GROHE and Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group strengthen their joint commitment to promote water sustainability in the hotel industry

Protecting what is arguably mankind’s most vital resource – water – is a major global concern. As society and business increasingly wake up to the risk of growing water scarcity, it is essential that the hospitality industry works on water stewardship – minimising water use in operations, cooperation with key suppliers and equitable use of water especially in water scarce locations.

This is why GROHE, the sanitary manufacturer, teamed up with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group to organise a series of water workshops with influential leader and suppliers of the hospitality sector. Launched in 2014, the second water workshop took place in Düsseldorf with 15 partners from the sanitary and hospitality sectors as well as experts in architecture, design, property management and behavioural psychology. The water workshops are created to identify untapped opportunities to reduce the water footprint of hotels. The workshop features lectures and discussions on topics, such as, “future-proof buildings” and “guest behaviour”. It raises fundamental questions on “hotel of the future” and whether they would be water neutral, important providers of water to the local communities, and much more.

“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,” said Michael Rauterkus, CEO of GROHE AG. “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.”

The second vital part of the workshop put guest behaviour centre stage. In particular, participants explored ways to heighten awareness of responsible water use and influencing guest behaviour in a positive way.

Olivier Harnisch, Chief Operating Officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “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.”

GROHE and Carlson Rezidor are committed to continuing these dialogues with industry experts and suppliers from various sectors to raise awareness on water sustainability in the world. The water workshops inspire thinking beyond the ordinary, and building strong relationships between participating companies to work on specific issues to address a crucial global issue.

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