Cutting single-use plastics, sorting waste properly, managing water carefully—these are no longer special initiatives.
En las costas mediterráneas de España, una pequeña cadena hotelera ha convertido lo cotidiano en declaración de principios: eliminar el plástico de un solo uso, medir el agua gota a gota y limpiar el mar que sus huéspedes vienen a contemplar. Estimar Hotels no anuncia una revolución, sino una disciplina sostenida que, acumulada en el tiempo, empieza a dejar huella tanto en los ecosistemas como en los reconocimientos del sector.
- La industria hotelera lleva décadas generando montañas de plástico de un solo uso; Estimar ha decidido que esa inercia no es inevitable sino una elección que puede revertirse.
- El cambio más inmediato lo nota el huésped en el baño: los pequeños botes de champú han desaparecido, sustituidos por dispensadores recargables y envases de cartón reciclado que reducen el residuo en cada estancia.
- En Valencia, la instalación de contadores digitales en cada cuarto de baño logró que los propios huéspedes moderaran su consumo, ahorrando 120.000 litros de agua al año, una cifra que la cadena quiere replicar en sus otras propiedades.
- La asociación con Gravity Wave ha sacado más de 18 toneladas de plástico del Mediterráneo, convirtiendo la responsabilidad ambiental en acción tangible más allá de las paredes del hotel.
- Los premios Forbes UBS de Sostenibilidad 2024 y la nominación a los ROCA Awards 2026 señalan que el mercado empieza a distinguir el compromiso real del mero lavado de imagen verde.
Con motivo del Día Mundial del Reciclaje, Estimar Hotels hace balance de lo que ha integrado en la operativa diaria de sus tres establecimientos españoles —Valencia, La Pobla de Farnals y Calpe— desde sus inicios: un esfuerzo sistemático por eliminar plásticos de un solo uso, controlar el consumo de agua y gestionar los residuos por vías adecuadas.
El cambio más visible está en las habitaciones. Los pequeños botes de plástico de toda la vida han sido reemplazados por dispensadores recargables en la pared y envases de cartón reciclado. La señalética y la documentación del hotel cuentan con certificaciones de origen responsable. Vicente Llorca, director de calidad de la cadena, describe estas prácticas como rutina: clasificar residuos, gestionar el agua con cuidado y trabajar con gestores autorizados para envases, papel y materiales peligrosos ya no son iniciativas especiales, sino el modo en que funcionan los hoteles. Los productos de limpieza llevan el sello Ecolabel de la UE y se suministran en envases recargables, reduciendo tanto la carga química como el plástico asociado a la limpieza.
En materia de agua, los datos son elocuentes: entre 2024 y 2025, el establecimiento de Valencia redujo su consumo en torno a un tres por ciento, lo que equivale a unos 120.000 litros anuales. La clave fue instalar contadores digitales en cada baño para que los huéspedes pudieran ver en tiempo real cuánta agua utilizaban. La conciencia modifica el comportamiento, y la cadena prevé extender este sistema a sus otras propiedades.
Más allá de sus instalaciones, Estimar colabora con Gravity Wave, organización dedicada a retirar plástico del Mediterráneo, y ha contribuido a extraer más de 18 toneladas del mar. El reconocimiento no ha tardado en llegar: premio Forbes UBS de Sostenibilidad 2024, distinción en el congreso Sun&Blue y nominación a los ROCA Awards 2026 en la categoría de responsabilidad social corporativa. En un sector donde el greenwashing abunda, estos galardones apuntan a que el mercado comienza a premiar a quienes cambian de verdad su forma de operar.
Estimar Hotels is marking World Recycling Day this May by taking stock of what it has built into the daily operations of its three Spanish properties: a systematic effort to strip away single-use plastics, monitor water consumption, and route waste through proper channels. The chain operates hotels in Valencia, La Pobla de Farnals, and Calpe on the Alicante coast, and sustainability has been woven into how they work from the beginning.
The most visible changes are in the guest rooms. Those small plastic bottles of shampoo and gel that hotels have handed out for decades are gone. In their place are refillable dispensers mounted on the bathroom wall. Bath products now arrive in recycled cardboard packaging, plastic-free. The paperwork and signage the hotel uses comes with certifications proving responsible sourcing. These are not revolutionary moves, but they are deliberate ones, and they add up. Each guest stay generates less waste, and what does get generated can actually be recycled.
Vicente Llorca, the chain's quality director, frames this as routine now. Cutting single-use plastics, sorting waste properly, managing water carefully—these are no longer special initiatives. They are how the hotels operate. The company works with licensed waste handlers for packaging, paper, and cardboard. Hazardous materials—old electronics, batteries, fluorescent tubes, printer cartridges—go to specialized firms. Cleaning products have shifted from conventional formulas to ones carrying the EU Ecolabel, and they come in refillable containers. This reduces both the chemical load on the environment and the number of plastic bottles tied to housekeeping.
The hotel also favors suppliers nearby and buys seasonal products when operations allow. This keeps transport distances short and money flowing into local economies. It is a small lever, but it works.
Water consumption tells a clearer story. Between 2024 and 2025, the Valencia property cut water use by roughly three percent. That translates to about 120,000 fewer liters flowing through the building each year. The reduction came after installing digital counters in every bathroom, letting guests see in real time how much water they are using. Awareness changes behavior. The hotel is expanding this approach to other properties.
Beyond the walls of the hotels, Estimar has partnered with Gravity Wave, an organization that pulls plastic waste from the Mediterranean Sea. Through this collaboration, the chain has contributed to removing more than 18 tons of plastic from the water. It is a concrete way of addressing the ocean pollution that tourism itself can worsen.
The work has not gone unnoticed. In 2024, Estimar won the Forbes UBS Sustainability Awards and received recognition at the Sun&Blue Congress on Tourism and Blue Economy for sustainable hospitality practices. The chain is also nominated for the ROCA Awards in 2026, in the category for corporate social responsibility. These are not trivial accolades in an industry where greenwashing is common and genuine commitment is rare. They suggest that the market is beginning to reward hotels that actually change how they operate, not just how they market themselves.
Citações Notáveis
Reducing single-use plastics, separating waste correctly, and controlling water consumption are now standard procedures in our hotels— Vicente Llorca, quality director, Estimar Hotels
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a hotel chain decide to overhaul its entire approach to waste and water? What's the business case?
It starts with the guests. More travelers now ask where their money is going and what impact it has. But it's also about cost. Fewer plastic bottles means lower purchasing expenses. Water savings of 120,000 liters a year cuts the utility bill. The refillable dispensers cost more upfront, but they last longer and reduce waste disposal fees. It pays for itself.
The digital water counters in bathrooms—isn't that a bit intrusive? Watching how much water you use while you shower?
It's transparent, not surveillance. Guests can see their consumption and adjust. Some feel good about using less. Others don't care. But the data helps the hotel identify leaks and inefficiencies they'd otherwise miss. It's a tool that works both ways.
You mention 18 tons of plastic removed from the Mediterranean. That sounds significant until you realize how much plastic is actually in that sea. Does it matter?
It matters to the fish and the ecosystem. It matters to the hotel's conscience. And it matters as a signal—if every hotel chain did this, the tonnage would be enormous. One chain alone can't solve the problem, but refusing to try guarantees nothing changes.
Why emphasize local suppliers and seasonal products? That seems separate from the sustainability story.
It's not separate. Transportation is carbon. A tomato shipped from thousands of miles away costs more in fuel than one grown nearby. Buying local keeps money in the region and shortens supply chains. It's all connected—waste, water, transport, sourcing. You can't solve one without looking at the others.
The awards and nominations—are those the real goal here, or are they just recognition of work already being done?
Recognition matters because it influences other hotels. When a competitor sees Estimar winning awards for sustainability, it becomes harder to ignore. The industry watches. Awards create pressure to match what's working. That's how change spreads.