The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) has launched a new learning tool for hotels to understand the connection between environmental, social and governance issues, and ultimately test out the outcomes of different solutions and strategic decisions.
Developed in partnership with Sim Institute, the Net Positive Simulation launched today (17th October 2023) on the opening day of the Alliance’s Mainstreaming Net Positive Hospitality Summit, held in London from the 17th-18th October. Founder of Sim Institute, Tim Rogmans, attended the Summit today to present the new hotel learning tool with the Alliance’s members and partners who attended the Summit.
The Net Positive Simulation has been developed to engage and upskill hospitality leaders and students, bringing Net Positive Hospitality to life and demonstrating how you can implement the Pathway. It helps users to understand the impacts of their decisions, test sustainability actions and create a tailored sustainability action plan.
The Simulation will be available to all members, partners and sector employees to access and play at a cost. Aimed at hotel owners and employees, such as Managers and engineers, the Alliance hopes that the new Simulation, which takes roughly an hour to complete, will empower employees to take control of their hotel’s sustainability strategy, being mindful of what can impact performance.
As ESG issues become more business critical, there is a need, and an appetite, for the leaders of the future to learn how to effectively plan and implement responsible business practices. This simulation provides a practical and interactive learning experience for Hospitality Students worldwide.
Comprising of four areas of focus, People, Planet, Place and Prosperity (the 4Ps), learners are tasked with managing a hotel for seven years, with an aim to progress towards Net Positive, while managing the hotel’s financial performance. Each year of the Simulation, learners select initiatives to implement from a list relating to technical solutions, policy changes, and behaviour-based programmes. After each year of decisions, learners receive feedback on their actions and an analysis of their performance across the 4Ps, giving them the knowledge and enthusiasm to make Net Positive Hospitality a reality.
At the end of the Simulation, the hotel is awarded an overall standard, Starting, Advancing, Accelerating, or Leading, in line with the four stages of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.
Tim Rogmans, CEO, Sim Institute comments:
“The Net Positive Hospitality Simulation is a cutting edge experiential learning tool for professionals and students across a wide range of functions and disciplines. It is designed to empower learners with the skills, confidence and enthusiasm to help their organizations to make major progress towards Net Positive Hospitality.”
Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, said:
“We are thrilled to unveil our ground-breaking Net Positive Simulation, a pivotal tool propelling the hospitality industry towards a sustainable future. By empowering our partners, donor members, and industry organisations, this innovative solution equips them with the foresight and knowledge needed to navigate the challenges ahead. With its unparalleled ability to predict and prevent misguided sustainability decisions, our Simulation marks a significant step towards achieving our shared vision of a Net Positive industry. We eagerly anticipate witnessing its transformative impact as it is embraced by our valued partners and members in the months to come.”
The Alliance, which has over 40 donor and affiliate members to date and a reach of 7 million rooms, brings together engaged hospitality companies and the wider hospitality value chain, along with strategic partners, to address key challenges affecting the planet, people and places around the world. They work to accelerate the path to Net Positive Hospitality through strategic industry leadership, collaborative action, harmonisation of metrics and regenerative solutions. It harnesses the power of the four pillars of people, planet, place, and prosperity combined with the industry’s transformative power, innovation, and resources.