The first edition of Preverisk Breakfasts Spain concludes successfully

Last Thursday in October, the Preverisk Group team had the pleasure of sitting next to different hotel managers to put on the table ideas and opinions on how to promote single-use-plastic-free tourist experiences.

It was the second breakfast in Palma, in this case we chose the Hotel Gloria de Sant Jaume, and the ninth and last of the breakfasts held in Spain throughout 2019. It was led by Rafel Amorós, Business Manager for Spain. It was attended by directors from MAC & PureSalt Hotels, HM Hotels, Blue Sea, Be Live and Belmond La Residencia, all of them clients.

The topic of the conversation evolved around the approaches and experiences related to the process of reducing plastic waste by each of the attendees as representatives of the chains or hotels for which they work. Nina Parets, Director of Operations of Blue Sea and Aridany León, Manager of F &B, commented on the good reception in general terms in their chain of replacing single-use plastic cups with reusable ones, which are purchased under the "bond" of 1 euro, as well as the replacement of paper film by silicone lids. However, they found it more difficult to find substitutes for straws, as cardboard straws do not meet the customer's expectations. In this sense, suppliers are expected to be more proactive and consider introducing new forms of collaboration and new types of products to adapt to the current needs of hotels.

Jordi Vicens, deputy director of Hotel Belmond La Residencia shared with us the idea that is being carried out in his hotel to promote a green committee, made up of 4 people who are responsible for ensuring that the agreed measures are executed correctly, for example, reviewing garbage periodically so that staff become aware of the importance of these tasks, rewarding good practices and training on the basis of those that cost more. He also told us how organic waste is used to create compost for hotel use.

We also talked about staff training as another of the immediate needs to be able to implement an entire program aimed at promoting a sustainable tourism model. The employee must understand why things are being done, what impact the tourism industry generates in the destinations, take. Awareness is undoubtedly a very important point, which will depend on the success of the transformation process towards sustainable hotels," says Marga Negre, Head of Sustainability at Be Live Hotels.

Aina Amengual, director of operation of MAC & PureSalt Hotels, explained how they eliminated plastic bottles from the rooms, replacing them with glass bottles with osmosis water, an action that the client perceived as positive.

Pedro Noguera, HM Hotels exploitation director, agrees with the rest of the attendees in considering a challenge for the sector to implement measures that give rise to the desired results in a short time. A good way to take the right path for the chain is to use a hotel as a pilot test and then replicate it in other hotels, having already experience in the organization.

At a general level, the public administration was once again asked to provide support in order to feel more supported in sustainability strategies. There are tourist areas in the Balearic Islands where there is still no selective collection and it is the private company that has to assume the cost.

In conclusion, there is still a lot of work to be done, the demanding European regulations that have as horizon 2021, hurry the hotel sector to find effective solutions for this transformation.

We thank all participants for their time and contributions. Here we share some photos of the event, we hope you have enjoyed!