Eight Steps Toward Responsible Travel
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Travel meets our need for wanderlust, broadens culture awareness and links global economies. It also takes a toll on the environment. To make a difference, companies have to lead in a big way and travelers must make small changes to protect the planet for future generations.
As one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, Hilton is leading by example and setting a new standard for responsible travel and tourism. By 2030, Hilton will cut its environmental footprint in half and double its social impact.
For travelers who want to join us, here are a few steps you can take:
- Use digital keys. Who hasn’t ever lost a plastic room key? Avoid the risk and help the environment by using your mobile phone to access a digital room key through the Hilton Honors app.
- Buy local and shop small. The best way to support – and get to know – a city or community is to contribute directly to the local economy. Experience local family-owned restaurants, shop at small businesses and learn more from local makers about the community’s culture.
A Tru by Hilton vending area with hydration station. - Pack a reusable water bottle. Fill up on your H2O. Many Hilton properties and public spaces like airports and museums offer water stations that make it easy to hydrate and save the ocean at the same time. Feeling ambitious? Bring a reusable laundry bag too and skip nabbing the plastic one from the hotel closet.
- Keep your eye out for recycling. Refrain from discarding waste in the first receptacle you see and check if there’s a recycling bin. Every recycled item helps prevent waste from entering oceans and landfills.
- Opt for alternative wheels. From electric vehicles to bicycles, choose to reduce carbon emissions by taking alternative modes of transportation. An added bonus: save money on gas. Hilton partners with Tesla to provide free electric vehicle charging stations at many hotels in the U.S. and all Canopy by Hilton hotels offer free bikes for guests to use.
- Suds sustainably. Unused soap can create a lot of waste, along with those small plastic soap and shampoo bottles. Use the bulk amenities that brands like Tru by Hilton are increasingly offering to reduce the waste sent to landfills. Or, if you’re unable to part with bars of soap, make sure to leave it in clear sight so we can recycle it with Clean the World for communities in need. Fun fact: Hilton is the first hotel company to commit to sending zero soap to landfill we’ve already recycled more than 6 million bars of soap.
- Make a last call for straws. Did you know straws are among the most common debris to collect on beaches? Help prevent this by choosing to go straw-free or ask for a biodegradable or edible straw. Hilton plans to eliminate plastic straws at many of its managed hotels around the world, which will save millions of straws on beaches every year.
- Dine with purpose. Help reduce food waste – a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and the depletion of global water resources. Many hotels have food donation programs for leftover food, but they can’t donate food that has already been served. And you can also support the local community by opting to dine at many of Hilton’s restaurants where chefs source ingredients from local suppliers and farmers.
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 16 world-class brands comprising more than 5,600 properties with nearly 913,000 rooms, in 113 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company, Hilton earned a spot on the 2018 world’s best workplaces list, and has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its nearly 100 year history. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, nearly 85 million members who book directly with Hilton have access to instant benefits, including digital check-in with room selection, Digital Key, and Connected Room. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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