Giving Incentive to Guests to Re-Use Their Towels

Many hotels have towel re-use programs in place, but often these programmes are not as successful because of a lack of promotion to guests, a lack of training for housekeeping staff or cynicism about how savings will be used by the hotel. To counter these issues and encourage greater participation, Accor has introduced a formula to determine how much savings can be made through towel re-use and pledged to donate funds to UNEP’s reforestation programme.

The programme will be rolled-out progressively across the Accor network after a current pilot programme involving 52 hotels (including nine hotels in Australia) is completed and reviewed.

To prepare for the full-scale introduction, Accor is offering special training for housekeepers and is planning a campaign to build awareness among guests, who will be personally encouraged to take part in the programme through a message posted in their bathrooms informing them that “Here, your towels plant trees.”

Planting 3 Million Trees by 2012 In 7 Of the World’s Forest Regions

“The project should enable us to finance the planting of three million trees by 2012,” said Gilles Pélisson, Accor Chief Executive Officer. “I am very proud that the Group is actively supporting the United Nations Environment Programme in this reforestation project, which involves operators and customers of all our hotel brands, from economy to luxury.”

Accor will take part in projects in seven of the world’s forest regions, working closely with seven associations chosen for their ability to manage planting programs while also developing local business opportunities.

In France, for example, through Forestour’s Forestavenir programme, Accor will help to combat the greenhouse effect by supporting planting initiatives in forests in the southeastern part of the country. With SOS Sahel in Africa, Accor will help reforest coastal areas in Senegal by planting casuarina shrubs in the Niayes region to restore the natural surroundings, prevent sand from invading low-lying farmland and, over the longer term, create local revenue sources. In Asia, Accor will work with Plant A Tree Today (PATT) to protect a drainage basin in Thailand and set up an environmental education center. In Brazil, in cooperation with Nordesta Reforestation & Education and ten local communities, the Group will help replant the banks of the Rio Soa Francisco to promote the return of natural ecosystems and improve water quality.

One Billion Tree Campaign

The UNEP launched the Plant for the Planet: One Billion Tree Campaign under the sponsorship of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, whose Green Belt Movement supports reforestation projects in Africa. Thanks to this global initiative, more than 1.6 billion trees were planted in 2007.

“All countries are concerned by deforestation,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP. “With this reforestation project, Accor is also helping to combat global warming, restore ecosystems, wipe out epidemics and preserve the planet’s fresh water.”

Mobilising Accor’s 150,000 Employees on Earth Guest Day

Accor’s involvement in “Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign” is fully in line with the Earth Guest programme, launched by the Group in 2006 to guide its sustainable development policies in all its host countries and all its businesses. Through the programme, Accor supports EGO projects to protect children, support local development, promote balanced nutrition and eliminate epidemics as well as ECO projects to control energy use, limit water consumption, manage waste and preserve biodiversity.

Earth Guest day is being held this year on April 22 and for the occasion Accor is once again mobilising its 150,000 employees to demonstrate support for the principles of sustainable development. For the second year in a row, the Group is holding its own Earth Guest day, with employees in Accor’s 100 host countries scheduled to take part in local development, health and environmental initiatives. In Australia the focus this year is on energy conservation.

(* a percentage of the funds will be used to administer the scheme)