Quest's partnership with Hotels for Trees empowers guests to make a tangible impact with innovative sustainability initiatives.

Quest Australia’s ongoing collaboration with Hotels For Trees continues to yield results, with a recent planting day in Melbourne pulling in eager volunteers from the wider Ascott network to plant saplings. Each one was the result of a Quest guest’s conscious decision to give back to the planet.

With spades in hands and a shared sense of purpose, a dedicated team from Quest Apartment Hotels properties across Victoria, as well as leaders from Ascott Australia, recently got their gardening gloves on for a cause in Melbourne.

In collaboration with local regeneration organisation 15Trees, a social enterprise that facilitates tree planting projects by connecting businesses and community groups to help restore native ecosystems across the country, the team spent the day planting saplings, made possible with Quest’s ongoing partnership with Hotels for Trees.

Hotels for Trees is a powerful initiative that offers guests the choice to skip a daily room clean. In return, Quest donates $6.50 on their behalf to plant a tree, turning a small act into a lasting legacy.

“Quest’s partnership with Hotels for Trees has helped us contribute to meaningful change as a business,” explains Anthea Dimitrakopoulos, GM of Brand, Digital and ESG.

“It’s not just about planting trees, we’ve seen it encourage shifts in how we all think about sustainability. Seeing how many of our guests make the conscious choice to skip a room clean in favour of giving back to the environment has been inspiring, and confirmed what we already knew - our guests value social and sustainable impact and welcome the chance to live out those values.”

Hugo van Roermund, Regional Manager of the Australian and New Zealand branches of Hotels for Trees, agrees.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t need a fresh towel after every shower,” he says.

“The same goes for a brand new bin liner each day in the room. We know a lot of hotel guests feel the same, and the beauty of Hotels for Trees is that it gives them the opportunity to choose for themselves.”

For every guest who does opt out, van Roermund says they’re not just reducing emissions by skipping the daily clean, but actively contributing to the health of the planet by adding an extra tree to the ecosystem.

“The more trees, the more carbon is drawn from the atmosphere,” he says. “It’s a simple change, with a big impact.”

In early 2024, Quest became the first Australia multi-site hotel chain to partner with Hotels for Trees. It was because of the initiative of Nellie Tinga, General Manager of Quest Frankston, took it upon herself to get involved.

Word quickly spread, and now 25 Quest hotels are involved in the partnership, having planted more than 15,000 trees in regeneration projects across Australia thanks to the conscious choices of our guests.

“Quest has been so vital to moving the initiative forward in Australia,” adds Hotels for Trees’ van Roermund.

“They’re fantastic to work with - real leaders in sustainable hospitality. The uptake has been wonderful, and I know it lets the rest of the industry know how they can do more.”

"Our guests at Quest Warrnambool are embracing the Hotels for Trees project and I can’t wait to go back and share with them everything we are doing here today so they know the impact,” said Naomi Slape, Business Owner of Quest Warrnambool, who was on-site planting trees.

Steve Galea and Fenella Kornoff from Quest Preston and Karn Kapur from Quest Werribee were also there donning gardening gloves for the occasion.

More than just planting saplings, Quest and its guests are part of the future of conscious travel, planting the seeds of small, conscious choices that cultivate a lasting legacy of care.

You can follow our collective impact and see how many trees we've planted together by visiting our impact page here.