Chris is now independently contracted by us as a senior auditor. That means when he is not travelling around the world carrying out hundreds of audits each year, he is busy training our new auditor recruits and serving as our technical consultant. He says the most rewarding part of his work is being witness to the pride that many hoteliers take in sharing their sustainability journey. We asked Chris to tell us about the best innovation he has seen whilst auditing hotels. “You would think that this would be an easy question to answer, but the truth is that I’ve seen so many amazing things that it’s quite difficult to pick one out as the best.”

He goes on to list several diverse examples from all over the world, such as the housekeeping team in Tenerife who make Christmas decorations from items retrieved out of the recycling bins, and the hotel in Columbia that generates electricity from all the bicycles in the gym to power the gym lighting. A property in Llloret de Mar uses the wastewater from its swimming pools to flush all the toilets in guest rooms and a resort in Egypt recycles plastics to make coat hangers and tiles for the street.

Chris has lost count but has certainly conducted thousands of audits over the years, leaving him with a deep knowledge about what sets a company apart in terms of their success. He says that an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses is always the best place to start but that this should be a continual process, ensuring that businesses are always aware of what they do well, what they do not do well and where they can improve. He stresses how important it is to seek out feedback during that process. “Ask your colleagues, guests and neighbours to tell you what they think you should be doing. You might be surprised at what you hear, some things you’ll like and some you’ll not, but the choice to listen and act will always be yours.”

He also says a common trait in sustainability success is taking an inclusive approach, meaning that everyone in the business knows your sustainability goals and is given the opportunity to participate, however small the part they play.

He says the most successful businesses start small and grow their success. That means starting with quick wins that are easy and inexpensive, moving on to more challenging projects later when the company has built more confidence and perhaps had time to set aside more resources to improve environmental and social impacts. Chris reminds us that success is subjective unless you can prove it, so it’s important to be able to show where you came from and where you are now. That means keeping measurements so that you have data to back up your claims.

Some of the most important sustainability initiatives and successes happen behind the scenes so they are not obvious to others. Chris says this means that communication is a critical part of success. He finds that if a business does not tell people what they are doing, then people will assume they are not doing it! He also sees this as a missed opportunity. “How many hotel guests leave the premises at the end of their stay without experiencing sustainability? Wouldn’t it be amazing if every guest could say that had noticed something the hotel did that makes a difference? For sustainability to be infectious it needs visibility.”