What if your hotel’s biggest untapped advantage is… your waste stream?
On 26 November 2025 at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai, I was invited to speak at the HSMAI MEA Commercial Strategy Conference, where I delivered the keynote:
“From Bin to Bottom Line: Turning Waste into Sales, Brand Value & Revenue”
As I dove into the topic of waste, one thing was clear: Waste is the fastest way to understand your hotel’s entire sustainability performance.
Key points from the session
- Start with the bins.
Your waste stream is one of the quickest ways to see what’s really happening in your operations, often revealing the truth long before formal reports. - Measure first, manage second.
Using frameworks like the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Hotel Waste Measurement Initiative helps bring consistency and credibility to your waste and resource data. - AI is changing the sustainability toolkit.
From Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to predictive analytics, AI is enabling smarter decisions and more impactful sustainability communication. - Sustainability has become a commercial advantage.
Corporate clients, RFPs, and the next generation of travellers increasingly choose hotels that can show real action and measurable progress. - Make sustainability part of your story.
Hotels that communicate openly about their impact build stronger guest trust and lasting brand value.
A standout moment
I shared how Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort took recycling rates from 5% to 70% in one year — a powerful example of what happens when leadership aligns with data and action.
Why waste will be a big topic for 2025:
Tighter regulations, higher landfill costs, growing scrutiny on food waste, and evolving guest expectations are pushing waste to the top of the commercial agenda. Waste is no longer just an operational challenge — it’s a clear opportunity to drive revenue and strengthen brand value.
📩 If you’re ready to understand what your waste is really telling you, Sustainability Kiosk conducts waste audits and action plans for hotels across the region – get in touch: info@sustainabilitykiosk.com
