Tap water
Hotel Stern, Austria, offers free tap water, encouraging guests to contribute to waste reduction.
In the course of the sustainability process in 2015, Hotel Stern in Tyrol recognised that the PET bottles imported by guests are not only ecologically questionable (production from fossil raw materials, hardly reusable), but that employees are also confronted with the annually growing ‘mountains’ of PET bottle waste.
Together with the manufacturers of EMIL, a hygienic, frog-green deposit bottle was designed for Stern, which every guest is given at check-in and can use free of charge during their stay. Aesthetic water bars, enriched with seasonal fruits and herbs, have been placed in several places in the hotel, always inviting guests to refill their bottles.
Water campaigns inform guests about the local, high-quality tap water and the associated water footprint. A complimentary carafe of chilled water is always available on the table in the rooms and public areas. Guests who order sparkling water in the carafe must pay a contribution towards expenses.
At check-out, the bottle is returned to the reception and hygienically prepared for the next guests.
The advantages
- The waste caused by brought PET bottles was reduced by 90% within a short time.
- The guests are very careful with the bottles, the bottles are in circulation for a long time (hardly any loss).
- The bottles are recycled as part of the hotel’s normal cleaning process (in the dishwasher, washing machine, no special procedures required).
- The bottles are not for sale; the rule is “use instead of own”. Guests will receive information about the product or the manufacturer’s web store upon request.
- Every adult and child carries a frog-green bottle. This behavior has become the norm (PET bottles are outside the norm).
- Children receive eco points in the form of STARS if they choose the healthy tap water instead of a sweet drink when eating. The STARS collected by the children are addressed and rewarded during the “CO₂-checkout”.
- Guests are given sustainable impulses to take home with them, without any raised forefinger or dogmatism. This connects and invites guests, employees and producers to tell others about their experiences at STERN.
- There were no notable decreases in beverage sales at any time.