'Sustainability' has evolved beyond a trendy buzzword in recent years, with consumers and businesses alike becoming more conscious and involved in playing their part in preserving the planet for future generations.

India has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070, and in order to turn the country’s climate-change-related ambitions into reality, all industries must work together in an unprecedented collaboration.

Thanks to the growing demand for “greener” holidays, sustainability has become crucial even in the tourism and hospitality sectors, which not only make significant contributions to global warming and climate change but also suffer from its effects.

Nowadays, travelers not only want to go to an eco-friendly destination, but they also want to know how ecologically responsible the place is; the more climate-friendly a destination is, the more attractive it becomes.

Moreover, adopting ecofriendly practices not only help hotels win over green travelers but also help in reducing costs and improving the bottom line in the longer run. Hence, not only are forward-thinking companies upping their climate action, but the entire sector is moving towards a greener, more sustainable future.

The hospitality sector has come a long way when it comes to adopting sustainable hotel operations, from reducing single-use plastic and going paperless to putting the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) into practice and implementing rainwater harvesting as well as other strategies like smart meters and motion-activated lights and faucets to save water and energy.

The adoption of green and sustainable hotel design and construction techniques will be the sector's next big step toward sustainability.

As per United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) buildings, including hotels, account for 37% of global energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and with 75-80% of the existing buildings across the world expected to still be in use by 2050, the hospitality industry must now prioritize sustainable construction practices and retrofitting existing hotels to achieve sustainability goals.

Mandeep S. Lamba, President – South Asia, oversees the HVS global hospitality practice for South Asia. He has spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry of which the last 19 have been in CEO positions. Having worked with leading International and domestic Hotel Companies such as IHG, Radisson & ITC Hotels, he also set up joint venture companies with Dawnay Day Group UK and Onyx Hospitality, Thailand to own and operate hotels in India giving him a broader exposure to the hospitality business.

An established industry leader, Mandeep has won several awards and recognitions in India and abroad for his accomplishments and contribution to the hospitality industry. He is a Certified Hospitality Administrator from the American Hotels Association (CHA), a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, UK (MRICS) and a member of the Tourism Council of CII (Northern India). His views are often solicited for television and print media as a spokesperson for the hospitality & tourism sector.

Prior to joining HVS in 2018, Mandeep was the Managing Director, Hotels & Hospitality Group for JLL. Contact Mandeep at +91 981 1306 161 or mlamba@hvs.com

Dipti Mohan, Senior Manager - Research with HVS South Asia, is a seasoned knowledge professional with extensive experience in research-based content creation. She has authored several ‘point of view’ documents such as thought leadership reports, expert opinion articles, white papers and research reports. Contact Dipti at dmohan@hvs.com

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