The prestigious Roca Awards for Hotel Initiative have recognised Hilton Grand Vacations Europe in their fifteenth edition. The chain has been honoured with the We Are Water Foundation Award for the Chain with Best Corporate Social Responsibility, a category created in 2016 to distinguish organisations that place sustainability, innovation and social responsibility at the heart of their activity.

The Roca Awards are among the most relevant accolades in the international hotel sector, with more than three decades of history and a consolidated role as a driver of transformation. Year after year, they reinforce their role as active agents in the evolution of the sector, raising hospitality standards and reminding us that the future of tourism is defined in spaces where knowledge, industry and talent converge.

Carlos Garriga, director of the We Are Water Foundation, presented the Award to Suzana Gomercic, Senior Vice President of European Resort Operations at Hilton Grand Vacations. Garriga highlighted that “the alliance with Hilton shows that sustainability advances when it becomes a shared responsibility, capable of generating real impact in communities and in the culture of water”. For her part, Gomercic emphasised that “this recognition strengthens our commitment to a tourism model that protects resources, drives efficiency and places people’s wellbeing at the centre of every decision”.

The jury for this edition, held at the Roca Barcelona Gallery, was composed of leading figures in the sector: Laura Curt, director of the Awards and CEO of Curt Ediciones, the publishing house that co-organises the event together with Equipamiento Hotelero; Xavier Torras, brand & communication director at Roca, sponsor of the edition; Isabel López Vilalta, founder of Isabel López Vilalta Asociados; José Antonio Ares, partner and architect at Foster & Partners; Álvaro Carrillo de Albornoz, general director of the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero; Vicente Romero, president of the Círculo Internacional de Directores de Hotel; Toni Zaragoza, director of InteriHotel; and Paolo Casagrande, chef at the restaurant Lasarte Barcelona, with three Michelin stars.

For decades, sustainability has ceased to be a complement and has become a strategic economic asset. The tourism sector was a pioneer in integrating water efficiency, impact reduction and water culture long before ESG criteria became widespread.

Driven by a new generation of travellers who demand low-impact, culturally respectful destinations, tourism has developed green economy models capable of distributing wealth and addressing climate change. Architects, urban planners and tourism operators have moved towards zero-discharge buildings and the incorporation of water footprint as a key indicator of social responsibility. “This pioneering trajectory explains why the sector has become a reference for the rest of the economy in the transition towards sustainable and fair development,” stated Xavier Torras.

In this context, the hotel has become a decisive ally: a space capable of reducing impacts, optimising resources and raising awareness among millions of travellers. This evolution explains the value of alliances such as the one we have maintained with Hilton Grand Vacations for 8 years. We began with Le’ts make a deal, an initiative that marked the start of implementing responsible water management in tourist resorts and demonstrated that it was possible to involve guests and teams in more conscious water use. Over time, this commitment evolved into Walkathons for Water, which broadened awareness and turned guest participation into a gesture of solidarity.

Thanks to this alliance, we have promoted 13 projects that have improved access to water and sanitation for 1.6 million people in eleven countries. An impact that confirms tourism’s potential to drive real transformations when sustainability is integrated into its strategy.

Tourism is a decisive economic engine and, at the same time, a sector directly threatened by climate change. Its relationship with water and energy places it at the centre of this transition. Water consumption in tourist destinations is particularly high: a tourist may use between 450 and 800 litres per day, and in tropical areas exceed 2,000 litres. In the hotel sector, the figure can reach 3,423 litres per room, with a significant energy impact.

Water efficiency can reverse this trend. A 100-room hotel could reduce its consumption by 227 litres per overnight stay, equivalent to 16,573 m³ of water and 209,541 kWh of energy per year. Our experience confirms this: in 2019, Hagamos un Trato saved 970,000 litres by reducing towel washing and 1.02 million litres by extending sheet use. In addition, installing more than 1,500 filters prevented more than half a tonne of plastic from entering the environment through containers and cups.

A clear example of how small operational decisions can generate significant environmental benefits. These data confirm that tourism can play a decisive role in the responsible management of water and energy. And on this path, we need allies, such as Hilton Grand Vacations, who can advance with coherence and vision.