What We Learned from Hotel Loveno’s B Impact Assessment

One of the most interesting things to emerge from this process was realising that many sustainability-related practices were already in place, even before starting the B Impact Assessment.

This is quite common in sustainable tourism: positive actions often exist, but in an intuitive way, without being properly structured or recognised as part of a broader strategy.

In our case, some practices had already been in place for years. Waste separation, for example, has been part of our daily operations since 2019, partly because it was required by the local municipality. This may sound like a small detail, but we believe the tourism industry talks far too little about the positive role regulations can play. In many cases, rules and requirements can genuinely help small businesses move in a better direction.

Over the years, we have also worked on reducing single-use plastic, although gradually and often through trial and error.

Back in 2019, we were still using hospitality amenities and supplies from a provider we were not entirely satisfied with. After Covid, we took the opportunity to review some of our choices and, from 2021 onwards, moved towards recycled plastic solutions that felt more aligned with the direction we wanted to take.

We replaced traditional soap bars — which were often left half-used in guest rooms — with refillable liquid hand soap bottles. For shower products and amenities, however, we decided not to adopt traditional wall-mounted dispensers. This was not an ideological decision, but a practical one, linked to maintenance, flexibility and limited space.

Since 2025, we have also introduced formats that further reduce the amount of plastic used, even if they may feel slightly less elegant from an aesthetic point of view.

One important lesson we learned is that there are rarely perfect solutions.

Breakfast offers a good example. At first glance, single portions may seem less sustainable, yet in some cases, they can help reduce food waste. We noticed, for instance, that smaller portions are usually consumed almost entirely, while larger formats are more likely to be left unfinished.

This does not mean single portions are automatically the best option. It simply reminds us that sustainability decisions should also take guest behaviour into account, rather than relying on assumptions alone.

We also experimented with solutions that we eventually decided not to continue. At one point, for example, we tried leaving waste separation bins available for guests to use independently. On paper, it seemed like a good idea. In practice, however, it required constant correction: despite signs and instructions, waste was often sorted incorrectly or disposed of randomly.

It was a useful reminder that not every apparently sustainable solution works well in every hospitality setting — or at least not without the right processes and resources behind it.

Procurement offered another important reflection.

We cannot claim to work exclusively with small local producers or have a fully local supply chain. For many day-to-day purchases, we also rely on supermarkets and larger suppliers, and, quite simply, many of the products we offer guests are the same ones we choose for ourselves at home.

At the same time, we do work with selected local suppliers in specific areas, trying to maintain a genuine connection with the local area.

Rather than pursuing an idealised version of “local” or sustainability perfection, our approach has been to understand where improvement is realistically possible while balancing quality, operations, costs and consistency with the place we are part of.

Other ideas, meanwhile, have remained open for the future. For example, we would like to create small opportunities for conversations with guests about sustainability in tourism or provide more information connected to the local area and responsible travel practices.

For now, however, the operational reality of a small hotel means focusing on more immediate priorities.

We do not see these ideas as abandoned — postponed until time, organisation, and resources make them more realistic to implement.

One of the most valuable lessons we learned is that sustainability does not mean doing everything at once. It also means understanding which actions are genuinely sustainable for the business itself, considering available time, resources and priorities.