Evian Resort, the case of France
“Sustainable development is first and foremost about common sense: preserving today what we will need tomorrow.”
Located between Lake Geneva and the French Alps, Evian Resort is a prestigious hospitality complex bringing together several high-end hotels, a spa, a golf course and a wide range of wellness and leisure activities. Committed to sustainability and responsible resource management, the Resort joined the EnergyEfficiency4HORECA (EE4HORECA) project to better understand evolving regulations and to strengthen its environmental strategy, building on CCI France’s expertise in supporting the clean energy transition of companies in the hospitality sector.
The challenge
Before joining EE4HORECA project, Evian Resort had already implemented numerous “common-sense” measures to reduce its environmental footprint, particularly in water and waste management. However, these initiatives were not yet fully embedded in a comprehensive data‑driven strategy, and the company lacked detailed monitoring of water use by activity (spa and pools, restaurants and kitchens, guestrooms and sanitary facilities, green spaces). In a context of increasingly stringent requirements for hotels and restaurants, the main challenge was to move from a collection of isolated actions towards a more integrated approach to resource efficiency, capable of guiding investment decisions and prioritising efforts to reduce consumption.
The support provided and the actions taken
Within the project’s framework, Evian Resort took part in an online training course designed for hospitality businesses (hotels, restaurants and catering) seeking to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. This training clarified current and upcoming regulatory expectations and provided practical guidance on energy efficiency and sustainable water management. It enabled the quality and environment team to identify priority levers, translate regulatory requirements into a long-term CSR strategy, and define the foundations of an action plan aligned with the Resort’s operating reality.
Following the training, the company initiated a series of preparatory actions to strengthen its water management practices and enhance the monitoring of water consumption. Building on the knowledge and recommendations gained through the project, the team began implementing several measures, including:
- Design a plan to install water submeters for key departments (spa and pools, restaurants and kitchens, guestrooms and sanitary facilities), to obtain more granular data for each activity.
- Explore new technologies for showers, combining consumption awareness signals and systems to recover cold water for heating, in order to reduce volumes while actively engaging guests.
- Request the installation of remotely readable main water meters at site entry from the local authority, to monitor overall consumption in real time and detect anomalies more quickly.
The Resort’s longstanding commitment to sustainable tourism has been recognised through the Green Key ecolabel (Clef Verte) awarded to Hôtel Royal and Hôtel Ermitage, one of the leading international certifications for sustainable tourism establishments in the hospitality industry.
The results
The project has already delivered tangible benefits by clarifying the regulatory framework, structuring strategic thinking and shifting the CSR approach from a series of isolated initiatives towards a more data driven, long-term plan. This change of perspective prepares the Resort to quantify future reductions in water and energy use (in cubic metres, kWh and related costs) once sub‑meters and technical solutions are deployed. Combined with the Green Key certification, these efforts strengthen Evian Resort’s positioning as a sustainable hospitality destination and support its appeal to environmentally conscious guests.
Looking ahead
Next steps for Evian Resort include launching a comprehensive diagnostic of water and energy use across the site, based on future submetering and remote reading data, to map consumption patterns in detail. Building on this diagnostic, the company plans to develop a targeted action plan focusing on the most resource‑intensive areas and integrating investments in water‑saving and heat‑recovery technologies. In the medium term, Evian Resort aims to further enhance its environmental performance, improve regulatory compliance and share quantified results within the EE4HORECA community, thereby inspiring other actors in the hospitality value chain.