Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is a 104-room, adults-only property located on world-famous Eagle Beach. As the Caribbean's most eco-certified hotel, it is also the No. 1 Hotel in the Caribbean per Tripadvisor and pre-COVID occupancies were humming at 97 percent year-round. Bucuti & Tara continues to prove that a sustainable operation, vacationing, and profitability can be mutually inclusive.

Calculating the ROI on being Carbon Neutral

Like any major initiative or capital project, the return on investment for sustainable initiatives does not happen overnight and is not always easy to quantify.  We must take a comprehensive look and quantify the value of positive engagement and referrals from our customers and understand the growing prominence of sustainability as a factor in their travel choices.

Traditionally hoteliers have been held accountable for the bottom line and guest satisfaction. It is ingrained in us hoteliers – and every other businessperson – that profits and shareholders dividends come first, so we are tempted to make the cost saving choice over quality.  Does your hotel require a bid process for procurement that continues to heavily favor the lowest bid? If so, it is time to base decisions on the smartest bid – the long-term bid.  We can retrain our minds to choose the best option for the long game, and we must adjust our expectations of ROI.

Jump start your path to providing a safer, healthier more sustainable travel experience by exploring eco-certifications. Becoming carbon neutral is not about simply purchasing carbon offsets to cover your property's existing footprint. It requires scrutinizing every department's processes and procedures and establishing a plan. Eco-certifications such as LEED, ISO, Green Globe and Travelife each have their individual strengths and are instrumental in providing essential framework you can tailor to your hotel. Additionally, adding a sustainability manager can help you manage and document all the required initiatives and data for certification process.

As a real-world example on the return on sustainable infrastructure investment, most major initiatives implemented at Bucuti & Tara provide an ROI three to ten years after implementation. Here is part of Bucuti & Tara's experience that helped it become carbon neutral.

Electricity

Flipping the switch on renewable energy is key. While the resort benefits partially (25 percent) from island windfarm power and solar energy, Bucuti & Tara installed a solar panel system atop its facilities in November 2016. The property's solar panels ROI is set to be achieved in May 2022, or five years and seven months from the installation date. As of March 2021, Bucuti & Tara's solar panels have produced 1,086,361 kWh, a savings from traditional electricity invoices of US $305,429, and has prevented 250 tons CO2e from being released into the atmosphere.

According to the EPA, energy and heating contribute 25 percent to global emissions. As hoteliers, we know these costs alone are among our highest. By not working to curb these emissions, temperatures will continue increasing, more air-conditioning will be required, and the downward spiral will continue eroding your profitable revenue. Years ago, an audit at Bucuti & Tara revealed 60 percent of energy costs were from air-conditioning. The installation of a programmable variable refrigerant flow system lowered air-conditioning costs by 35 percent.

When it comes to food & beverage, in the kitchen, Bucuti & Tara uses induction burners rather than popular gas stoves. Induction burners deliver 80 to 90 percent of its electromagnetic energy to the food pan. In comparison, gas can convert a mere 38 percent of its energy and electric can only convert 70 percent. The inefficiencies of gas and electric stovetops clearly waste valuable resources and time.  Additionally, the heat emitted from open flame or radiation from coils add additional burdens to cooling.

Even while on vacation, guests contribute to producing clean energy for Bucuti & Tara. With the addition of energy-generating SportsArt treadmills and stationary bikes, guests working out at its beachfront fitness center burn calories while generating kilowatts that are sent directly into the resort's power grid. You will discover viral marketing by guests who post photos of the data screen, which gives practical examples of the energy they produced to the grid, such as that their workout lit a dozen homes for a week.

Mr. BiemansEwald Biemans is owner and CEO of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba. A noted environmentalist, Mr. Biemans has steadfastly led the Eagle Beach property to become the Caribbean's first carbon neutral hotel. Averaging a 97 percent year-round occupancy, the property is a testament that sustainability and a memorable vacation can be mutually inclusive. As the most eco-certified Caribbean resort it has achieved CarbonNeutral® certification, LEED Gold, Green Globe Platinum and Travelife Gold. It is the first hotel to receive the coveted Global UN 2020 Climate Action Award for Climate Neutral Now. In 2019 it was the first-ever winner of the World Travel & Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Climate Action Award. Mr. Biemans has simultaneously led Bucuti & Tara to become the No. 1 Hotel for Romance – Caribbean and Top 10 Hotel for Romance in the World per Tripadvisor. He is a frequent guest speaker and panelist throughout the world most recently at the World Travel & Tourism Global Summit 2021. His goal is to be a resource for other hoteliers to replicate sustainability initiatives throughout their properties. Ewald Biemans can be contacted at +297 5831100 or Biemans@bucuti.com Please visit http://www.bucuti.com for more information.Extended Biography

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