Joined-up thinking about water saving in hospitality

Grohe has teamed up with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group to organise a series of worktops with leaders and suppliers in the hospitality industry, looking at how to reduce water usage.

Launched last year, the second workshop took place in Dusseldorf and was attended by 15 people from the sanitary and hospitality sectors, as well as architecture, design, property management and behavioural psychology experts.

The workshop featured lectures and discussions on topics such as future-proof buildings and guest behaviour, and also raised questions about hotels of the future, including whether they would be water neutral and providers of water to local communities.

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CEO of Grohe Michael Rauterkus commented on the workshop content: “One of the vital questions we addressed this year was how to motivate hotel operators, project developers and property investors to integrate state-of-the-art water-saving technologies in their new hotel constructions and/or refurbishments.

“As we continue to develop new solutions for the responsible use of natural resources, we are not only protecting our environment but also helping hotel operators reduce their operational costs. By using new technological innovations by Grohe, hotels can meet the stringent standards for sustainable buildings and treat their customers to a unique water experience. At the water workshop, we showcased several options for the sustainable use of water, and exchanged information and experience on the specific challenges faced by the hospitality sector, both in water-rich and water-poor regions.”

Chief operating officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group, Olivier Harnisch, explained how positively influencing guest behaviour also helped reduce water use: “Our hotels have successfully reduced water use in operations by 27% but we are not going to stop here. Our strategic partnership with Grohe, complements our Blu Planet towel re-use programme, which was recently launched across all Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts. We are actively asking our hotel guests to consider re-using their towels during their stay in exchange for a donation to the international water aid charity Just a Drop, and challenge their existing thinking and behaviours on responsible use of water at home too.”