, in 1996, consumers boycotted Nike products on the allegation that they were engaging in business with partners that encourage child labour. Environmentally friendly purchasing can also improve the company's accessibility to capital (Bader 2005). In explanation, most lenders and investors take consideration of the company’s governance, environmental, and social performance. Hotels that engage in responsible procurement are, therefore, more likely to access the capital. Responsible procurement can also enable a hotel reap tax credits and breaks. For example, it can enable businesses to benefit from the financial incentives from the government for using energy efficient equipment. For example in the United Kingdom, there is a Carbon Trust's Enhance Capital Allowances scheme that gives businesses an opportunity to claim a hundred percent of their first-year capital allowances for investing on energy-efficient equipment including refrigeration and lightning systems. Green procurement also promotes innovation with entities EcoLab and Marriott developing sustainable machines (Ball & Taleb2011). Commitment to social and environmental issues during procurement can help in the retaining and attraction of hotel staff and also motivate the employees. Sustainable procurement also has environmental and social benefits. In explanation, going green ensure that environmental resources are conserved as water and energy among other material are conserved. On the other hand, social benefits are achieved as checks and safeguards are put in place to avoid inadvertent infringements and abuses of social issues such as health, safety, labour, and human rights. Hotels can also promote local job creation and develop economic opportunities through using locally sources products or raw materials. In addition, use of local resources will promote the relationship between the hotel and the communities. Auditing and Evaluation Premier Inn hub at the St. Martins Lane is a good case study for green procurement in hotels. The hub has an energy saving technology that ensures that efficiencies are achieved. The hotel restaurant and guestrooms have a heat recovery technology. The energy is conserved using the Variant Refrigerant Flow air source heat pumps that have a high coefficient. As a result, it has reduced the carbon emission of the restaurant. The hub also uses the Combined Heat and Power energy saving equipment which is the latest in the industry. The technology has a thermal storage that provides hot water for the clients. In addition, the hotel has water heaters that are gas fired that supplement the use of Combined Heat Power Technology. Furthermore, the hotel has air handling technology that retains energy in the building. The equipments are integrated to the bedrooms thus allows for recovery of energy (Meehan & Bryde 2011). The hotel also has an extract and supply ventilation that incorporates recovery of heat technology to ensure that energy is retained in the building. The entire hotel's ductwork and pipework services are insulated to prevent heat loss. The rooms also have high-insulated and solar shading windows that reduce the need for cooling. The innovative guest system has also been integrated into the bedrooms to control heating and lighting. Furthermore, the hotel use LED light lamps and fitting that consume less energy thus minimising energy wastage through optimising efficiency (Meade & Mónaco 2001). The rooms also have external photocell control system for the outside lights. Furthermore, all the booster and pumps fitted in the hotel have varying speed drives to ensure that energy usage is limited. There is also a recycling plant that recycles the grey water used for bathing and reuses it to as flushing water in the toilets thus reducing water consumption. The technology has reduced water consumption by 6 percent, and the company is working on reducing it by 20% (Premier Inn n.d.). The energy supplied in the hotel is certified to be 100% renewable. The equipments used in catering in the hotel are ‘A’ rated thus promoting energy efficiency. The hotel personnel are also trained in water and energy conservation as a plan to promote sustainable behaviour, minimise environmental impacts, and promote environmentally sound housekeeping. Premier Inn has been engaging is green sourcing of raw materials. It is the first hospitality company to be among the founding members of the Ethical Trading Initiative. As a result, it works on ensuring that responsible sourcing is conducting throughout the supply chain. For instance, Premier Inn has been engaging with their bed supplier, Hypnos to help reduce the carbon content of their products. The hotel has been engaging with Carbon Trust to ensure that its supply chain is eco-friendly (Premier Inn n.d.). As a result, the hotel has been experiencing a continuous improvement in the greening of its supply chain. It has been ensuring that it works with suppliers in getting of sustainable products and ensuing that the wastes are biodegradable. For example, Premier Inn has been the minimising wrapping of their products whenever necessary. And if a must, they tend to use biodegradable packages. Furthermore, the hotel limits the use of particular of particular products as a way of conservation and making the customers healthier. For example, the hotel has been working with its suppliers to ensure the reduction of salt and sugar levels in their dishes. The hotel also supports the Department of Health’s Responsibility Deal please that aims at reducing consumption of salt. Premier Inn has been doing well in the recycling of products to avoid pollution and wastage. The restaurant's products are from local source thus reducing the carbon footprint. As a result, the company received The Carbon Trust Triple Standard for Carbon, Water, and Waste (Walker & Brammer 2009). In addition, the hotel has an onsite waste recycling procedures that include glass and mixed colour coded recycling bins. The hotel recycles almost 70 percent of its domestic waste (Premier Inn n.d.). In addition, the hotel is in agreement with Costa Coffee in reusing of the hessian sacks. The hotel uses the sacks as carpet underlay. The hotels leftovers are also reused through anaerobic digestion which turns it into electrical energy. Conclusion and Recommendation Green procurement has been an important concept in the hospitality industry. Hotels, therefore, has their improvement based on sustainability. Green procurement should focus on giving quality products, ensuring energy efficiency, and eliminating hazardous material in the purchase system and use. It should also promote the use of organic and natural products, prefer the Fairtrade products, and promote recycling and reuse of substances. Premier Inn has ensured adhered to most of the green procurement elements. However, it needs to invest more in the system to ensure maximum efficiency is achieved. For instance, it should limit the usage of packages and ensure that all its suppliers engage in environmentally friendly practices. Premier Inn also needs to follow up their products to the household level and ensure that they are appropriately disposed through capacity building the public. It should also ensure that all its packages are biodegradable. Reference List Bader, EE 2005, ‘Sustainable hotel business practices’, Journal of Retail and Leisure Property, vol. 5, no.1, pp.70-77. Ball, S & Taleb, MA 2011, ‘Benchmarking waste disposal in the Egyptian hotel industry’, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 11, no.1, pp.1-18. Brammer, S & Walker, H 2011, ‘Sustainable procurement in the public sector: an international comparative study’, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 31, no. 4, pp.452-476. Bruns-Smith, A, Choy, V, Chong, H & Verma, R 2015, ‘Environmental sustainability in the hospitality industry: Best practices, guest participation, and customer satisfaction’, Cornell Hospitality Report, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 6-16. Doherty, L 2013, Environmental sustainability practices in the hospitality industry of Orange County, California (Doctoral dissertation, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo). Green Hotelier 2012, Responsible procurement. Available from: < http://www.greenhotelier.org/our-themes/responsible-procurement/ > [17 May 2016]. Meade, B & Mónaco, AD 2001, ‘Introducing environmental management in the hotel industry: A case study of Jamaica’, International journal of hospitality & tourism administration, vol. 1, no. 3-4, pp.129-142. Meehan, J & Bryde, D 2011, ‘Sustainable procurement practice’, Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 20, no. 2, pp.94-106. Premier Inn n.d., Making the world better, together. Available from: < http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/why/good-together.html >. [17 May 2016]. Preuss, L 2009, ‘Addressing sustainable development through public procurement: the case of local government’, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 14, no. 3, pp.213-223. Verma, AS 2014, ‘Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices: Selective Case Studies from Indian Hospitality Industry’, International Management Review, vol. 10, no. 2, p.13-23. Walker, H & Brammer, S 2009, ‘Sustainable procurement in the United Kingdom public sector’, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 14, no. 2, pp.128-137. Read More