75% of businesses in hotel & catering sector reduce spend on water and energy

This includes everything from investment in raw materials, transport and energy, to staffing, equipment and professional services. For the hotel and catering industry, reduction of water and energy use was the biggest area of cut back (75%), with a large number also minimising spend on raw materials and consumables. And this 'thrift shift' is set to continue when the recovery comes, with 79% of respondents citing a greater emphasis on energy efficiency in particular as a possible legacy of the recession. Matthew Rowland-Jones, Envirowise hotel and catering specialist, said: "The hotel and catering sector has been facing some serious challenges as a result of the recession and this is perhaps reflected in the number of survey respondents reducing staff costs during this period (59%). "However, it is also clear that for many companies this period of economic difficulty has stimulated a more resource-conscious mindset , galvanising environmental commitments that had perhaps been lower down the business agenda." Commenting on the research, Philippe Rossiter, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, added: "The good news is that 100% of those in hotel & catering who responded to the survey agree they will continue with their resource efficiency initiatives in the future. What many of them have discovered is that they have been able to reduce costs, through more efficient and effective use of their resources, without compromising on service quality and customer value. "The key recognition has been that, had they been less profligate in the good years at the beginning of this century, they would have been even more profitable. This recent lesson may have been tough, but the outcome for customers, the planet, and the bottom line is positive."