Buildings & Facilities Theatre

Innovating Today for Sustainable Hospitality

Day 2 : 15:40 – 16:35

Full Programme
Buildings & Facilities Theatre

With the current global challenges, sustainability has become a pressing concern for the hospitality industry. Hotel owners and operators are seeking ways to effectively apply ESG initiatives that deliver immediate benefits to their businesses. Innovation has always been at the forefront of progress, and today, we have assembled a group of experts who will share their insights and experiences on how innovation can drive sustainability and create a better future for all.

Our discussion today will focus on how hospitality leaders, owners and operators can leverage sustainability to generate value for their businesses. We will explore strategies for integrating sustainable practices into operations, identifying opportunities to reduce costs, and enhancing the guest experience through sustainable initiatives.

Learnings

  • In what ways can innovation drive sustainability and create a better future for the hospitality industry?
  • What are some strategies for integrating sustainable practices into hotel operations and identifying opportunities to reduce costs?
  • What are some of the challenges and opportunities of implementing sustainable practices in the hospitality industry, such as shifting consumer preferences, regulatory changes, and the role of sustainable finance in driving innovation?

Post-Event Actions

  • Develop a roadmap for implementing sustainable practices in hotel operations, identifying specific actions and timelines for achieving sustainability goals.

Speakers

Lucia Loposova

Executive Director

Lucia Loposova is the Executive Director of GREEN Hospitality that she founded in 2019. She has spent over a decade in the social impact space, delivering projects and initiatives that create positive change at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and youth empowerment.

Under her leadership, GREEN Hospitality has brought to life several projects focusing on waste reduction, stakeholder engagement, and innovation involving youth and entrepreneurs to help solve sustainability issues in the hospitality industry.

Several of the ideas conceived through GREEN Hackathons had since grown into real companies and products. Her passion for sustainability and innovation has driven her to become a thought leader and advocate for change in the hospitality industry across Asia and beyond.

Dimitrios Kolaxis

Deputy Vice President – Asset Management

With a primary focus on optimizing owner’s returns, Dimitrios oversees a prestigious portfolio of 18 exceptional hotels in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Renowned for his expertise in achieving an artful balance of commercial success, wellness, sustainability, and exceptional hospitality, Dimitrios exemplifies the fusion of these essential elements. His expertise extends to his role on the technical committee of the Energy and Environmental Alliance (EEA), where he actively contributes to shaping industry standards.

My Sustainability Goals for 2023:

  • Establish Sustainability Governance for all properties
  • Put in place Waste Management systems
  • Promote Farm Animal Welfare with sustainable eggs for all F&B outlets
  • Reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity
  • Reduce Electricity Consumption and Water Intensity

Samantha de Mello

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Director of ESG, Asia Pacific

Samantha is a passionate sustainability advocate; with over a decade of experience in the marketing and hospitality industry. She pivoted from communications to sustainability after attaining her Masters and is now the Director of ESG, Asia Pacific for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Samantha combines her education in marketing and sustainability, operational experience and a love for hospitality to ensure that sustainability is integrated effectively in hotels.

Speaking at:

Day 1

Start-up Pitching Series at ReThink HK 2025: Innovative Solutions in the Techstyle sector

Michael Wang

Senior Continent Head of Global Design Asia

Michael Wang has been with Marriott for 26 years and his current role is the Senior Continent Head of Global Design, Asia Pacific and led the entire Asia Pacific Global Design team in reaching the 1000 opened hotels milestone and currently working on over 760 pipeline projects across 23 countries.

Michael played a key role working on developing and executing strategies and initiatives to create a more efficient and innovative design process for our owners and hotel openings. Additionally, Michael’s passion for learning, he completed the MIT program on Artificial Intelligence for Business which propelled his group to launch design prototype packages for all of their key Select brands in Asia using Artificial Intelligence BIM platform which will further support owners and designers towards sustainability design and use preselected more sustainable materials and specifications.

My Sustainability Goals for 2023:

With the launching of Marriott Sustainability Design Guideline for Asia Pacific, we will give the owners the information and tools that they need to reaching the sustainability goals.

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