Easy

Choose the right plants
Select drought-tolerant and low-water plants like fescue, perennial ryegrass, buffalo grass, or native species that are naturally adapted to your own local conditions. This can significantly cut the need for irrigation.

Mulch garden beds
Apply mulch around plants and garden beds to reduce evaporation, keep soil moisture in, and limit the need for frequent watering.

Compost on-site to improve soil health
Use compost made from grass cuttings, garden trimmings, or food waste to boost the humus content of your soil, which increases its ability to retain water. Healthier, humus-rich soil holds onto moisture much better than dry, porous soil.

Regular system maintenance
Schedule routine checks on irrigation systems, hoses, and connections to prevent leaks or blockages that waste water.

Be mindful of watering habits
For manual watering, avoid irrigating after 9am, during the heat of the day, or when it’s windy, as much of the water will evaporate before it reaches the roots. Always check recent weather conditions and postpone watering after rainfall to avoid overwatering.

Medium 

Upgrade irrigation systems

Install drip irrigation or sprinkler systems with timers, electronic controllers, and moisture sensors. Run them during the night or early morning to minimise evaporation losses and improve water efficiency. If possible, adjust the irrigation lines so that areas with low-water plants are connected to one zone and higher-water areas like grass are on a separate zone, making sure each receives only as much water as needed.  Depending on your hotel, this may need to be a long-term consideration. See the Case Study from the Seaside Palm Beach Hotel, Gran Canaria. 

Harvest rainwater

In regions with seasonal or heavy rainfall, it’s good practice to capture and store this water. Installing rainwater collection systems on rooftops allows you to use it for garden irrigation, reducing reliance on municipal supplies and making the most of a free, natural resource.

Capture and Reuse Air Conditioning Condensate Water

Air conditioning systems generate clean condensate water as they extract humidity from the air, often several litres per unit per day. This water typically drains away unused, but it can become a valuable resource for garden irrigation, topping up water features, or even cleaning hard surfaces.

To make the most of this opportunity, hotels can install a simple piping and collection system to divert condensate water into storage tanks for reuse. Because this water is essentially distilled, it’s clean and usually suitable for outdoor uses without further treatment.

Involving both the technical services and gardening teams early in the design process is essential.

• Technical staff can map out where condensate is being produced, determine the best collection points, and design a system that ensures safe, reliable water capture.

• Gardening teams can help identify how and where this water can be most effectively used in landscape maintenance.
  

Together, they can ensure the system is practical, cost-effective, and tailored to the hotel’s specific needs. Rather than losing a valuable resource, it enables storage of water which can be especially useful during dry seasons.

Long-Term

Greywater systems
Install a greywater recycling system that captures used water from showers, sinks, and laundry for irrigation. While requiring upfront investment and plumbing changes, these systems can deliver significant water savings and usually pay back in 2–3 years.

Landscape redesign for water efficiency
Consider a long-term plan to redesign hotel grounds and gardens, focusing on landscaping which is designed for minimal irrigation, planting more shade trees, or creating rain gardens to naturally manage and capture water on-site. Instead of letting rainwater flow directly into drains (where it can cause flooding or carry dirt, oil, and chemicals into waterways), a rain garden slows the water down and allows it to soak naturally into the ground.

These gardens are usually planted with native or hardy plants that can handle both wet and dry conditions. Their deep roots help improve soil health, filter pollutants, and support local wildlife like birds, bees, and butterflies meaning your hotel can achieve biodiversity goals too.