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1/31/2012
Marrying health and wellness with eco-friendly initiatives in a bicycle-lending program offers a two-prong approach to building loyalty with hotel guests. Ensuring that the progressive way to provide an active and environmentally sound way for travelers to explore diverse destinations meets with success, however, requires a few best practices to consider. A successful bicycle lending program will consist of (1) appropriate quality product (2) parking alternatives (3) service and maintenance considerations (4) a lending management process (5) global logistic capabilities and if your bicycle program source is really good (6) a money generating and additional loyalty building menu of ideas. A successful bicycle-lending program can build loyalty and be the basis of the green and healthy credentials future guests are seeking.
1/16/2012
Innovation is what today’s destination shoppers need to form an allegiance with a brand. The hospitality industry’s bag of enticements to create guest loyalty must continue to evolve as the priorities of its guests change over time. Health and wellness and eco-friendly initiatives continue to influence marketplaces across disciplines and drive consumer’s buying habits. Specifically, adventure tourism, which focuses on “staying lean and green…and engaging in adventure activities,” is one of the hottest trends for 2011 and beyond. The popularity of green vacations, in all their incantations, is well documented and on the rise. More interesting is that travelers have begun and will continue to select hotels specifically for their green or environmentally conscious credentials. Cycling as the answer to the twin concerns of the environment and wellness offers a perfect opportunity to attract hotel guests.
1/3/2012
YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—When Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa was conceived, the vision was simple—to be the greenest and best luxury hotel in the world. This was not an easy undertaking. On February 2, 2009, at the absolute bottom of the lodging industry’s economy, Bardessono opened in Yountville in the heart of Napa Valley, California. This 62-room property was developed at a cost of more than $1 million per key, enabling it to quickly join Auberge, Calistoga Ranch, and Meadowood in the elite group of Napa Valley’s finest luxury hotels. Its differentiation was two-fold—its “greenness” and its location within the town of Yountville, considered by many the most desirable location in the Valley, and home to some of the finest restaurants in the U.S.
12/12/2011
At one point, people living in 13th century England noticed something unusual when the bread they were buying from the local bakery simply did not taste the same. Oh, the price was right. In fact, in many cases the bread was even less expensive than it had been a few years earlier. But the taste and even the texture of the bread were different. Bakers, looking for a way to cut costs and compete with other bakers, were mixing “fillers” in with the flour dough. These fillers were typically ground beans and peas. They were safe, but they did change the taste of the bread. A bit of an uproar ensued but the King of England at the time decided not to regulate what could and could not be used to make bread. Instead, he believed consumers had a right to know exactly what was in the bread.
11/29/2011
Every year I spend a bit of time at our local AIA trade show. More often than not I’m just renewing friendships and saying hello to architects I’ve worked with over my 30 plus years as an interiorscaper. However, a couple of years ago we featured three large photos, one of a green roof, one of a greenwall and one of green plants—and did we have action at our booth. The photo was of a project we installed some 17 years ago. So while greenwalls aren’t exactly new, they are an idea whose time has come. You also know that’s true when you see them appearing in McDonald’s advertising and frequently in Whole Food Markets. So based upon that trade show experience and a bit of prodding by a good friend to help her with the design of a major greenwall installation, I entered the greenwall product market.
11/16/2011
If I have learned anything after 20 years of managing engineering departments it is this: the most successful engineers thrive in an environment where their leadership has a thorough understanding and appreciation for what the hotel’s maintenance team does, and how its efforts contribute to the overall success of the property. Sounds obvious, right? But how often is this dynamic a reality? Perhaps more often, general managers’ priorities lay elsewhere, and when it comes to their engineering departments, their paradigm follows the mantra “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” So while their engineers likely welcome the sovereignty, it still begs the question…do general managers really understand what their engineers do?
10/31/2011
When many people think of hotels, they think of the big bed that will keep them comfortable while they’re on the road. But what happens when that bed wears out? The eco-minded consumer wants to know that their bed was disposed of in the most responsible manner possible. The good news for hoteliers is that mattress recycling locations are popping up all over the country. These companies take away old mattresses and box-springs and process them for safe, responsible recycling. Mattress recycling companies create jobs, help your company achieve green certification, and address a growing problem in the industry—bedbugs. At an average of 23 cubic feet and 55 pounds, beds are among the largest items a hotel has to throw away.
10/10/2011
Unless incredibly eco minded, the majority of guests don’t want to hear about a hotel’s greening efforts around reductions in water, waste, energy and chemicals. Happily, the same is not true when it comes to food—a good story around food that’s local creates a unique and memorable dining experience. Letting the guest in on a story about the fungi forager who brings locally foraged mushrooms or fiddleheads to your menu, or details on the Nubian goats at a neighboring farm that produce the chevre for your velvety cheese cake, just makes food taste better. Celebrating food that is local, and exposing a sense of your hotel’s community, with support for local vendors and growers, is an important part of sustainability.
9/21/2011
Featuring a distinctive color palette and the natural warmth of wood, exotic hardwoods can add style to lodging facilities. Their rich hues can contribute to nearly any interior ambience, while characteristics like dimensional stability and durability make exotic hardwoods well suited for flooring, furniture, cabinets, millwork and other decorative applications. Illegal-logging concerns can certainly supersede the design advantages of exotic hardwoods. While such apprehensions are valid, it is important to note there are prominent exceptions. Exotic hardwoods can be—and are—grown and harvested to sustainable standards, and offer other environmental attributes.
9/7/2011
Let’s face it—the nature of the hotel industry as a whole is inherently wasteful. Hotel guests have expectations when traveling that, when met by the hotels, result in excessive waste. From energy and water use, to waste generation, hotel guests as a whole consume more resources when traveling than they do at home. Without conscious attention and focused efforts to reducing waste and over-consumption of natural resources, the hotel industry will continue to have a large and damaging environmental impact on the world. In evaluating this scenario, we find both good and bad news: the good news is that green lodging standards make it possible for hotels to significantly reduce the impacts of their operations.
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