Speech by MOS Low Yen Ling at the Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace 2023

Ms. Jeanne Ng, Co-Chair of the Hotel Sustainability Committee and Honorary Secretary of SHA,

Executive Committee Members of Singapore Hotel Association,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

1. Good afternoon. I am very pleased to attend the Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace 2023. This event is a very important platform for hotel leaders to exchange knowledge and explore new partnerships to advance sustainability. It is important for us to come together. I think we all agree that today, sustainability is no longer an option or nice-to-have but really a prerequisite for businesses and everyone who wishes for a better world and future. I am very heartened to be able to join you all today at this conference and marketplace. Your presence today really bodes well for the hospitality sector which is adapting and adopting new sustainable solutions to protect our environment, and flying the Singapre flag as the hospitality sector.

Progress of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap

2. Since last March, when we launched the Hotel Sustainability roadmap, the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have been working very closely with all of you on several initiatives to achieve the sustainable goals set by the industry. Allow me to quickly recap, one and a half years ago, we came together to pledge to meet two important targets:

a. Firstly, for at least 60% of hotel room stock to obtain internationally recognised hotel sustainability certification by 2025. Year 2025 is less than one and a half years away, and we are on track.

b. Secondly, for hotels to start tracking emissions by this year and reduce emissions by 2030, with the view to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

3. During the Singapore International Energy Week one year ago, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore will achieve net-zero emissions by year 2050.

4. I am delighted, on behalf of SHA and STB, to share with you that the hospitality industry is on track to meeting its targets set one year ago. As of August this year, at least 35 hotels, and this represents about a quarter of our hotel room inventory, have either obtained or embarked on efforts to obtain internationally recognised sustainability certification. This is not bad for a one-year effort.

a. For example, hotels like Marina Bay Sands (MBS), The Fullerton Bay Hotel, and The Fullerton Hotel have obtained certification under the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Industry Criteria for Hotels.

b. The Ascott Limited was one of the first hospitality groups to receive the GSTC Recognised status following the launch of its Ascott CARES sustainability programme. Well done!

c. All these milestones indicate very importantly that the hospitality sector is really fast tracking its progress in responsible green stewardship, sustainability planning and the protection and advancement of our environment. We are really proud of the hospitality sector’s leadership.

5. Besides these targets, the hospitality industry has also made progress on its sustainability roadmap:

a. Several companies continue to test-bed and adopt innovative sustainable solutions. As part of a cross-sector pilot under the Future Economy Council Lifestyle Cluster which I co-chair, Andaz Singapore, Grand HyattSingapore, and MBS havejoined retail players like Causeway Pointto embark on a very important endeavour, and that is to pilot the use of a food valoriser which uses a patented technology to turn food waste into reusable products. This was a project that we discussed one and a half years ago in a boardroom in Enterprise Singapore. I remember that very fondly and today it has come to fruition.

b. To promote sustainable consumption habits among their guests, hotels are also incentivising guests to co-create a greener stay. For example, PARKROYAL on Beach Road rewards guests with a GoGreen Award for those who actively contribute to the hotel’s sustainability efforts. Guests who opt to have their rooms cleaned only on alternate days receive a $10 dining credit.

6. Indeed, those of us who are business travellers do not really need the room to be cleaned everyday. We can save a lot of resources, water, and of course also help the housekeeper raise their productivity by covering more ground.

7. Now, all these examples show that progress has been made this and this progress bodes well for our hotel industry. Let us all come together and let us continue to accelerate our sustainability journey. I encourage you to take advantage of the support and available funding from the various government agencies to turbo charge your hotel’s sustainability journey ahead.

a. For example, you can tap on STB’s Business Improvement Fund (BIF), which now also offers support for sustainability projects. Hotels like Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Novotel & Mercure on Stevens, and Sofitel Singapore City Centrehave all relied on this scheme to adopt in-room water filtration solutions. Let me share how this has led to very tangible results. This move will eliminate some 4.6 million single-use plastic bottles each year. That is very significant, close to 600,000 kilograms of emissions savings. By coming together, the hospitality sector can really help reduce the carbon footprint.

b. I want to encourage all of us here, hotel leaders, C-suite executives and managers, let us all press on in our efforts to leverage on the BIF that I mentioned, develop your members and employees and their capabilities, and help future proof themselves by equipping them with green skills. By helping them, this can further drive your hotel’s green transformation. For example, you can use the Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programme to reskill staff so they can gain new capabilities and take on new “green jobs”. Jobs can be redesigned. As you can see, some of your hotel guests are doing self check-in through the kiosk and your staff can now focus on higher value-add jobs, and customer facing jobs. Similarly, if we redesign the jobs, some of your existing staff can take on new jobs as well.

8. I hope you will consider making use of the Workforce Singapore’s repertoire of programmes as well and in the process, help your company capture fresh and green opportunities. Our hotel guests, some are families, some are tourists, many of them are business travellers; they are becoming more discerning. So in so doing, this future proofs your hotel to help your hotel attract visitor segments who are very persuaded by the green mission.

9. In summary, firstly, the BIF by STB. Secondly, future proofing your staff with the various programmes by Workforce Singapore. Thirdly, please engage your trade association, Singapore Hotel Association who roll out many programmes. They can help to boost your sustainability journey. For example, SHA has a workshop called the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). This is very advanced and very progressive. This workshop will help to train hotel employees on how to use a standardised approach to emissions tracking and reporting. A lot of us talk about going green but the first important step is to measure where we are and where we want to be, and to do regular reporting. This is what SHA’s HCMI workshop plans to help you achieve. This critical skill will enable you to better track your hotel’s emission level as sustainability reporting becomes more important. We look forward to more of such workshops by SHA. The partnership between SHA, Horwath HTL Pacific Asia and Greenview has done very well to collect, track, and synthesise such data across the industry and this will also then provide the sector with a strong foundation for its sustainability efforts.

10. It really helps to fly the Singapore flag proudly as a sustainability hospitality sector. Two weeks ago, when we were hosting the F1, all the hotel rooms reached 100% occupancy. It is important that we fly the flag not just individually by each hotel or accommodation, but also as a sector and show the aggregate sustainability reporting. This makes a lot of difference for business travellers as well as tourists who are now coming back to Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific. In the past before COVID-19, it is very common to hear people say “SingMaThai”: Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. We want to make sure that as they are considering a family tour in this region, Singapore is a must because of our pioneering efforts in sustainability.

Launch of the revamped Hotel Sustainability Awards, new Hotel Sustainability Playbook and Hotel Sustainability Impact Challenge

11. On that note, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the team at SHA for its leadership in advancing sustainability for the hotel industry.

12. SHA’s revamped Singapore Hotel Sustainability Award will raise and align the sector’s sustainable efforts to global standards. The awards criteria are now updated in line with internationally-recognised standards and seeks to recognise hotels that have implemented such sustainable practices. The award not only celebrates these hotels’ green achievements, but also inspires the sector’s collective action to protect our environment for future generations. One of the award winners – Paradox Singapore Merchant Court – has adopted wide-spread green technologies and practices in their hotel infrastructure within a short period of time - like retrofitting and upgrading their chiller plant and cooling tower, as well as installing heat and water pumps, sensors and digital meters. These water and energy-efficient efforts will set Paradox well for its green future. There is quite significant savings.

13. Today, SHA is leading the green charge for the hospitality sector with the launch of its Hotel Sustainability Playbook.  With support from government agencies Enterprise Singapore, National Environment Agency and STB, SHA’s web-based Playbook will serve as a comprehensive, one-stop resource for hotels at different stages of their sustainability journey. Hotels and their employees can learn best practices and be equipped with the latest know-how on sustainable initiatives and practices.  

a. In addition, the online interactive playbook will include local and international best practices and case studies as well as the latest sustainability trends and solutions.

b. A comprehensive range of available government grants and support, can also be found in the Playbook.

14. Please download it and share it with as many colleagues as possible.

15. Besides equipping the sector, SHA and EnterpriseSG are encouraging more partnerships and innovations in sustainability through the Marketplace at today’s conference and presenting a new Hotel Sustainability Impact Challenge.

a. Earlier on, The Marketplace was a hive of a lot of discussion and business activities. And indeed, the Marketplace at the conference provides participants with the chance and platform to discover new sustainability solutions and network with like-minded solution providers. I met all of them earlier. For example, one of the participating companies, Barghest Building Performance has worked with hotels like Capella Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa and Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa. – As a result, these hotels have started to deploy the company’s technologies to reduce energy consumption of chiller equipment and facilities by up to 40%, very significant savings. This becomes even more stark and important especially in today’s environment of elevated energy price given the continued Russia-Ukraine conflict.

b. The Hotel Sustainability Impact Challenge seeks to award a promising startup with $30,000 to come up with the most impactful sustainability solution for the hospitality industry. With the prize money from Enterprise Singapore, the startup can pilot its winning idea through a pilot project with a hotel. Find out what the clever solution is before you “check out” from this event today.

16. As the hospitality sector regains its momentum and transforms for the green future, I as well as my colleagues in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), STB, Enterprise Singapore and SHA, am confident that these initiatives will inspire and empower hotels and all staff in the hotel to embrace sustainable practices and guide their guests towards a better world for the future.

17. I think we should all dare to dream, dare to do, such that when we push the boundary in Singapore, it is not only inspiring to the hotel staff and leaders, but it can also be equally empowering and inspiring for the guests who come through. Each and every one of them, they could be business owners or entrepreneurs, will then take the idea back and perhaps collaborate with the hotel. They might even take the idea back to their home country and challenge their hospitality industry. If we think of our hospitality industry as an aggregate in Singapore, we should also think of it as an aggregate at the global level. After all, we are really fighting climate change at the universal level.

Conclusion

18. Thank you, SHA and partners, for leading the industry in this shared vision of sustainability. Congratulations for the successful launch of the Hotel Sustainability Playbook. Allow me to, on behalf of MTI, STB, Enterprise SG, extend my heartiest congratulations to the 80 recipients (representing 40 hotels) of this year’s Hotel Sustainability Awards, well done!I wish you all a productive conference ahead.

19. Thank you.