Standing under a belting hot sun on a mid-week morning in Sydney, our office building treating us to the adventure and mystique of an evacuation drill, I found myself being asked: ‘what do you do?’ on my reply – ‘oh my god, why are there so many paper towels in the bathroom, it’s so unsustainable!!!!’.

If there’s something I’ve learnt in this business, it’s that a lot of people have a lot of opinions about sustainability. Conversations like this pop up all the time, usually in lifts, conference rooms and, fittingly, bathrooms. It reminds me that sustainability decisions aren’t just operational; they’re emotional and customers care. People feel strongly about them, especially when it comes to handwashing options. For hotels, those feelings show up in guest feedback, team conversations and brand perception..

Now, in this respect, you’re not going to please everyone. But having a clear plan, a rationale and – in my opinion – bringing your team into that discussion so they can speak confidently on the matter, is so important.

The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Each option carries its own footprint across water, energy, materials, waste, hygiene expectations and guest experience.

And depending on your building, your housekeeping capacity, your waste system and your guest profile, the “best” option will shift. My very unscientific response to walking into a hotel bathroom with the little rolled up cloth towels is relief and a smile. Reusable items are constantly on my radar and they please me immensely, though, not that common in Australia, definitely more the norm in Southeast Asia. Yes, there is water, electricity and soap to consider, your efficiencies in this space will determine the impact. It can also be noted that the electricity and water intensity of producing paper is high, for a single-use item. Then the materials – metals, plastics, etc – in manufacturing electric hand dryers, followed by further energy consumption of their usage.