In a world that is constantly thinking about
environmental and social challenges as it tries to find answers for climate
change, there are those who choose the path of sustainability and responsible
hospitality. For FARE INSIEME Giampaolo Colletti interviews Agostino Scialfa,
CEO of Hotel Cosmopolitan
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Do you know
that there is a hotel in Bologna that accommodates around 150 thousand small
and respected flying guests? They sleep there and work constantly for
themselves and for all of us, as they pollinate flowers and produce excellent
honey destined to other guests too, those staying at the hotel. So, for the
past two years, every summer, Hotel Cosmopolitan has been accommodating more
beehives than rooms. A small yet immense contribution to the city's ecosystem.
Welcoming the future with open arms and with a smile. Because the future,
despite the many difficulties, is still a great opportunity. And it has never
been so thrilling. The story we are about to tell you combines the idea of
hospitality with the levers of impact, sustainability, the environment and the
community. Easier said than done. But there is a company that has turned its
words into action - Hotel Cosmopolitan, an accommodation facility and much more
than that. We find ourselves in Bologna, not far from the city centre in a busy
area with the Fair, CAAB and the Meraville Business Park.
Company profile. In 2023, the hotel
became a benefit company, but the journey was long and pioneering when it came
to green hospitality. “We chose an innovative approach, careful about our
impact and the local communities around us. In 2020, we initiated a partnership
with the University of Bologna to measure emissions and plan a package of green
investments. The alliance is with the Turtle spin-off, a sort of sustainability
notary that works with researchers and experts to measure and certify that the
actions taken actually produce results in terms of lower emissions as well as
in economic and social terms. As for energy consumption, the 100 kilowatt
photovoltaic plant is ready to go and will cover 20% of the hotel’s needs,
while a further 20% reduction will come from district heating after our
connection to the waste-to-energy plant”, explains Agostino Scialfa, CEO of Hotel
Cosmopolitan and President of Confindustria Emilia’s Tourism and Culture
branch. The entrepreneur, who was born in 1979, is already managing four
facilities totalling 400 rooms between Bologna, Forlì and the Romagna riviera.
His idea of hospitality is putting customers at the centre and providing the
best services they need. Thus, for Scialfa, it is possible to make a difference
with a more sustainable offer when it comes to tourism in terms of appeal and
affluence. “Customers
too, whether on a business trip or on a family holiday, have a greater
sensitivity when it comes to safeguarding the environment. Tourists do not
appreciate lies and therefore we must always be transparent, authentic and
coherent. The infamous greenwashing is the worst publicity we can get. My
advice is to be sustainable not only because it is trendy”, stresses
Scialfa. The numbers show this too. The latest polls presented at London’s World
Tourism Market WTM show that 70% of respondents prefer sustainable travel
options and as many as 90% wish to pay more attention to the environmental
aspect of their trip compared with previous years. “This conscience and
widespread sensitivity will become, we hope, more relevant and sustainability
will become pivotal in tourism as well”, says Scialfa.
Green actions For this four-star
international business hotel, the journey towards sustainability began in 2009.
The challenging yet necessary objective was to maintain quality standards high
while zeroing environmental impact by 2027. It therefore started focusing on
water, energy and electrical recharging. But there is more. As we mentioned,
the hotel also became a home to bees, as it welcomed hives into its garden. But
sustainability initiatives also involve aspects at the service of clientele, of
a certain impact towards environmental and anti-waste awareness. Then there is
sustainable mobility with a series of green services. From the five new 22KW columns
to charge electrical vehicles to car sharing services in collaboration with
Enjoy, which enables train-car interchanges. There are free water dispensers
available to guests and waste management was improved in collaboration with
Hera and the Bologna municipality. By 2024, the Hotel believes it can cut 95%
of the emissions it produced in 2020, reducing CO2 by around 300 tons a year.
The big picture. Of course one
swallow does not a summer make. But it is possible to make a difference by
joining forces. Scialfa already does all this, proposing an integrated strategy
for the other businesses forming part of the network. Thus the green investments
also involve the other structures forming part of the group in Romagna: a 50 KW
photovoltaic plant is in fact being set up at the Grand Hotel in Forlì. Then
there is the optimization of system procedures to lower emissions. In the
meantime, Bikini Tropicana in Lido di Savio on the Ravenna coast, is no longer
using disposable products, it is using water dispensers and has improved the
air-conditioning systems, which alone enabled to reduce energy consumption by
50%. “We
need to understand what are the best actions to take and involve the staff
whenever it comes to such delicate yet extremely current issues. Sustainability
must be tackled as a chain, which means that, if we all ask our suppliers for
more sustainable products or solutions, they will in turn approach
sustainability”, concludes Scialfa. Once again, environmental and social
challenges are tackled together, with that team work that only the most
visionary of organizations can achieve.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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