How to boost sustainable staycations amid current travel chaos

It wasn’t too long ago that the term ‘sustainability’ was often met with derision and mockery. Now, it has quickly become one of the most pertinent terms in our lives and one that influences a large proportion of our daily decisions. Just think, whether it’s car sharing to work, taking the recycling out on a Tuesday night, or deciding to take the food option that's made from recycled materials because it’s more eco-friendly, each individual’s decision has a consequence in terms of reducing our carbon footprint. Indeed, the same approach is considered for hoteliers when looking to implement cost-effective strategies to ensure sustainable practices are in place to provide their customers with a level of transparency that is becoming increasingly sought after in contemporary culture. Furthermore, as attitudes towards sustainability continue to evolve, more and more guests will become inclined to seek out a ‘green hospitality experience’. With airports in chaos and travel plans thrown into disarray, we sought to offer an alternative with a package that offers a discounted home-grown holiday option for those faced with cancelled flights, while also rewarding guests with ‘carbon credits’ to spend at the hotel depending on how much carbon their cancelled flight would save. Environmentally friendly practices are a key part of our approach, and so, we were determined to explore a way to promote carbon savings, whilst also offering an alternative for those engulfed by this summer’s travel chaos. With Spain being the most popular overseas destination for UK holidaymakers, a flight from Bristol to Madrid is the equivalent of 0.39 tonnes of CO2, which equates to 32% of a person’s annual global ‘allowance’ of carbon emissions. By missing that flight, they are saving a third of their carbon ‘allowance’. To calculate the carbon impact, we used C Level’s flight carbon calculator, which uses Defra carbon factors and methodology to calculate various carbon impacts. With the carbon compensation cost of an economy flight to Madrid being £7.15 per person, guests would have that to spend in the restaurant or bar on top of their discounted rate. While individuals who’ve missed out on a flight the equivalent of Bristol to New York could benefit from £31.72 carbon credit, reflecting the difference in distance and therefore the carbon saved. From my own experience, there’s only one thing worse than the dreaded ‘flight delayed’ message, and that is the ‘flight cancelled’ message. Sadly, so many travellers have already faced this very scenario over the summer, with many more to come. That said, by not flying, guests are making considerable savings in carbon emissions, which whilst not making up for the disappointment of a missed holiday, is de facto contributing to the fight against climate change. Indeed, whilst we wanted to offer a discounted rate to help make a last-minute alternative holiday more palatable, we also want to add an extra element to highlight the carbon savings and we hit upon the idea of carbon credits as an added incentive. With so much travel disruption this summer, airports and airlines are really under the spotlight, and whilst cancelled flights will save on carbon emissions, delayed flights just serve to add even more as waiting planes on the runway continue to burn fuel. Overall, whilst we have enormous sympathy for our wider travel industry colleagues, the UK has a thriving hospitality sector that’s still firmly in post-pandemic recovery mode and keen to welcome guests for another summer of staycations. Hopefully, our initiative can encourage more hotels to offer similar green-centric initiatives, with a sustainable approach being such a fundamental element of hospitality’s imminent future. Ultimately, with sustainability increasingly at the forefront of the global agenda, the opportunity to incorporate ethical yet innovative products and procedures within the hospitality sector will continue to serve as a scorecard to remind us of the need to rethink how we engage in production and consumption activities when building a more sustainable future.