Skip to main content

The pressure on hotels is real — and it’s not going away

April 16, 2025

The pressure is building — and for many in the hotel and hospitality industry, it’s starting to show.  

Energy bills have doubled in just four years and from April 2025, employer National Insurance contributions will rise, adding an estimated £2,500 per full-time employee. And it’s already having an impact. In the last three months of 2024 alone, 748 hotels closed their doors – more than eight every single day [CGA]. 

At the same time, guest expectations aren’t easing up. A recent survey found that over a third of UK travellers now consider eco-friendly hotels when choosing where to stay. 

So here you are — stuck between rising costs and rising expectations. Trying to keep the lights on and the heating or cooling running, while still delivering on comfort, value, and sustainability. If you’re running a hotel today, none of this is news. It’s just another Tuesday.

What we’re seeing from the inside 

At Voltalis, we work closely with hospitality brands across Europe — so we’re seeing how the most forward-thinking operators are responding.

Energy bills have doubled in the past four years […] 748 hospitality venues shut their doors — more than eight every single day.

In France, one of the country’s leading apart-hotel groups, Appart’City, came to us last year with a clear brief: “Help us reduce our energy usage. But don’t impact guest comfort or overload our staff.” 

We equipped 47 of their sites, connecting over 9,000 radiators to our smart energy platform—agiving their team full visibility and control, while letting our system optimise usage in the background. There’s no disruption. No added pressure on staff. No cost to them. Guests don’t notice a thing. But the savings? They’re already beginning to show.

It’s a real-world example of how hotels can take meaningful action, quickly — without overhauling their operations or breaking the bank.

See how Voltalis is cutting energy use in thousands of hotel rooms across Europe already.

The quiet wins are the ones that last 

If you’re running multiple sites, you already know the big, flashy overhauls rarely scale well. You don’t have time to retrain teams or invest in new infrastructure. You need things that slot in quietly, start delivering immediately, and just… work. 

That’s what more and more hotel operators are asking for: low-effort, high-impact changes that deliver real value without adding operational noise. That’s what we’ve built. Technology that installs quickly, savings that start early, control where it matters.

Why hotels choose Voltalis 

  • No disruption – Guests stay comfortable. Staff stay in control.
  • Instant savings – Cut costs from day one.
  • No capex required – Savings without upfront investment.
  • Built for hotels – Easy to roll out across multiple sites. 
  • Sustainability that sticks – Real reductions, not just promises.

This isn’t about “being greener” — it’s about staying in business 

Let’s be clear: cutting energy use isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a lifeline. 

Look at the major players. Travelodge saved over £3 million annually through efficiency upgrades like LED lighting and smart building controls. Premier Inn just opened its first all-electric hotel in Swindon powered entirely by renewables.

We’re not here to tell you to overhaul your buildings or invest millions. We’re here to help you do more with what you’ve already got […] and real savings.

These aren’t PR plays. They’re cost-control strategies rooted in economics: and energy is one of the few areas where you can cut carbon and cut costs – at the same time.

A message to hotel leaders 

You’ve already weathered a tough few years — from Brexit to the pandemic to the staffing crisis. Now, you’re dealing with rising costs and unpredictable demand. But this is an opportunity. 

If you want to take pressure off your margins — not just next winter, but long term — now’s the time to think differently about how your sites use energy. We’re not here to tell you to overhaul your buildings or invest millions. We’re here to help you do more with what you’ve already got — smarter tech, quieter optimisation, and real savings. 

If that sounds like the kind of support your business needs, we’re here. And we’re already working with operators who are one step ahead. 

Subscribe to the Voltalis blog

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.