IHG Is Removing Plastic Straws From All of Its Hotels
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
At IHG, it’s the last straw for, well, straws.
Late last week, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced a new eco-friendly plan to remove plastic straws from all properties worldwide by 2019. The company has already started the initiative and has removed the straws from nearly 1,000 IHG hotels in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
A ban on the single-use plastic straws across the 5,400 IHG-branded hotels will eliminate approximately 50 million plastic straws each year. The straws removed annually, laid end-to-end, would stretch for some 6,500 miles (approximately the distance from New York City to Tokyo). As an alternative, the hotel group plans to offer biodegradable straws.
“IHG is in almost 100 countries … This gives us a responsibility to protect the environment and an opportunity to make a real difference,” IHG CEO Keith Barr said in a statement. “There is always more we can do to minimize waste, but the work we’re doing to reduce single-use plastic is a powerful example of how we can come together with guests, owners and colleagues to drive positive change.”
Plastic straws are not the only single-use plastic amenity the company intends on tackling. IHG will move away from miniature, personal bathroom amenities that utilize single-use plastic bottles. Instead, bulk-size and refillable bathroom amenities will appear across several brands throughout the US.
Though EVEN Hotels and Avid Hotels have featured ensuite, bulk-size amenities since they were launched, Kimpton Hotels started to roll them out last year and Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites will increase their use of the large dispensers.
IHG is hardly the first major travel brand to ban single-use plastic straws. Marriott announced a similar strategy back in July with the same focus on banning straws and eliminating single-use toiletry bottles by the end of 2019. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are the most recent airlines to join a number of other travel companies that have implemented various plastic reducing initiatives.
Featured photo by Getty Images
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.