St. Regis Sustainable Innovation

St. Regis Sustainable Innovation: Elevating Luxury with Purpose

A strategic service innovation tackling greenwashing in the luxury hotel industry by fostering genuine sustainable practices that resonate with affluent clientele.

Role:

UX Researcher & Service Designer

Timeline:

Jun 2023- Aug 2023

Team:

Tanvi Kokate & 4 Others

Relevant Keywords:

Sustainability in Hospitality, Product Design, Behavioral Analysis

Primary Research Methods

Ethnography

Survey

Netnography

In-Depth Interviews

Context

Imagine arriving at a world-class luxury hotel, expecting elegance, comfort, and impeccable service—only to realize sustainability feels like an afterthought. While St. Regis is known for its timeless sophistication, there was an opportunity to seamlessly integrate eco-consciousness without compromising luxury. Today’s travelers seek both indulgence and responsibility, and we set out to elevate the guest experience by making sustainability intuitive, rewarding, and effortlessly woven into every stay.

Our mission? To redefine luxury—where elegance meets environmental responsibility, ensuring that every moment is as thoughtful as it is extraordinary.

Project Summary

The Challenges

Lack of Sustainability in Luxury Hospitality: Implementing genuine sustainable practices, often resorting to greenwashing.

Limited Transparency: Guests lack visibility into the hotel's sustainability efforts, making it difficult for them to make informed choices.

Guest Engagement: Minimal encouragement for guests to adopt eco-friendly behaviors during their stay.

Operational Inefficiencies: Long wait times, limited staff training, impact both guest experience and sustainability goals.

The Solution

Guest-Facing Digital Platform: A sustainability dashboard within the hotel app allows guests to track their carbon footprint, make eco-conscious choices, and earn rewards.

Gamification & Rewards: Guests accumulate points for sustainable actions, which can be redeemed for perks, encouraging long-term engagement.

Transparent Communication: Clear messaging on the brand's website and in-room materials, educating guests on sustainability efforts.

The Impact

Increased Guest Awareness & Participation: Encouraging responsible behavior through technology and incentives fosters more conscious luxury travel.

Enhanced Brand Reputation: Authentic sustainability efforts set St. Regis apart as a leader in eco-conscious hospitality.

Long-Term Environmental Benefits: Reduced waste, lower carbon footprint, and responsible sourcing create a measurable positive impact on the environment.

Go to Solution

The Process!

1. Exploration

To design a solution that truly integrates sustainability into the St. Regis experience, we first needed to understand who plays a role in shaping it.

We began with formative and evaluative research and created a Stakeholder Engagement Map. This helped us identify key influencers, each with their own expectations and challenges.

We found that

There are not sufficient certifications for sustainability and enough partnerships with NGOs

Bloggers, social media, and press show a high level of interest in the brand which drives the brand's growth and visibility.

St. Regis is known for weddings and other events, so event planners are important stakeholders.

2. Defining the Problem

With this foundation, we turned to the Customer-Brand Value Proposition Canvas, mapping out the distinct challenges faced by both the brand and its guests.

Insights

Room Service is not timely due to long wait times and limited trained staff.

Miscommunication and long wait times for valet to bring guests' cars from the parking.

Long wait times in restaurants and cold food served in room service.

Very exclusive with great amenities coming at a price.

Butler Service is their only solution for great customer service which results in limited people using the service.

No information visible on the materials or activities which results in not making the online experience personal.

To pinpoint these friction points in greater detail we mapped the St. Regis Current State Service Blueprint. This revealed critical insights, moments where sustainability efforts could be better communicated

The whole process has a lot of uncertainties that confuse and stress the guests, overall making their stay unpleasant.

Communication between guests and the hotel is not effective, which results in a lot of confusion.

While booking, Information about the hotel and amenities is insufficient, leading to confusion and anxiety for guests.

Problem Statement

In certain aspects, the luxury hotel industry demonstrates unsustainability and often resorts to green-washing practices in order to cater to an affluent clientele. With this project, our objective was to strategically take measures that raise awareness and drive the implementation of sustainable practices within this industry.

To deepen our understanding, we conducted in-depth interviews with consumers who have either stayed at St. Regis or a similar luxury hotel, capturing firsthand perspectives on sustainability in luxury travel. These insights helped us identify key pain points, motivations, and expectations.

I want to support sustainability, but extra fees make it feel like a luxury I can’t afford.

Bringing my own toiletries is inconvenient, but I don’t fully trust hotel-provided ones.

Finding a hotel that balances luxury, service, and budget is always a challenge.

Buffets seem more sustainable, but I still end up wasting food by taking too much.

I make sustainable choices, but mostly when they benefit me personally for no additional cost.

If hotels made sustainability effortless and rewarding, I’d be more willing to engage.

From there, we performed a SWOT Analysis, evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in St. Regis’ current approach to sustainability.

This allowed us to strategically prioritize short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals, ensuring that our recommendations were both actionable and impactful.

Short-Term:

Establish Waste Reduction Programs
Conduct sustainability training programs for employees
Communicate sustainability initiatives to guests through in-room materials, signage, & digital platforms

Mid-Term:

Establish partnerships with local organizations to support community sustainability projects

Long-Term:

Expand sustainable dining options
Invest in green building upgrades and renovations to improve overall sustainability performance.

Synthesizing our primary and secondary research, we developed 2 key user personas that best represented our user groups and their sustainability mindsets.

Profile:

Name: Mark Shah

Age: 38 Years

Occupation: Software Engineer

Type: Naturalite

Bio:

Mark is an adventurous traveler who has a deep love for exploring new cultures and natural landscapes. He seeks meaningful experiences while minimizing his ecological footprint and supporting local communities.

Goals:

Wanting to contribute positively to the destinations he visits.
Experiencing the beauty of nature and diverse cultures while leaving a minimal ecological footprint.
Supporting local communities and fostering cultural exchange through responsible tourism.
Inspiring others to adopt sustainable travel practices through his own actions

Frustrations:

Balancing the desire for immersive travel experiences with minimizing environmental impact.
Navigating unfamiliar destinations to find sustainable options and activities.
Overcoming language barriers or cultural differences related to sustainability practices.
Dealing with limitations or trade-offs in sustainable options during travel planning.

Profile:

Name: Olivia Villanueva

Age: 45 Years

Occupation: CFO at a Startup

Type: LOHAS

Bio:

Olivia appreciates luxury and elegance in her travel experiences. She often stays at St. Regis hotels due to their reputation for exceptional service and refined accommodations. While she enjoys the luxury and comfort of these hotels, Olivia also has a growing concern for environmental sustainability and strives to make conscious choices during her travels.

Goals:

Seeking a balance between luxury and sustainability in her travel experiences.
Supporting hotels that demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility.
Inspiring change and encouraging the integration of sustainable practices within the luxury hospitality industry.

Frustrations:

Balancing her desire for luxury and comfort with her commitment to sustainability.
Identifying sustainable practices and options available at St. Regis hotels.
Navigating eco-friendly choices in unfamiliar destinations.

3. Developing Solutions

With these insights, we were ready to bridge the gap—transforming sustainability from an operational challenge into an engaging, and luxurious part of the St. Regis experience.

Room Control & Carbon Footprint Insights:

A dedicated section on the homepage displays real-time data on the guest’s carbon footprint during their stay, increasing awareness of their environmental impact.

Curated Eco-Friendly Choices: Allows guests to maintain a high-end experience while supporting sustainability.

Dual-Section Homepage: One segment highlights the guest’s sustainability statistics, while the other categorizes various aspects of their stay where they can make eco-conscious decisions.

Green Choice Selection: Guests can actively opt for environmentally friendly alternatives in each category, directly contributing to a more sustainable stay.

Customer receives a text for refill and is asked for their desired pickup location 

Gamification & Rewards: Guests earn points for making sustainable choices, which can be redeemed for exclusive offers or used to climb the leaderboard, adding an element of engagement.

Additionally, an in-room device was designed with an interface mirroring the application, accompanied by a redesigned key card and an informational brochure.

4. Communication Strategy

To effectively communicate the sustainability initiative & the reward program, we designed brochures, landing pages, and posters to engage and inform guests.

Personal Takeaways

This wasn’t just a project; it was a turning point in how I think about design, responsibility, and the role I play in creating better experiences—for people and the planet.

Beyond shaping a brand’s sustainability efforts, this project reshaped my own mindset. I now question waste, appreciate responsible sourcing, and believe that luxury and eco-consciousness can, and should, coexist.

Designing for sustainability isn’t about compromise—it’s about smarter, more intentional choices. Whether it’s reducing waste, sourcing locally, or improving transparency, even the smallest shifts can create lasting impact.