Reusable Hotels Guide - Additional Actions

REUSABLE HOTELS - OTHER INITIATIVES

There are a number of other plastic-free initiatives that can make a huge difference to how your guests engage with your reusables program.

For example, you could introduce a guest borrow program, providing a reusable cup, water bottle and/or bag guest rooms for them to use during their stay. You could also install water refill stations around your hotel, helping to reduce single-use water bottles.

These initiatives (and more!) are explored below.

OTHER INITIATIVES STEPS

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STEP 1 - Familiarise yourself with the items in a Guest Borrow Kit
A Guest Borrow Program centres around a Guest Borrow Kit that you will provide to your guests for the duration of their stay. Typically placed in guest rooms, each kit contains a reusable cup, reusable water bottle and a reusable bag.

Guests are able to take these reusable items with them outside the hotel. Items should be selected for durability and ease of cleaning. E xamples of good reusable design are provided in the 'Downloads' section below.

At the end of their stay, guests leave the reusable items in their room for cleaning and reuse.

STEP 2 - Decide which items to provide to guests
What you decide to stock in your Guest Borrow Kit is up to you! It will depend on your location (i.e. proximity to cafes), whether you are self-contained or embedded in a wider community, and your guest preferences.

To get an idea of what your guests would use most, you could conduct surveys either onsite, or via your newsletter. We’ve developed an Action Plan template to help you make decisions and plan out your Guest Borrow Kit.

STEP 3 - Source items
Reusable cups, water bottles and bags are all widely available through suppliers, online or in retail stores. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, materials and price points. Some can even be branded with your hotel’s logo.

It is recommended that you prioritise durability and cleanliness when sourcing these items. Refer to our examples of good reusable design for help with this.

STEP 4 - Put up signage
A common barrier to guests using reusable items is they don’t know they are there or how the system works. Signage is a great way to overcome this.
Be sure to include instructions on how the program works on signage in your guest’s room. It is also a good idea to have this information available virtually prior to your guests’s arrival and during their stay - this can be done via booking confirmation emails and on your internal entertainment system.

There are some good examples of signage and flyers provided in the 'Downloads' section below.

STEP 5 - Develop cleaning and stocking protocols, and staff responsibilities
The items in your Guest Borrow Kit will need to be cleaned at the end of each guest’s stay. This may be an additional task for your housekeeping team, and it’s important to make sure they receive training and support for this additional step.

Occasionally, reusable items may get broken or lost. Ensure that protocols are put in place for checking the state of reusable items at the end of each stay, and putting in orders for new items with your procurement manager.

STEP 6 - Implement borrow program
You’re now ready to implement your program!
Be sure to regularly check-in with your staff for feedback and improvement suggestions, making changes as required along the way.
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Extend your impact by partnering with local tourism providers An example is small discounts provided if guests book services through them and take their reusable cup, water bottle or bag. Or you could partner with a nearby cafe on a discount for any guest who buys their coffee in a reusable cup from your Guest Borrow Kit.
Be creative with it! Partnering with local businesses is a great way to support others, connect with likeminded people, and build community resilience.
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