Hotels going green: supporting sustainable meetings and events

Hotels play a critical role in the sustainability of meetings and events. Whether they are hosting attendees, accommodating corporate travelers, or facilitating event functions, hotels can significantly influence the environmental impact of an event.

As more organizations set sustainability and net-zero targets, event planners are increasingly being asked to consider how venues align with broader corporate sustainability goals. This is shifting the conversation beyond location, cost, and capacity alone.

Today, many organizations are also evaluating:

• Energy and water usage
• Waste reduction initiatives
• Sustainable food and beverage practices
• Carbon measurement capabilities
• Supplier sustainability commitments

In response, hotels are investing heavily in greener operations and more transparent sustainability reporting.

From reducing food waste and single-use plastics to implementing energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy programs, sustainability is becoming a larger part of the hospitality experience.

Here are some of the ways hotels are helping support more sustainable meetings and events.

Greater transparency around hotel sustainability performance

As sustainability expectations grow, organizations are looking for greater visibility into the environmental performance of suppliers.

Initiatives such as the Green Stay Initiative are helping hotels share performance metrics across areas like:

• Energy consumption
• Water usage
• Waste management
• Carbon emissions

Why transparency matters

This visibility helps organizations make more informed venue decisions and align hotel sourcing with broader ESG and sustainability objectives.

In addition, many major hotel groups have announced long-term sustainability commitments, including net-zero targets and formal ESG reporting frameworks.

These initiatives often include:

• Increased renewable energy usage
• Reduced reliance on single-use plastics
• Food waste reduction programs
• Improved recycling practices

As a result, sustainability is becoming a more visible and measurable part of the meetings and events experience.

Measuring and tracking carbon emissions

Carbon measurement is becoming increasingly important for organizations seeking to understand and reduce the environmental impact of business travel and events.

The Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) has helped standardize how hotels calculate emissions associated with hotel stays and meeting spaces.

This allows hotels to measure emissions across areas such as:

• Guest room stays
• Meeting room usage
• Energy consumption
• Electricity usage
• Refrigerants and fuel sources
• Outsourced services, such as laundry operations

Having access to this data gives organizations better visibility into event-related emissions and supports more accurate sustainability reporting.

Reducing food waste through more sustainable catering

Food waste remains one of the hospitality industry’s biggest sustainability challenges.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the hospitality industry generates approximately 1.6 billion metric tons of food waste annually.

As a result, many hotels are rethinking how food is sourced, prepared, and served during meetings and events.

More sustainable catering practices

Hotels are increasingly adopting initiatives such as:

• Cook-to-order buffet concepts
• Farm-to-table dining approaches
• Locally sourced ingredients
• Seasonal menu planning
• Reduced single-use packaging
• Vegetarian and vegan menu options

These approaches can help reduce both food waste and emissions linked to transportation and food production.

Reducing waste beyond the kitchen

Some hotels are also introducing programs to better manage surplus food and waste.

This may include:

• Donating excess food where possible
• Repurposing food waste for agricultural use
• Using technology platforms to reduce surplus meals
• Partnering with suppliers focused on sustainable sourcing

Together, these initiatives reflect a broader shift toward more environmentally conscious event and hospitality operations.

The growing role of carbon offset programs

Some hotels are also offering carbon offset programs for meetings and events.

Carbon offsets allow organizations to contribute funding toward verified environmental projects designed to reduce or remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

In some cases, hotels now facilitate offset purchases directly on behalf of event organizers and provide documentation confirming the emissions offset associated with an event.

While carbon reduction remains the priority for many organizations, offset programs can play a supporting role in broader sustainability strategies.