In May 2021, IHG worked with international property consultancy Gleeds, global engineering and design consultancy Arup and energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric to co-author a whitepaper which revealed how the hotel industry can tackle the net zero carbon challenge.

Entitled ‘Transforming Existing Hotels to Net Zero’, the team compiling the research used a real-life case study to consider what opportunities exist to decarbonise existing hotels and drive operational energy to net zero carbon. With energy consumption typically accounting for as much as 60% of a hotel’s emissions, the paper examined a range of interventions, the initial cost of which was balanced against the potential long-term savings in a bid to develop a methodology that could be applied industry wide.

Since its release, ‘Transforming Existing Hotels to Net Zero Carbon’ has been updated to consider new scenarios using the most recently published BEIS data on energy prices available in the public domain. In addition, financial model assumptions and the approach to capex, calculations and the accrual of energy/carbon savings due to multiple interventions have been amended.

IHG Hotels & Resorts is nominated as Middle East’s Leading Hotel Group 2022 by World Travel Awards.