During the beginning of the pandemic, the hotels that were able to operate minimized housekeeping services for guests out of fear of transmitting the COVID-19 virus. Cleaning routines and frequency increased, touch-points reduced, guests paid more attention to cleanliness than ever, and hotels adapted “safe travel seals” that ensured compliance with hygiene standards.
Many guests decided to “opt out” of daily housekeeping services as they did not want a “stranger” in their room bringing with him or her the virus. Some hotels stopped offering housekeeping services for “stayovers” all together, leaving the room empty for 24 hours between guests.
These safety measures made sense at the moment, when little was known about how the virus spread and there were no vaccines available. Today, things have changed. In many parts of the developed world, and especially in regions with high vaccination rates, everyday life is almost back to normal. Kids are back in school; restaurants are open for indoor seating; stadiums are full of cheering fans. Even office routines and business travel are starting to come back post the COVID-19 delta wave.
Some of the tools, habits and changes that we experienced during the pandemic are here to stay — Zoom meetings, food delivery services, as well as an increased automatization and touchless life. Additionally, some hotel chains have made the decision to maintain the reduced housekeeping services for their guests. This may be due to cost saving measures (less payroll) or to the fact that talent, in some regions, is hard to find.
However, when I heard about hotel chains touting that they are cutting down on hotel room cleaning due to “sustainability” reasons, it became very clear to me that this might be a new way of greenwashing.
“Greenwashing" is the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound.
My first exposure to opt-out housekeeping "for sustainability" was in 2018. I was in Buenos Aires to receive the WTTC’s Tourism for Tomorrow Award for our sustainability efforts at the Cayuga Collection. The hotel that hosted the award winners had a card on the night table. It offered a $5 credit at the bar if a guest would forego housekeeping services. This opt-out option was justified by the hotel based on sustainability reasons.
One night, coming back from the receptions, I ran into a housekeeper working late. I took the opportunity to ask her if guests were using the $5 credit card at the bar. She said yes, many guests do. When I followed up by asking what that meant in regards to employment, she told me that about 30% of her colleagues had lost their jobs.
These hotel chains justify as sustainable practices the elimination of these services. Reducing cleaning supplies and saving on water by not cleaning the room doesn’t make a significant impact, especially for “stayover” rooms. What I do notice is the loss of formal and quality employment for a segment of the population that often includes single mothers or women with little to no formal education.
At Cayuga, our take on sustainability places people on its top tier. If you take care of people and their communities, they will take care of nature and the environment. We have promoted housekeepers to management. We’ve kept providing twice daily housekeeping services at our collection, and we will continue to do so. We are committed to the wellbeing of our community and our guests are, too. Yes, it is a luxury. But it is also helping somebody put a meal on their family table.
I don’t have a problem if your business model is about cutting costs and reducing payroll. It might make business sense. Your customer might choose you. However, I don’t think that this practice should be called sustainable. That is greenwashing, and it will put the credibility of our whole industry at risk.
Hans Pfister is co-founder and president of the Cayuga Collection of sustainable luxury hotels and lodges.
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