In this blog, Louisa Watson immediate past chair of beam and marketing director and sustainability lead, Wyboston Lakes Resort, explores the question of why are we keeping our best sustainability ideas to ourselves?
One thing has struck me repeatedly over the last few years.
Our industry is full of brilliant sustainability ideas.
Every conference I attend, every venue I visit and every conversation I have seems to uncover another initiative that makes me think: “That’s clever. Why isn’t everyone doing that?”
Yet too often these ideas remain within a single organisation, a single venue or a small network of contacts. They are talked about in meeting rooms, conference sessions and industry events, but they don’t always travel far enough to create the wider impact they deserve.
And I think that’s a missed opportunity.
When it comes to sustainability, surely the goal isn’t to have the best idea; the goal is to create the biggest positive impact.
At Wyboston Lakes Resort, we’ve learned an enormous amount from other people. We’ve borrowed ideas, adapted ideas and been inspired by ideas. Equally, we’ve opened our doors to hundreds of visitors over the years who have wanted to see our sustainability initiatives in action, and we’ve always been happy to share what we’ve learned—the successes as well as the lessons.
Because sustainability isn’t a competition.
I’ve never once sat in a meeting and thought, “Let’s keep this to ourselves so we have a competitive advantage.”
The environmental challenges we face are far too important for that.
If something works, why wouldn’t we want others to benefit from it too?
Which brings me to Room2Give.
Just over a year ago, we launched a simple idea. Guests staying more than one night can choose to opt out of room servicing and, instead, support one of three local charities. They simply select their chosen charity using a door hanger and, in return, we make a donation to our Room2Give fund.
It’s a small action that creates multiple benefits. Less water. Less energy. Less laundry. More support for local charities. And importantly, it gives guests a simple way to make a positive contribution during their stay. They feel part of the solution rather than the problem.
The response has exceeded all our expectations.
In less than 18 months, Room2Give has raised more than £40,000 for local charities whilst also reducing environmental impact across the resort.
And that’s the point where we asked ourselves a simple question:
Why should this stop with us?
If one venue can raise £40,000, imagine what could be achieved if dozens or even hundreds of venues adopted the same approach.
So we’ve decided to make Room2Give available to everyone.
Hotels, venues, serviced apartments, retreats—any organisation that wants to use the initiative can do so completely free of charge.
We’ve created guides, artwork, training materials and support resources to make it as easy as possible to implement. All we ask is that participating organisations sign the Room2Give Charter and commit to using hospitality as a force for positive impact.
Our ambition is simple.
To help raise £1 million for local charities whilst reducing environmental impact across the hospitality sector.
Will we get there? I don’t know. But I do know this:
The hospitality industry is incredibly powerful when it comes together behind a common goal.
So, let’s share more ideas.
Let’s celebrate what works.
And let’s stop worrying about who thought of something first.
Because if an idea can make a difference, surely the best thing we can do is pass it on. To find out more, visit www.room2give.co.uk
