Hospitality sector ready to up its game

A group of UK hospitality companies has come up with a sector-wide plan to recognize consumers' ethical demands and the power of the 'green pound'.

The ten-point plan has been drawn up as the result of a recent 'debate on the future of sustainable hospitality' hosted by the hotel and restaurant business Whitbread.

The debate drew together companies throughout the sector to work out 'a new landscape for the hospitality sector in the UK'.

The recommendations include greater efforts at co-ordination within the industry; an emphasis on training staff; and appreciation of the importance of 'retro-fitting'existing buildings to meet new environmental demands.

However, the plan says one of the most important means of progress is for companies to experience a general change in mindset.

Dominic Burbridge, the Carbon Trust's senior manager for hospitality and an expert panellist at the debate, said: 'We need to build momentum for change. We need to find out who the leaders are and who are going to be the followers and then we need to put a plan into action. The biggest challenge is how we roll out the best examples of sustainability from the leaders to the followers.'

Hospitality and leisure account for the UK's third largest consumption figure after the home and transport.

Last year Whitbread, which runs Premier Inns, Britain's largest hotel chain, announced its own targets, including emissions reductions of a quarter, a 20 per cent cut in water usage and green sourcing pledges.