Enabling sustainable outcomes in luxury hospitality
Enabling sustainable outcomes in luxury hospitality
creating a pathway to sustainable MICE events
creating a pathway to sustainable MICE events
The Brief
The Brief
How can Hyatt drive sustainability in MICE events without breaking luxury expectations of clients?
How can Hyatt drive sustainability in MICE events without breaking luxury expectations of clients?
Sustainability has steadily been integrated across hospitality, but remains largely absent in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) events space. 89% more waste is generated in events compared to regular hotel stays.
Sustainability has steadily been integrated across hospitality, but remains largely absent in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) events space. 89% more waste is generated in events compared to regular hotel stays.
Key Insight for Hyatt Stakeholders
Key Insight for Hyatt Stakeholders
Sustainability is deprioritised due to a lack of confidence to share initiatives.
Sustainability is deprioritised due to a lack of confidence to share initiatives.
Teams are untrained to recommend sustainability, they share just a 46 page deck, they believe they must balance client expectations or fear losing them.
Teams are untrained to recommend sustainability, they share just a 46 page deck, they believe they must balance client expectations or fear losing them.
Key Insight for Client Companies
Key Insight for Client Companies
Without clear, measurable value, sustainability becomes harder to choose for events.
Without clear, measurable value, sustainability becomes harder to choose for events.
In most cases planning events isn’t the primary role of the planner so they default to the safest options. Sustainable options are seen as costly, impractical and less valued.
In most cases planning events isn’t the primary role of the planner so they default to the safest options. Sustainable options are seen as costly, impractical and less valued.
The Objective
The Objective
Make sustainability metrics relevant
Make sustainability metrics relevant
introduce metrics that matter and feel desirable to clients
introduce metrics that matter and feel desirable to clients
Integrate within existing structures
Integrate within existing structures
work by bridging existing operational realities and goals
work by bridging existing operational realities and goals
AI in UX
AI in UX
Integrating AI into research, synthesis, ideation, and prototyping workflows
Integrating AI into research, synthesis, ideation, and prototyping workflows
We compared research synthesis from four LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi, NotebookLM) against manual NVivo analysis, then leveraged AI for rapid ideation, prototyping, and early concept testing (Figma Make, Claude Code, Lovable) to accelerate exploration while validating outputs through human judgment.
We compared research synthesis from four LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi, NotebookLM) against manual NVivo analysis, then leveraged AI for rapid ideation, prototyping, and early concept testing (Figma Make, Claude Code, Lovable) to accelerate exploration while validating outputs through human judgment.
The Solution
The Solution
Introducing Curate - a shared, sustainable event planning dashboard
Introducing Curate - a shared, sustainable event planning dashboard
Curate with Hyatt embeds sustainability into the event planning workflow as the default, creating a shared system with clear visibility, accountability, and aligned decision-making.
Curate with Hyatt embeds sustainability into the event planning workflow as the default, creating a shared system with clear visibility, accountability, and aligned decision-making.
Placing sustainable options forward smartly
Placing sustainable options forward smartly
The key tension was making sustainability visible without overriding Hyatt's business goals. Each dish is mapped on a menu engineering matrix of gross margin vs. carbon emissions. This graph creates four categories which are put out as tags for that dish. Dish tags have always been used to influence user psychology and steer dish selection.
A tradeoff here was to not layout the entire menu at once as they traditionally do, and rather have a 5-at-a-time view. This creates an illusion of choice for clients and actually helps push dishes from the backend.
The key tension was making sustainability visible without overriding Hyatt's business goals. Each dish is mapped on a menu engineering matrix of gross margin vs. carbon emissions. This graph creates four categories which are put out as tags for that dish. Dish tags have always been used to influence user psychology and steer dish selection.
A tradeoff here was to not layout the entire menu at once as they traditionally do, and rather have a 5-at-a-time view. This creates an illusion of choice for clients and actually helps push dishes from the backend.
Driving choices through competition
Driving choices through competition
Research and post testing showed clients respond to peer comparisons, not abstract sustainability messaging. Being able to say "you're in the top 40% for carbon efficiency among comparable events" turns a vague sustainability conversation into a concrete competitive frame.
Research and post testing showed clients respond to peer comparisons, not abstract sustainability messaging. Being able to say "you're in the top 40% for carbon efficiency among comparable events" turns a vague sustainability conversation into a concrete competitive frame.
Making it easy to justify sustainable choices
Making it easy to justify sustainable choices
Before the event even happens, after planning, the platform generates projected sustainability impact report by category, budget breakdown, and competitive performance that clients can use to justify decisions to their leadership.
Before the event even happens, after planning, the platform generates projected sustainability impact report by category, budget breakdown, and competitive performance that clients can use to justify decisions to their leadership.
Other Deep Dives
Other Deep Dives
Reach out for some important questions in the process & future scope we had to answer for, like -
Reach out for some important questions in the process & future scope we had to answer for, like -
Outcome
Outcome
We received feedback from leading industry designers and hyatt leaders.
We received feedback from leading industry designers and hyatt leaders.
Aside from valuable feedback, we also were told how hyatt would really like to implement this solution (on barely any sleep - haha)
Aside from valuable feedback, we also were told how hyatt would really like to implement this solution (on barely any sleep - haha)
Reflection
The bigger shift was understanding the limits of design's authority.
The bigger shift was understanding the limits of design's authority.
Without enforcement pressure, change depends on making the right choice easier than the wrong one, a real lever, but not one that changes underlying structural conditions. Want to know more about this collaboration? I’m happy to chat more about my process over a call. Reach out to me at bhavikamalik@u.nus.edu !
Without enforcement pressure, change depends on making the right choice easier than the wrong one, a real lever, but not one that changes underlying structural conditions. Want to know more about this collaboration? I’m happy to chat more about my process over a call. Reach out to me at bhavikamalik@u.nus.edu !