A new sustainability initiative has taken root at The Ascott Limited hotels in Australia which aims to support the renewal of a critically endangered rainforest in Byron Bay.
Through the display of dedicated eco-friendly housekeeping door tags or reusable magnets, guests can opt to forgo a room clean, prompting the property to make a AU$6.50 donation to Hotels for Trees, to plan a tree on their behalf.
Hundreds of hotel rooms across 11 Ascott properties, including Quest Apartment Hotels, Lyf Collingwood and Somerset on the Pier, are taking part, with the initiative expected to extend to more locations due to its success.
As the first accommodation chain in the country to partner with the global not-for-profit charity and the first to take the tree planting initiative nationwide, Ascott has recognised traveller demand for sustainable tourism.
“When guests choose to stay with Ascott they can take comfort in the fact they are choosing a brand family that’s committed to taking proactive steps to reduce emissions and environmental impact,” said Ascott General Manager of Brand and ESG, Anthea Dimitrakopoulos.
“Ascott is moving beyond the basic first steps like single use amenities to embrace truly environmentally sustainable operations at new guest touchpoints – our guests are regrowing a forest.
“We’re delighted that Hotels for Trees offers comprehensive and transparent environmental reporting, which means our business and our guests can measure our impact as we grow this initiative together.”
Dimitrakopoulos said the partnership engages the entire hotel ecosystem, from the guest through to hotel teams, to be of the climate solution by reducing carbon emissions from unnecessary cleaning and planting trees to offset carbon impact.
Since February 2024, guests have planted over 850 trees in the critically endangered Big Scrub rainforest ecosystem in the Byron Shire region of NSW, helping to connect fragmented rainforest and build wildlife corridors.
Hotels for Trees APAC representative Hugo van Roermund congratulated Ascott for their “forward-thinking leadership”.
“They understand the bigger sustainability picture and take a long-term view,” he said.
“Research indicates that a stay at an Australian hotel emits 35 kg CO2e per room per night. Planting just one tree or shrub in the Byron Bay area results in an average offset of about 200kg carbon captured during the first 25 years after planting.”
The Ascott Limited Managing Director, Australasia, David Mansfield, said Ascott Australia will continue to introduce purpose driven initiatives at every level of operations.
“We are driven by the need to preserve the planet for future generations, while simultaneously enriching the hospitality industry and our guest’s experience,” he said.
Guests can scan a QR code on the reverse side of the door hanger for information about the impact of their choice, and Ascott’s tree planting progress can be tracked in real time here.