Inflation: Hospitality is looking for ways to save energy

In view of rising energy costs and a possible gas shortage in winter, hotels and restaurants in Lower Saxony are preparing for the cold season.

Inflation: Hospitality is looking for ways to save energy

In view of rising energy costs and a possible gas shortage in winter, hotels and restaurants in Lower Saxony are preparing for the cold season. Heating, pools, cooling - "the entire range of energy-saving measures is being reviewed again," said the general manager of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) in Lower Saxony, Rainer Balke. Price increases are also not taboo.

Hotels and restaurants are under enormous cost pressure. It is therefore conceivable to reduce the temperature in pools or hotel and restaurant buildings. For example, companies would already readjust heating systems and switch off or replace energy-intensive devices, said Balke. "Everything that has been propagated for years is now taking on a new meaning under the enormous cost pressure."

Sometimes decisions from the past are reversed. For example in restaurant kitchens, where the electric stoves, which are considered sluggish, are once again an issue as an alternative to gas stoves. The costs must always be taken into account, said Balke.

This also applies to customer costs. "Not every price increase is accepted by the customer," said the Dehoga managing director. However, many companies have their backs to the wall and would not survive without higher prices. Moderation is the order of the day. It is also clear that guests do not accept unheated hotels or restaurants. "Feeling good is part of the hospitality industry."

In the Harz Mountains, "The Hearts Hotel" has already responded to the rising costs. Instead of on the gas stove in the hotel kitchen, it sizzles in an open-air kitchen with a charcoal grill. The guests are also sitting outside until the end of September. The feedback ranged from understanding to positive, said hotel manager Meik Lindberg.

For overnight guests, there could be a new payment model in the hotel in the future: rooms at a cold price. The rooms are heated to a maximum of 21 degrees during the day and 17 degrees at night. The hotel is trying to save energy "up to a tolerable level that we as hosts can do," said Lindberg. If you prefer your room to be warmer, you have to pay extra. Software precisely controls the individual room temperatures. But the hotel manager also knows that the price screw is a sensitive topic. Right now, advance bookings are about 50 percent below those of a typical August. Half of the bookings only come in two weeks before arrival.