From encouraging towel reuse to reducing single-use amenities and improving waste management practices, hotels have implemented a range of measures as part of their sustainability efforts.
However, real impact lies in operational back-end improvements.
“The real levers are cooling efficiency, runtime control, refrigerant discipline, and maintenance quality,” said Judy Wong, country general manager for Singapore operations at Ascott.
“This is why our focus has been on system-level improvements. Under the right asset and operating conditions, low-double-digit percentage improvements in cooling performance can outweigh the combined impact of multiple guest-facing initiatives,” she added.
As climate policy increasingly shapes how hotels manage emissions, the industry is under pressure to substantiate sustainability claims with credible data.
Hotels in Singapore are required to track their carbon emissions under the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap and reduce them by 2030, in line with national net-zero targets.
Wong shared that Ascott prioritised high-impact areas first – cooling and air movement. The group implemented cooling plant optimisation, air-side controls, hot-water efficiency measures and refrigerant management.
In 2024, it launched the Ascott CarbonClear Initiative, which standardises energy audits, operational efficiency reviews and tailored energy targets at the property level.
To assess impact, the group relies on utility bills, supported by sub-metering and building management system data.
These efforts have delivered results: Ascott achieved an 8.3 per cent reduction in energy consumption intensity compared with its 2019 baseline, alongside a 3.2 per cent reduction in carbon emissions intensity.
The path to such efficiency is not without challenges. Wong noted that data quality remains an issue, particularly in older buildings – a challenge faced by many in the industry.
“We address it by prioritising critical meters, reconciling performance back to utility data, and using conservative assumptions where gaps exist,” she said.
To align teams internally, Ascott also conducts ongoing training through sustainability courses aligned with Global Sustainable Tourism Council standards.
Hotel owners must also navigate trade-offs when retrofitting existing properties versus developing new ones. While retrofits can deliver faster near-term gains, they are often constrained by legacy designs and the risk of operational disruption.
“From an owner-returns perspective, retrofit decisions therefore prioritise measures with clear payback and minimal operational disruption over deep interventions that may extend recovery periods or strain cash flow,” Wong said.
For the wider industry to progress, Wong suggested avoiding positioning waste or amenity initiatives as carbon solutions unless their impacts are quantified.
Ascott participates in external benchmarking platforms, including the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index, to validate performance and avoid unsubstantiated claims.
“Credibility comes from disciplined operations, transparent assumptions, and verifiable data,” she added.
“By anchoring decarbonisation in disciplined operational improvements first and layering guest engagement on top, the industry can ensure capital and effort are directed where emissions actually sit.”
