Improvements in hotel water consumption: case study of a five-star hotel (Canary Islands, Spain)

ABSTRACT

The water consumption of hotels varies greatly from one to another and can depend on many factors such as category, country, climate, size, hotel facilities (spas, swimming pools, gardens, kitchens, laundry, etc.), occupation, and so forth. Five-star hotels are responsible for large amounts of water consumption in the hotel industry, and this has an impact on water consumption in the Canary Islands. This study shows the evolution of water consumption for the period 2014–2019 in a five-star luxury hotel in Tenerife. Results show an average water consumption of 700 litres per guest and night, with minimums around 600 and maximums over 1000. The hotel has its own desalination plant and introduced water saving measures progressively over the last few years, achieving a very significant reduction in water consumption and energy costs. Water improvements improve the energy efficiency of the building, as well as having a positive impact on customers’ opinions.

KEYWORDS:

• Water saving measures
• volcanic islands
• Canary Islands
• hotel water consumption
• best management practices

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The funding was provided by: Fundación CajaCanarias with the code 2016 TUR05 ‘ACUATUR Analysis of the social, environmental and economic impact of water management in the tourism sector and proposals for improvement.’