Mobility and transport services are outside the core activities of hotels and restaurants and therefore are not usually at the center of their attention. However, mobility and transport are part of the tourism value chain, and efforts to green them are having an impact on the entire sector. In addition, simple actions to improve environmental friendliness in relation to minor aspects of the activity are a powerful signal to customers and improve their relationship with the hotel or restaurant.
Where to start and how to perform: different techniques and approaches
The introduction of eco-mobility and transport services should start by answering a few simple questions:
- Can we offer our customers environmentally friendly mobility solutions as part of our operations?
- Can we influence our customers' mobility choices?
- Do we (including our employees) use our own modes of transport that we could improve the environmental performance of?
The answer to these three questions can be your eco-mobility policy.
Below we present a number of simple approaches and examples to improve overall hotel/restaurant mobility.
- Organize day trips for your guests on bikes or electric cars out of town.
- Explore providing customers with bikes or electric bikes (if the area is suitable for cycling).
Impact on customer eco-mobility
- Inform your guests about available public transportation services (both for inbound/outbound and sightseeing) and encourage them to take walks in the area. This can also be integrated into your website content. It is possible to provide discounts for guests arriving by public transport.
- Offer guests traveling by public transport an on-arrival pick-up service (ideally using sustainable transport such as electric cars).
- If your customers need a taxi, you can recommend the most environmentally friendly option (e.g. electric/hybrid vehicles). In this way, you contribute to a cleaner taxi fleet in your city.
Ensuring the sustainability of our own fleet
If the hotel/restaurant owns its own fleet of vehicles (either for your own use or for customer service), you may want to consider purchasing vehicles with better environmental performance