Maintaining a resort is, in no doubt, demanding. Aside from the expenses, it will require a lot of manpower, time, and effort. It can be stressful so it’s important that you can address this in the most efficient manner. One ideal way is to go green with your resort maintenance. Aside from the great savings that your company will earn, it will also help with the growing concerns of the environment.
Here are many ways how you can achieve an ecological resort that will still attract many customers:
I. Energy and Water
1. Use a renewable energy system. The cost might be expensive at first but it’s really a good investment. You need to think about the future. In the long run, this will provide you an economical, energy-efficient, and reliable source of power.
2. To minimize water usage, opt for refrigerant condensate, rainwater harvesting, and greywater systems for water needs, such as toilet flushing, fire systems, and irrigation.
3. In your garden, use drought-resistant plants and consider switching to xeriscaping the ground cover.
4. Implement a reuse program for all linens, which includes sheets and bath towels.
5. Use dual-flush or low-flow urinals.
6. Use LED lighting systems in all premises, including guest rooms, hallways, and lobbies.
7. Consider using an ozone laundry system to reduce the usage of energy and water, which will lead to lower service costs.
8. Use keycards for all switches in guest rooms to efficiently control the use of electronics, temperature settings, blinds, and lights.
II. Building Maintenance
1. Choose green roofing or cool roofing for the roofs.
2. Don’t forget to arrange both an energy audit and water audit with your local provider.
3. Take note of water and energy usage each month. Never neglect repair or replacement when the power equipment is showing signs of problems.
4. For waste usage, analyze it for a few days and find effective ways to minimize it.
5. Consider retro-commissioning when planning to upgrade a building.
6. In your maintenance plan, don’t forget to include leak checks, damper adjustments, thermostat calibration, cooler coil cleaning, and filter changes.
III. Food Services
1. Find good ways to reduce food waste.
2. Consider shifting to a green restaurant. This means you will serve your guests with meals from fresh and organic plants and offer them vegan choices as well.
3. For leftovers, donate them to non-profit organizations. They can be turned into compost and other biodegradable products, which are useful for landscaping and gardening.
4. Use reusable and recyclable items, like glass cups, cloth napkins, ceramic dishes, and silverware for all food and drinks.
5. It can also make a difference if you go with hot pipes insulation.
IV. Guests and Rooms
1. Offer free or exclusive parking for eco-friendly vehicles.
2. Give them ceramic mugs or glass cups for in-room drinks.
3. Donate used shampoo and soap to the less fortunate from local shelters or through non-profit organizations.
4. Offer discounts to environmental organizations who are looking for hotels or venues to hold meetings and other events.
5. Offer your guests to use walking maps or bicycles when touring the city or area.
6. If you have a library, stock it with information about going green and the efforts of the government and organizations to providing a cleaner environment.
7. As much as possible, purchase guest and food resources in bulk orders.
V. Garden
1. Remove any element that doesn’t add value to your garden. These can be trees, plants, rocks, and others. To make the task easier and more efficient, use lawn equipment, such as power wheelbarrows, which are effective in transporting heavy materials.
2. Use native plants in your place that won’t need high maintenance. This will allow you to control their needs, such as water and fertilizer.
3. Use a composting bin to produce essential nutrients for your plants and flowers. This is both an economical and budget-friendly way to dispose of food waste.
4. Find ways to attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other birds.
5. Consider using pervious pavement, rainwater collection, rain garden, detaining ponds, and planted swale storm runoff problems.
6. For a safe and non-toxic way of controlling pests, make a comprehensive pest control plan.
VI. Waste and Recycling
1. All guest rooms should have a bin or basket for recyclable materials, such as plastic, metal, cardboard, aluminum, newspaper, paper, and glass.
2. Provide recyclable bins in other areas as well. These will include public areas, such as swimming pools, restaurants, lobbies, hallways, and in semi-private rooms, like offices and function rooms.
3. Make sure you know how to dispose of dangerous items such as printer cartridges, batteries, paint coating, mercury bulbs, and other electronic components.
4. Come up with ways on how to donate or reuse items that are hard to recycle or dispose of. These will include bubble wraps, styrofoam, packaging peanuts, cooking oil, planting pots, mattresses, furniture, plastic bags, and more.
Conclusion
Going green with your resort is something that everyone will benefit. The highlight of this route is how much you can help in providing a better environment for your guests. Other bonuses will include less water and energy usage and reduced operational costs. You will also inspire others to find better ways that are safe for the surroundings. Even with the many ideas in this article, there are still so many ways how you can make your establishment energy-efficient and cost-effective. However, by applying those mentioned above, you will surely achieve a significant cut in your overall expenses!
