Sustainable hotels

U skladu s porastom svijesti o potrebi očuvanja okoliša stvoren je koncept održivog razvoja, a budući da je prostor temeljni resurs same pojave turizma, navedeni koncept je pronašao svoje mjesto i u ovoj gospodarskoj djelatnosti. Održivi razvoj turizma nije fiksno unaprijed definirano stanje već se radi o dugoročnom cilju kojem se teži, a to su očuvanje prirodne i kulturne baštine te zadovoljene potreba sadašnjih turista na način da isto bude omogućeno i budućim generacijama. Sukladno tome, osmišljeni su održivi hoteli koji su predmet ovog diplomskog rada. Naime, radi se o smještajnim objektima koji su za razliku od konvencionalnih hotela dizajnirani i građeni prema načelima održivog razvoja, a osim što vode računa o smanjenju štetnog utjecaja na okoliš (korištenjem štednih i LED rasvjetnih tijela, implementacijom sustava upravljanja energijom, ugradnjom senzora pokreta za regulaciju rasvjete u WC-ima, dvoranama za sastanke, hodnicima, korištenje štetnih kemikalija svode na minimum itd.) obuhvaćaju i društvenu komponentu, odnosno vode brigu o svojim zaposlenicima i lokalnoj zajednici više no što je to zakonski propisano. Budući da i među turistima raste svijest o potrebi očuvanja okruženja te zaštiti prirodne i kulturne baštine, sve više raste i potražnja za ovakvom vrstom smještajnih objekata. Korisnici održivih hotela su prije svega osviješteni i odgovorni putnici koji žele živjeti odgovornije pa u skladu s time traže i takvu turističku ponudu koju su spremni platiti više od ponude konvencionalnih hotela koji su još uvijek obilježeni kao veliki potrošači i onečišćivači, a upitan je i odnos prema zaposlenicima budući da je javnosti dobro poznata problematika sezonskih radnika. Postoji niz certifikata koji mogu poslužiti kao dokaz implementacije navedenog koncepta, a neki od njih su certifikat Udruge poslodavaca u hotelijerstvu Hrvatske, EU Ecolabel, Travelife Gold certifikat, oznake EMAS sustava, Navedene teorijske postavke održivih hotela dokazane su kroz nekoliko primjera iz prakse.The increase of awareness for the need to preserve the environment created the concept of sustainable development, and since physical space is the basic resource of the phenomenon of tourism, this concept has found its place in this economic activity. The development of sustainable tourism is not a fixed, pre-defined condition. Instead, it is a long-term pursued objective with the most notable objectives of the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, and meeting the needs of present tourists in a way that the same is enabled for the future generations. Sustainable hotels were designed according to this concept and they are the subject of this thesis. Unlike the conventional hotels, the sustainable hotels are built according to the principles of sustainable development which means that not only the accommodation facilities are built to reduce the negative environmental impact (energy saving and LED lighting fixtures, implementing energy management system, installing motion sensors for the control of lighting in toilets, meeting rooms, corridors, usage of harmful chemicals in minimum amounts and so on.), but their business model also includes the social component (by taking care of their employees and the local community more than they are legally required). Because of the growing awareness among tourists for the need to preserve the environment and protect the natural and cultural heritage, there is a growing demand for this type of accommodation. Tourist that use the services of sustainable hotels are primarily conscious and responsible travellers who want to live more responsibly, so accordingly to what they want and expect these customers are willing to pay more than for the services of conventional hotels that are regarded as great consumers and polluters. Also, the conventional hotels are known as having very little regard for the employees especially the well-known problems of seasonal workers. There is a number of certificates that can be used as proof of the implementation of the sustainable development concept, and some of them are: the certificate of the Association of Employers in Croatia, EU Ecolabel, Travelife Gold certificate, the EMAS system These theoretical assumptions are proven by some sustainable hotels experiences in practice