Most Greek hotels (95.8%) use low-energy LED lighting, while two thirds (64%) of five-star establishments have energy management systems, a new report on the sustainability commitments of the Greek hotel sector has found.
The report was commissioned by the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) and undertaken by the Institute for Tourism Research and Forecasts (ITEP), with some 896 hotels surveyed during August and September 2024.
When it comes to energy saving, three quarters of hotels (75.9%) use high energy class appliances in guest rooms, while high energy class air conditioning is used by 74.1% of hotels. Around two thirds (64%) of five-star hotels have energy monitoring systems.
More than half the hotels (54.4%) have energy-efficient windows, while 36.2% feature wall and roof installation.
EV charging stations
While 15.7% of hotels offer EV charging stations, this offering is more widely available in five-star establishments. According to the study, some 65.3% of five-star hotels featured EV charging stations as of last year, up from 21.3% in 2020.
This compares to 28.5% of four-star hotels (up from 11.5%), 13.2% of three-star hotels (up from 2.8%) and 5.1% of two-star hotels, up from 1.7%.
Water and waste management
Water-saving measures also feature widely across the Greek hotel sector – 53.7% of establishments promote towel reuse, 53.0% feature dual-flush toilets, and 34.0% have implemented automated irrigation systems.
Around one in ten (9.6%) hotels reuse wastewater for irrigation purposes, while 8.3% have rainwater collection systems in place.
On waste management, around two fifths of hotels say that they have reduced the use of paper (39.6%) and plastic (39.4%), while also reporting higher recycling rates for paper (61.3%) and plastic (61.0%).
Food waste monitoring is present in just 20% of hotels, however – in five-star establishments, this rises to 55% – with the main food waste reduction practices including repurposing food for staff meals (65.4%), composting (11.3%) and donations to people in need (22.4%).
‘Responsibility in practice’
The findings were revealed at the 2nd HHS Conference, which took place in Rhodes, under the title ‘Hospitality with Value for All’.
At that event, Alexandros Vassilikos, president of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, said that the commitment to sustainability in the hotel sector “requires responsibility in practice. This is why hospitality is leading the way towards a sustainable tomorrow, confirming Greece’s leading role in global tourism.
“The goal is clear. Sustainable hospitality means sustainable hotels and sustainable destinations. Our industry has come a long way to achieve this goal, but we certainly have a long way to go.” Read more here.
