26% of hoteliers interviewed by Hospitality On, with Olakala, say that they invested in the implementation of measures that respect the environment in 2013. This figure should nonetheless be examined within its context, which is an economy that currently does not encourage hotel investments due in particular to the difficulty of financing (see our article on this subject) and the uncertainty of business. In a previous survey undertaken by Hospitality On, 45% of those who responded said that the sum invested was below normal in 2013. As far as hoteliers that invested in sustainable development in 2013 are concerned, many of them did so in order to obtain certification, such as the ISO 14001 standard, Ecolabel certification, and even certification from the chain or group that they are related to. Among the major projects may be found thermal insulation of properties and control of water and energy consumption, training of personnel and raising customer awareness on the subject, and even the switch to maintenance products that respect the environment and the implementation of recycling procedures.Investing to reduce costsResults of the survey also show that the primary expectation of hoteliers when they invest in sustainable development remains cost reduction, particularly in terms of energy. That is how 60% responded to the multiple choice question: "How do you expect your business to benefit from sustainable development?". Increased appeal among current customers was the next most popular answer, followed close behind by access to new customers, cited respectively by 26% and 19% of those who responded. Hoteliers thus appear to perceive growth more as a way to strengthen their image among existing customers than as a way to target new clientele. On the other hand, 35% of hoteliers declared that they expected no major benefits from sustainable development in terms of economic impact.
