President of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries of Aude (UMIH 11) and co-president of the hotel union in Occitanie, Thierry Deniau discusses the essential adaptation of structures, but also of practices in the sector to adapt in a department where nearly 90% of collective tourist accommodation beds will be exposed to extreme heat in 2050, with more than 35 days at 30° and more than 50 tropical nights per year.
How is the issue of climate change addressed today by the hotel profession?
The question of sustainable development has been integrated into the new hotel classification which came into force in 2022. For all establishments, from 1 to 5 stars, items linked to this question and eco-gestures have been integrated. In the old regulation, there were 13 of these criteria, only three of which were mandatory; the new classification now includes 27, 13 of which are mandatory (in addition to staff training of a minimum of three hours in the economical management of energy, water and waste, made compulsory and no longer optional, Editor's note). The main problem today is already the question of water: when we talk about small gestures, there is the widespread use of aerators on taps to reduce consumption. But questions also arise about the operation of swimming pools; and the sector must also think about the possibility, for new constructions, of thinking about a wastewater recovery and reuse system.
The INSEE publication on the exposure of the tourist offer to high heat in Occitania by 2030 then 2050 makes Aude a highly concerned territory. What is the room for maneuver to adapt?
Hotels will have to concentrate on openings, particularly windows, to try to limit the impact of this high heat: this will undoubtedly mean renovation work on establishments which were built a certain time ago, to look, for example, at defective joints, which can quickly deteriorate, and limit the entry of hot air. When I was at the head of the Hôtel des 3-Couronnes (in Carcassonne, Editor's note), despite the double glazing, we consumed as much for air conditioning as for heating… What is certain is that it will we have to renovate and rethink establishments: and the problem is that it can cost very high and very quickly. Until now, hoteliers maintained the interiors more than the exteriors; we will have to change our logic. The profession benefited last year from aid from Ademe (the ecological transition agency, editor's note), limited to €200,000. Today, we still have to finish repaying the state-guaranteed loans (PGE) taken out during Covid. Insulation from the outside, without help, we will not be able to achieve it. But if the hotels in Aude are thermal sieves, it will be a disaster.
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Could this warming lead to a change in customer practices?
The good weather and summer temperatures in the South will become a handicap when we have warming and a climate similar to that of Valencia. It is not for nothing that Brittany and Normandy already work very well and attract tourists. We can also think that mid-mountain areas of Aude, such as the Haute Vallée or the Montagne Noire, will gain customers, attracted by the potential freshness. We already see many people who, in summer, choose the mountains, for hiking or mountain biking, nature tourism which works very well but which also relies on summer temperatures which spare the heatwave. . Because being on a beach when it's 45°C in full sun is no longer fun.
Establishment structures and customer habits will therefore be major issues. But how can employees be supported, while the sector is still struggling to attract?
I worked as a chef for a long time. At 40 or 45°C, with the heat that the material gives off, it's already difficult. But if we have 40°C outside, that means 55 to 60°C in the kitchens, and we will enter into very difficult work, yes. We will soon have to put air conditioning in the kitchens. For the service, the impact will undoubtedly be a little less. I come back to 3-Couronnes: when the weather was very nice, there was no one on the terrace; eating in scorching heat is not pleasant. Moreover, on the Mediterranean coast, in the south, the terraces are not full. We will have to think about changes in practices, and consider working more in the evening, as in Spain. We would move towards a single service, without interruption between lunchtime and evening: this would perhaps be simpler for staff management.
