Taking care of the environment around us is not just something for public organizations or private entities. Private companies have a lot to contribute and, in Canary Islandstourism has an undeniable weight within this area.
This is why hotels must make a firm commitment to energy efficiency, a formula that will allow them, in addition to looking after the planet, to reduce costs in the medium term.
How to do it with the difficulty that daily operations and demand entail is the challenge that they must try to solve with guarantees.
To do this, the first thing is to try to consume less: good insulation of buildings, take advantage of the light solar with the buildings themselves or choosing LED bulbs are just some of the measures that can help in this task.
Another good option is to install motion sensors that facilitate turning on lights only when necessary, combining this with correct maintenance and cleaning of lamps and luminaires.
With these small changes, consumption will be reduced and, therefore, less energy will be needed to cope with day-to-day life.
Once the demand is reduced, it is time to determine its origin. Ideally, this energy comes from renewable sources or, failing that, clean energy sources.
To comply with this premise, the hotel chain Landmar Hotels has installed a total of 1,934 solar panels in its hotels in Puerto Santiago in 2023. If we put them all together and in a straight line, the route from Landmar Costa Los Gigantes to the beautiful Playa de Los Guios, near the cliffs, would be more than covered, being around two kilometers long.
This investment, exceeding one million euros, will allow these Canarian-branded hotels to supply, during hours of full production, 60% of the energy needs of Landmar Costa Los Gigantes and 15% of the Landmar Playa la Arena hotel. To understand it in simple terms: between both hotels, they could power 166 average homes every day.
The remaining kilowatts are contracted to companies that, in a certified manner, guarantee the origin of said energy from clean sources such as solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy or hydraulic energy.
This line of work has also included aerothermal energy since 2016, reducing the need for electricity by 35% thanks to an alternative that allows energy to be obtained from the air to cover the demand for domestic hot water in buildings.
In this way, the aim is to supply the 949 rooms managed by the company in a more sustainable way, always starting from the objective “Generate more, consume less” on which the brand bases its commitment.
Water and waste as main actors
Although when we talk about energy efficiency we normally think about electricity consumption, it is important to highlight that there are other main actors that play a leading role.
For example, water. To ration its consumption, Landmar Hotels has an ambitious resource control plan. Since March 2023, customers have had km0 water sources that, beyond reducing consumption, have prevented the circulation of a total of 500,000 plastic containers this year.
Thus, upon arrival the guest finds a reusable bottle in their room that they can refill at various points during their stay. The remains are thus finished in containers that are not finished, refueling only when necessary.
To complement, in daily operations there are cisterns with reduced flow and double discharge and showers with limited pressure. The control of possible leaks and maintenance that prevents losses complements this package of measures.
This care for water goes beyond drinking water. Every year, Landmar Hotels organizes coastal cleanups and training activities on the marine environment for employees and families.
When sorting waste, it is essential to have the participation of guests and workers. The former are encouraged by Landi, the hotel’s mascot, at each recycling point, while for the Landmar Team, a team of more than 600 workers, the invitation to participate is continuous.
Destination and establishment, hand in hand.
With all this, tourism companies must not forget that the destination and the establishment go hand in hand, that it is a cluster of events that make the client choose Tenerife and repeat Tenerife.
To achieve this, public and private organizations must work hand in hand, establishing guidelines that look after the environment and protect it with the collaboration of both.
With the clear objective of decarbonizing the destination, it is important to measure the carbon footprint that companies are generating and thus be able to establish realistic objectives that commit to reducing emissions.
After verifying the carbon footprint in accordance with the ISO 14064-1:2018 Standard with the AENOR Certification Entity, Landmar Hotels has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 2025.
