SINGAPORE, 31 July 2019: InterContinental Hotels Group says it will remove all miniature bathroom amenities in 843,000 rooms across all properties in the international group by 2021.
Updated 1400, 1 August. This report from IHG has a postscript emailed by a TTR Weekly reader who is currently staying at an IHG property in Orlando, USA. It provides a perspective into the challenge hotel groups face to deliver on a promise. See the end of the report.
IHG claims to be the first international group to replace miniatures with bulk-size amenities a move that will ultimately eliminate the small plastic miniatures in around 5,600 hotel properties in 100 countries.
IHG says it is taking an industry-leading step to remove 200 million miniatures from its estate each year.
Earlier, the group pledged to remove plastic straws from its entire hotel estate by the end of this year, a move that would take out of circulation 50 million straws annually.
In Southeast Asia and Korea, the group removed all plastic straws in 2018 and is the first global hotel company to commit all brands to remove bathroom miniatures in favour of bulk-size amenities.
As the new brand standard to use bulk-size amenities is adopted between now and 2021, the company expects to see a significant reduction in plastic waste.
Sustainable moves
• Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas offers bathroom products in refillable ceramic dispensers across its entire luxury estate, while Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants are already moving to larger-size amenities.
• IHG’s vocoTM Hotels, EVEN Hotels and avidTM hotels brands have all offered bulk-size amenities.
• More than 1,000 Holiday Inn Express®
hotels in the Americas have already been implementing the change, alongside a
number of Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites properties in the
region.
Editor’s update
One our readers posted this observation in an email to TTR Weekly
“Just read this PR story by IHG. I am staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Orlando at the moment and am absolutely disgusted by the way this hotel handles their breakfast.
There are tons of unnecessary waste every day as all cutlery is plastic, all cups and plates are styrofoam, all butter and jam are delivered in plastic!
IHG is one of the many BIG culprits!”
(TTR
Weekly welcomes stories that campaign for a reduction of plastic waste in
the travel and hospitality
industry.)
