Imagine you live in Albuquerque, New Mexico; you are a hard worker who works a 40-hour workweek, you have children in college, and you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle for a break. You sit down and decide to get away for a three-day weekend up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At night you go through different hotels checking the room rates and availability, and you want somewhere that is affordable but nice, and has decent food. These are all of the qualities that we look for when we search for a hotel: cleanliness, a peaceful sleeping environment, affordability, and comfort.

But does everyone always think about looking for a sustainable hotel as a quality when choosing a hotel? As an honest guess on my part, I say No! A sustainable hotel can have practices such as trying to reduce water usage by washing guest bedding and towels less, reducing electricity demand by using energy saving light bulbs and included appliances available to guests. But another important factor is how does a hotel implement sustainable food practices. This is the aspect that I will be researching and providing facts about which hotels do this, what methods they use, and can other hotels transition to these methods, and finally should these methods become the norm in the hospitality industry.

Did you know that hotels produce 290,000 tons of waste per year including close to 80,000 tons of food waste (nine percent of total food waste from this sector). (Modern Restaurant Management). As shown in this chart below Potato products, and Fruit and vegetables account for a combined 35% of total food waste while each other category account for less or the same. (Note: There is a degree of Unavoidable food waste). That is a significant amount of food that is being wasted each year which is in need of change. The hotel sector has become even more aware of addressing food waste, and are also becoming more aware of investing in more ethical food brands, while also buying local and in – season ingredients which is increasingly becoming more of a hit with customers, and one of the hotels that encompasses some of these practices is located around 61 miles away from our home city of Albuquerque.

La Fonda Hotel, located right in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico has been around for quite a while. The hotel has been visited by a few famous people and has great amenities that hold a special place in the hearts of both tourists and those who are familiar with the area. The hotel also upholds the idea of sustainability, and was named a sustainability champion by the Historic Hotels of America. I traveled to La Fonda hotel to speak with the Manager of the hotel Rik Blyth who provided me with a few facts about their general practices of sustainability, and more specifically their specific practices of sustainability involving the food aspect of their hotel and food waste.

I also very briefly spoke with the Executive Chef Lane Warner about some of the hotel’s practices. A few examples from what I learned from them are they are trying to reduce paper consumption by substituting those products for washable cloth napkins, and tablecloths. They are also using recycled takeout containers for their food operations moving away from plastic containers. The Manager and cook also mentioned that they are continuing to try to purchase food locally at farmers markets, and other businesses that sell fresh organic foods that doesn’t have to travel as far, and helps the local economy. They would like to continue to invest in this more.

Warner also mentioned that they switched to straws that have a corn starch base, and were biodegradable which I wish I would have asked more about. They finally mentioned that the hotel also recycles 1,200-1,600 lbs of coffee pods per year which is great and has benefits. The end result of my visit was great, and I would definitely stay here just knowing what they are working so hard to do to help the environment with the steps that they are taking. I believe that if more hotels embody practices like these the general public will be incentivized to stay there; and more people when they want to get away and search for a hotel will ask “Does this hotel believe in and provide sustainable practices?” If it does then I think it will make people happy, and the hotel will get their business in return for a safe relaxing, fun, and green stay!

-Posted by Jaden