Many hotels and travel companies embrace sustainability—but do they really know how to implement it? Carlos Martin-Rios, professor at EHL Hospitality Business School, warns that good intentions aren’t enough.
Key insights
- Sustainability roles in hospitality are often filled by passionate people without formal expertise.
- Companies react to sustainability rather than proactively preparing for change.
- Greenwashing is a major risk: Some carbon offset initiatives replace natural biodiversity rather than protect it.
- AI’s sustainability impact is double-edged: It could improve efficiency but also demands massive energy resources.
- Social sustainability is often ignored: The impact of AI and automation on low-skill hospitality jobs needs urgent discussion.
Carlos hopes that by next ITB, we’ll see fewer lost opportunities and more real progress. If hotels want to be truly sustainable, they must stop treating it as a marketing checkbox and start integrating sustainability into their core strategy.
Environment & Sustainability 
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