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Audit-Ready Carbon Reporting for Hotels and Resorts

Track guest room HVAC and lighting, laundry energy, hot water emissions, and food waste—reporting carbon per room-night for GRESB benchmarking.

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The Industry Hotspot: Guest Room HVAC and Hot Water

60-70% from HVAC and hot water

For hotels, 60-70% of emissions are Scope 1 (natural gas for hot water, heating) and Scope 2 (electricity for HVAC, lighting, elevators). A 200-room hotel consumes 2-4 million kWh/year electricity (1,200-2,400 tCO2e at 0.6 tCO2/MWh) + 500,000 m³ natural gas for hot water/heating (1,000 tCO2e). Energy intensity: 20-40 kgCO2 per room-night occupied (varies by climate, hotel class, occupancy rate). Laundry adds 5-10% (natural gas dryers, hot water). Food service adds 10-15% (kitchen equipment, refrigeration, food waste). NetNada tracks energy per room-night, benchmarks against GRESB and Green Key certifications, and calculates guest stay carbon footprint.

SASB Industry Definition

The Hotels & Lodging industry consists of entities that own, operate, or franchise hotels, motels, resorts, and other short-term accommodation facilities. Operations include guest rooms, food and beverage services, conference facilities, pools, spas, and laundry. Revenue comes from room sales, F&B sales, and franchise fees. The industry operates 24/7 with continuous HVAC, lighting, and hot water demand, generating emissions from energy use, laundry, food service, and waste management.

View SASB Standard →

Industry-Specific Carbon Accounting

No generic solutions. Metrics, data sources, and reporting aligned to Hotels & Lodging operations.

Energy Intensity per Room-Night

Calculate: Total energy (kWh) ÷ Occupied room-nights = kWh per room-night. Benchmark: Budget hotel 15-25 kWh/room-night, Mid-scale 25-40 kWh/room-night, Luxury resort 40-80 kWh/room-night (pools, spas add load). Convert to carbon: kWh × Grid factor + Natural gas × 0.0053 tCO2/m³. Industry average: 20-40 kgCO2/room-night.

kgCO2 per room-night

Hot Water Energy Tracking

Hot water (showers, laundry, kitchen) represents 20-40% of hotel energy. Natural gas water heaters: m³ gas × 0.0053 tCO2/m³. Electric water heaters: kWh × Grid factor. Calculate: Hot water energy per room-night. Efficiency measures: Heat pump water heaters (60% more efficient), solar thermal (offsets 40-70% of hot water load).

Hot water emissions tracked

Laundry Carbon Intensity

Hotel laundry (linens, towels): 3-5 kg per room-night. Energy: 0.5-0.8 kWh electricity (washers) + 1.5-2.5 m³ natural gas (dryers) per kg. Total: 2-4 kWh + 5-10 m³ gas per room-night for laundry. Linen reuse programs: Opt-in for multi-night stays → 30-50% laundry reduction. Track % guests participating.

Laundry emissions per room-night

Food Service and Waste Emissions

F&B operations: Kitchen equipment (gas stoves, refrigeration), Food waste (0.5-1.0 kg per room-night occupied). Food waste to landfill → Methane emissions (2.5 kgCO2e/kg waste). Composting or donation → Near-zero emissions. Track: % food waste diverted from landfill. Calculate: Procurement emissions (Scope 3 Category 1) using spend-based method.

Food waste diverted %

Guest Stay Carbon Footprint Labels

Generate per-stay carbon labels for guests: 1-night stay in standard room = Room energy 30 kgCO2 + Laundry 3 kgCO2 + F&B 5 kgCO2 + Waste 1 kgCO2 = 39 kgCO2 total. Display in booking confirmation and room. Marketing: 'Your 3-night stay generated 117 kgCO2, offset available at checkout'.

Guest carbon labels

GRESB and SASB SV-HL Metrics Automation

Auto-generate: GRESB energy intensity (kWh/room-night), GHG intensity (kgCO2/room-night), water intensity (L/room-night), % green certified. SASB SV-HL: Energy consumption, water consumption, % properties in water-stressed regions. Footnotes cite occupancy rate and property mix.

GRESB and SASB compliant

Product Features for Hotels & Lodging

Use Carbon Data Uploader to import utility bills and occupancy data (room-nights) for automated energy intensity and per-stay carbon calculations. Learn more →

The Activity Calculator applies emission factors for electricity, natural gas, laundry, and food waste—calculating hotel carbon per room-night. Learn more →

Related Solutions

See our Carbon Accounting solution for end-to-end hotel emissions tracking from room energy through laundry and food service.

View solution

Hotels & Lodging Case Studies

How entities in this industry use NetNada to solve carbon accounting challenges.

Mid-Scale Hotel Chain (80 properties, 12,000 rooms, 2.5M room-nights/year)

Challenge

Corporate travel clients required carbon footprint per room-night for their Scope 3 Category 6 business travel reporting. Manual utility aggregation across 80 properties took 200 hours/year. GRESB participation required energy intensity disclosure.

Solution

Deployed NetNada with automated utility data collection. Imported electricity and natural gas bills for all properties. Integrated PMS (property management system) for occupancy data (room-nights sold). Calculated portfolio average: 32 kWh/room-night, 18 kgCO2/room-night.

Result

GRESB score improved from 65 to 78 (Green Star). Generated monthly client reports: 'Your employees stayed 5,000 room-nights generating 90 tonnes CO2.' Won 3 major corporate travel contracts citing carbon transparency. Identified 12 underperforming properties (50+ kgCO2/room-night) for LED and HVAC retrofits.

Luxury Beach Resort (300 rooms, pool, spa, 3 restaurants)

Challenge

High energy intensity (65 kgCO2/room-night) due to 24/7 pool heating, spa operations, premium F&B. Sustainability-conscious guests demanded carbon disclosure. Green Globe certification required 10% YoY energy reduction.

Solution

Used NetNada to track energy by source: Guest rooms 40%, Pool/spa 25%, F&B 20%, Common areas 15%. Implemented: Solar thermal for pool heating (offsetting 40% of gas), Heat pump water heaters for spa, LED throughout. Launched linen reuse program (65% guest participation).

Result

Energy intensity: 65 → 48 kgCO2/room-night over 3 years (26% reduction). Achieved Green Globe certification. Published guest stay carbon labels: 'Your 5-night stay generated 240 kgCO2, 30% lower than resort average 3 years ago.' Guest satisfaction scores increased 8% for sustainability initiatives.

SASB Disclosure Topics for Hotels & Lodging

Material sustainability topics beyond emissions that investors and stakeholders expect disclosed per SASB standards.

Energy Management

environment

Track electricity and natural gas consumption. Report energy intensity (kWh per room-night), GHG intensity (kgCO2 per room-night), and % from renewable energy.

Water Management

environment

Monitor water consumption per room-night, % withdrawn from water-stressed regions, and water efficiency measures (low-flow fixtures, linen/towel reuse programs).

Food Waste and Emissions

environment

Track food waste from F&B operations (kg per room-night), % diverted to composting, and emissions from food procurement (Scope 3 Category 1).

Labor Practices

social

Report housekeeping and F&B worker wages, benefits, turnover rates, and union coverage. Disclose health and safety training for staff.

Climate Resilience

business model

Disclose % of properties in regions exposed to physical climate risks (hurricanes, flooding, wildfires). Report business continuity planning and climate adaptation investments.

Green Certifications

business model

Report % of rooms with green building certifications (LEED, Green Key, EarthCheck, Green Globe). Track guest sustainability engagement programs.

NetNada tracks all SASB material topics, not just emissions. Our platform supports disclosure across environmental, social, governance, and business model topics relevant to your industry.

Hotels & Lodging FAQs

Common questions about carbon accounting for this industry

How do you calculate carbon emissions per room-night for a hotel?
Room-night = One room occupied for one night. Energy intensity: Total electricity (kWh) + Natural gas (m³ × 10.5 kWh/m³) ÷ Occupied room-nights = kWh/room-night. Carbon intensity: Electricity kWh × Grid factor (tCO2/kWh) + Natural gas m³ × 0.0053 tCO2/m³, then divide by room-nights = kgCO2/room-night. Example: 200-room hotel, 75% occupancy, 3M kWh electricity/year, 100,000 m³ gas → 200 × 365 × 0.75 = 54,750 room-nights. (3,000 × 0.6 + 100 × 0.0053) ÷ 54.75 = 33 kgCO2/room-night.
Why do luxury hotels have higher carbon intensity than budget hotels?
Luxury hotels offer amenities consuming extra energy: (1) Larger room size (50 sqm vs 25 sqm) → 2x HVAC load. (2) Pools and spas (heating 24/7). (3) Premium F&B (full kitchens, refrigerated displays). (4) Higher service standards (daily linen change vs opt-in, 24/7 concierge). Typical: Budget hotel 18-25 kgCO2/room-night, Mid-scale 25-40 kgCO2/room-night, Luxury resort 50-80+ kgCO2/room-night. Efficiency potential exists: LED, heat pumps, solar can reduce luxury hotel by 30-40%.
How much carbon do linen and towel reuse programs save?
Hotel laundry energy: 2-4 kWh electricity + 5-10 m³ natural gas per room-night (washing + drying linens and towels). Reuse program: Guests staying multiple nights opt out of daily linen change. Participation rate 40-60%. Savings: 40% participation × 3 kgCO2 laundry/room-night × 2 nights average stay = 2.4 kgCO2 per participating guest. For 200-room hotel, 75% occupancy, 50% multi-night stays, 50% participation → 50,000 room-nights × 0.5 × 0.5 × 2.4 = 30 tonnes CO2/year saved.
Should we include guest travel (flights to hotel) in our carbon footprint?
Guest travel is Scope 3 Category 3 (Downstream Transportation and Distribution) - optional to report. Most hotels exclude because: (1) Guests travel for destination, not hotel brand (leisure), or (2) Employer books travel, not hotel (business). Exception: All-inclusive resorts marketing packages with flights may report. If including: Guest origins × Distance to hotel × 0.15 kgCO2/passenger-km. Disclose as separate metric: 'Estimated guest travel: X tCO2' (not added to operational emissions).
How do we account for carbon from food procurement in hotel restaurants?
Food procurement = Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Goods). Two methods: (1) Spend-based: $ spent on food categories × Emission factor per $. Meat/dairy high (5-10 kgCO2/$), vegetables low (1-2 kgCO2/$). (2) Quantity-based: kg beef purchased × 27 kgCO2/kg, kg vegetables × 2 kgCO2/kg. Add food waste disposal: Waste to landfill 2.5 kgCO2/kg (methane), waste composted 0.1 kgCO2/kg. Plant-based menu options reduce F&B footprint 40-60%. Report per room-night or per F&B revenue $.

Track Hotel Energy and Calculate Carbon per Room-Night

See how hotels measure energy intensity, achieve GRESB benchmarks, and provide corporate clients with room-night carbon data—automated.

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