Effectively communicate your sustainability activities to mitigate greenwashing, achieve more success and inspire genuine change.
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We’ve created a practical handbook that outlines how and what to communicate when it comes to sustainability, with guidance, checklists, templates, exercises, resources, case studies and more to put theory into practice. No matter how big or small your marketing department or communication team is, you’ll have all the tools in place to start effectively communicating sustainability NOW, saving you time, money and resources.
Whether you’re simply wanting to learn about communication, increase the impact of your sustainability initiatives and/or achieve more success for your hotel business, then this handbook has got everything you need.
But don’t just take our word for it, listen to what our clients have to say!
The Sustainable Hotel Handbooks have been successfully used by:
RENATO BOTTE, OWNER OF LOCANDA MISTRAL (PIEDMONT/ITALY)
MICH BONDESIO, AUTHOR, COACH & BUSINESS CONSULTANT, CREATING CADENCE (UNITED KINGDOM)
LUISE WEINERT, BACHELOR'S STUDENT AT FHGR CHUR (CHUR/SWITZERLAND)
Get insights into WHAT exactly you should communicate and HOW to ensure the way you're communicating is sustainable too.
In just seven steps, we’ll build your sustainability communication strategy so that you can start sharing your story with the world right now!
Whether you’ve got a full team or you’re doing it yourself, get the tools and resources you need to execute on your communication strategy.
We highlight learnings, tips and recommendations from top industry leaders who have nailed their sustainability communication, and spotlight hotels that are doing it right too.
Through practical exercises, we get to the heart of your sustainability story, which will serve as the basis of your sustainability communication - from now into the future.
Set your communication targets, track your progress through useful scorecards and measure your communication success.
Rupp PR is an independent full-service communications agency focusing on sustainable travel and tourism. Based in the DACH region, the firm helps hotels and hospitality brands raise awareness and increase guest inquiries within their target markets.
Read moreRupp PR is an independent full-service communications agency focusing on sustainable travel and tourism. Based in the DACH region, the firm helps hotels and hospitality brands raise awareness and increase guest inquiries within their target markets.
It is independent and international, creating tailored communications strategies and executing marketing tactics to guide clients' visions forward – without compromising creativity. Most importantly, the Rupp PR team loves what it does.
Read lessIn this handbook, we’ll share with you all the expertise we at MAp and Rupp have gained from working with independent and boutique hoteliers globally on their marketing and communication initiatives. Plus, we’ve interviewed some of the brightest minds that are shaping the future of hospitality, and they contribute their personal learnings and insights just for you.
puts you ahead of regulations that call for increased reporting,
separates you from the competition,
gets you support from partners, local community members and others to ensure your progress,
earns you media coverage, recognition and awards for your endeavours.
As a B Corp-certified company, we encourage you to buy the digital handbook, which comes in a PDF file with various versions for easy handling and sharing with your team. As a special bonus, you will also receive the Introduction PDF free of cost!
The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication was crafted with independent and boutique hoteliers in mind. As seasoned hotel consultants, we know better than anyone that independent and boutique hotels have limited time, budget and resources compared to bigger hotels and chain hotels. Therefore, this handbook really focuses on everything such hoteliers need to communicate their sustainability initiatives both internally and externally – and of course, in a successful manner!
The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication is also extremely beneficial for those working with hotels or seeking to work for hotels, such as consultants, students and others in the hospitality industry. Grow your knowledge about and equip yourself with tools and resources on hotel sustainability and communication in order to better serve the industry.
Yes! The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication is perfect for hoteliers who already have a hotel and are looking to be smarter when it comes to communicating with their stakeholders about their sustainability efforts. We present activities and steps you can implement into your existing processes to help you achieve this.
All recommendations and action steps presented in The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication applies to new hotels too, not just existing ones.
We’ve jam-packed this handbook with as much practical information and action steps as possible. By following our recommendations outlined in the handbook, you will not only learn to write your unique and authentic sustainability but communicate it to the world in a way that educates, informs and inspires your People.
Choose the digital or print version above, and simply follow the instructions to complete your purchase!
This is the WHAT. Sustainability communication is the act of consciously integrating sustainability into a communication strategy by telling stakeholders about your sustainability goals and efforts. The objective of sustainability communication is to raise awareness and understanding about sustainability and what your hotel is doing on the front, and to encourage action to support our initiatives.
This is the HOW. This means you are communicating in a socially-responsible and ecological manner, with no negative impact to society, the economy and the Planet. The objective of sustainable communication is therefore to reduce the environmental and social footprint of communication activities and to make sure that all can profit from it. To support you with communicating in a sustainable way, we have developed 10 Principles of Sustainable Communication that are included in the handbook.
Greenwashing refers to the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service in order to appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers. It’s about misleading consumers into thinking that a product or service is more environmentally friendly than it actually is.
An example of greenwashing is claiming that you have a recycling programme in place, which involves putting recycling bins in rooms, without actually having an established system for properly sorting, disposing and recycling waste.
To avoid greenwashing, the most important thing to remember is this: communication must follow action! You must be on the sustainability journey, taking meaningful steps in the right direction (with proof and data to back that up), in order to communicate sustainability. If you’re not walking the sustainability talk, then you’re simply greenwashing.
Greenhushing is the deliberate concealment of information about sustainability practices from stakeholders for fear of being labelled greenwashers. By underreporting the steps you are taking in the right direction, the result is that guests and your other stakeholders miss the chance to be informed, educated and inspired. It is therefore the opposite of greenwashing.
We can all agree that hotels need People, like employees and guests, to operate. As a crucial part of your marketing department, communication is about attracting the best talent but also guests by communicating to the world that your hotel exists, why and for whom. Without strategic and sustainable communication, you don’t attract (the right) guests, and without guests, sooner than later your hotel will cease to exist. If communication is done right – and in a sustainable manner – hotels will attract their ideal clientele, who opts for you because of your sustainability actions and is willing to pay for your sustainability initiatives – and in turn, they will find their dream accommodation. Employees and partners will feel motivated to work with you. Your local community will support and uplift you. A win-win for all – your hotel and your stakeholders (and the Planet to boot!).
Nice to meet you!
MAp is a B Corp-certified boutique hotel consultancy that empowers independent and boutique hoteliers, hospitality brands and investors in creating unique, innovative and sustainable hotels built for the future. Based in Zurich and woman-owned, the MAp team provides hotel concept development, hotel branding, hotel marketing and hotel sustainability services to award-winning clients worldwide. Through its focus on people and purpose, its innovative approach and bespoke solutions, MAp makes hotels, businesses and brands matter.
Create a thriving hotel business and learn more about holistic hotel sustainability with our practical handbooks, tools and resources. Let’s get started on the road to a more hospitable and purposeful Planet – together!