Is Your Hotel Really Eco-Friendly?
With each year that passes, there seem to be more and more hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts that advertise as eco-friendly. They all boast green facilities and environmentally friendly buildings and locations, but it may come as no surprise to you that not all of them are what they purport to be. In fact, there are a few that have jumped on the green bandwagon to make as much money as possible from tourists that are trying to do their bit but know no different.
So how do you know whether you have chosen an eco-friendly hotel or not? Well, when you know the signs then you will have no trouble telling the eco-friendly hotels from the impostors that are just looking to part you with your money. The points below will help you to do just that:
- Check the website for an environmental policy. If they have one on there then it should feature the local environment and the local people as well. If the hotel in question does not yet have a website then it should still have a written policy. If it does not then stay away because they are likely to be scamming people.
- Check out the local activities or centres that the hotel promotes. If they really are eco-friendly then they will offer a range of activities that promote the local community and preserve the local environment at the same time.
- Check out the features of the hotel. These are very good tell tale signs because truly eco-friendly hotels and places to stay will advertise solar panels, conservation areas and other similar features. They may post pictures of these as well. Those that skip over such credentials are not as reliable and trustworthy.
- Phone the venue and ask whether their foodstuffs are procured from the local area and whether they also employ individuals from the local area. This is, of course, important because any eco-friendly hotel should help to support their local communities.
- If they have any awards or accreditations on their website or advertised in brochures then do a little research. It will be easy enough to find out whether or not they are real or completely bogus. Many awarding bodies will have a website that confirms the venues that have been given awards and if the hotel is not on the list then the hotel is being completely dishonest.
All of the above points are important because nobody going on a self drive break or travelling to stay in a green hotel should take it for granted that the hotel is telling the truth. An eco-friendly hotel will be happy to provide you with as much information as you need to reassure you whereas non-green hotels will not. Ask questions and you will soon get the answers you need!
Guest Article by Louise Crowley
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
