The Considerate Group are proud to be collaborating with HOSPA – the Association that helps hospitality’s Finance, Revenue Management and IT professionals to develop their careers, network with colleagues and keep up-to-date with industry trends and developments. Here, Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, talks with Considerate Managing Partner Benedetta Cassinelli about their new partnership.
Jane (JP): How did the Considerate Group come about?
Benedetta (BC): Myself and my business partner both have management backgrounds in tourism & hospitality. Our experiences in these vibrant industries along with a shared passion for sustainability led to us taking over the Considerate Hoteliers Association back in 2012. Last year we changed our name to Considerate Group to reflect our services now being in demand from a range of hospitality businesses – including bars, restaurants, spas and serviced apartments, as well as hotels.
We have developed further services to complement the membership programme – the Con-Serve™ data management system is a technology platform that captures key data including electricity, heat, water and waste; which can then be correlated to occupied rooms and/or food covers & support businesses with improving their operational efficiency. Advisory services are another core part of our business.
JP: We are very happy to welcome the Considerate Group as one of our sponsors. Can you explain why you wanted to collaborate with HOSPA?
BC: Sustainability and climate change are continuously becoming more important in the world we live in today. Consumers and travellers can only continue to care even more about environmental issues and how they can influence change through their behaviour and decisions. HOSPA is one of the top trade associations for the hospitality industry in the United Kingdom and we’ve always acknowledged each other. One of HOSPA’s focus areas for this year is sustainability and therefore it made sense to come on board and bring with us our breadth of experience in applying responsible business practices in hospitality businesses.
JP: What will you be bringing to our upcoming ‘Sustainability & managing your energy’ event?
BC: We will be delivering a short presentation on our work in the sector, whilst providing background, context, and a creative approach to how sustainability can be easily integrated in to hotels and bring tangible results in improving their operations. The HOSPA event on 14th May is a fantastic opportunity for members to hear from BEIS on the country’s climate strategy. Considerate Group will explain how this can relate to hotel operations and be part of an interactive discussion on all things sustainable for a hotel.
JP: What challenges do you currently see regarding improving sustainability in the hospitality sector?
BC: The tourism sector accounts for around 8% of carbon emissions worldwide. With tourism being such a growth industry, it is likely this number will increase without definitive action. When people are enjoying their leisure time, they don’t want to think too much about climate change and reducing their environmental impact. We believe the onus is on businesses and operators to make changes on behalf of their guests and customers, and to engage guests with their initiatives through creative and positive messaging.
Due to the nature of hotels and their busy operations, visibility of energy consumption can be overlooked and an overview is not always easily accessible to management. It can also be challenging to implement CSR strategies at all levels of the operation, which can impact its effectiveness.
JP: Considerate Group is developing a brand-new mobile app for the hospitality industry. Could you tell us a bit more about what the company’s new product entails?
BC: Of course! In 2018 we won a government competition to develop an innovative energy management App for SME hospitality businesses, which is an ongoing project we are very excited about. Our new app will enable each business to quickly track and monitor its energy consumption whilst providing easy-to-use tips for managers and different types of users. We are looking for suitable beta testers who would have access to the app for free until Feb 2020, and we would love to hear from interested parties. We are recruiting only 200 testers for this phase on a first come first served basis. If any of your members or broader network are interested in getting involved, please do get in touch with us.
