This past week I attended the Hotel Association of Canada’s (HAC) annual conference in Toronto. In case you did not know, HAC runs the most widely accepted green hotel rating system in the world—the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. While at the conference, I took some time to chat with Walter Willett, director of business development for HAC. Walter explained that the rating program now has 740 hotels participating, up from 620 in November and 300 a year ago. By the end of this year, it is likely that more than 1,000 Canada-based properties will be Green Key members.
In recent months, hotel groups including Howard Johnson Canada and Travelodge Canada have committed their entire collections of properties to Green Key. InterContinental Hotels Group is also considering such a commitment. More than a year ago, Days Inns-Canada announced its 100 percent participation. At Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, it is mandatory to be part of Green Key, and Choice Hotels Canada, Delta Hotels, and Atlific Hotels & Resorts, among others, also participate. Those hotel companies that still have not joined Green Key will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage, as some departments in the Canadian government require employees to stay at Green Key hotels.
Between 30 and 40 percent of all Canada-based hotels with 50 rooms or more now have Green Key ratings that range from one key to five keys, with five keys being the highest rating. Rated properties are listed on HAC’s Green Key website. So, what is driving the program’s success? What lessons can the United States learn from it?
A Lean, Productive Green Team
HAC has proven that you don’t need a large staff to run a successful program. Only a handful of people spend their time on the project. Independent consultants assist HAC. Interested hoteliers pay a small fee—$350 for an independent property and $300 for hotels that are part of a franchise or chain. Registration takes place online and it is there where 140 qualifying questions are completed.
To achieve a Green Key rating, hotels must excel in areas such as energy management, water conservation, waste management, indoor air quality and community involvement. Performance in other areas also is considered. Each of the 140 questions has a value assigned to it. After an application is submitted, HAC reviews it and determines the hotel, motel or resort’s rating. HAC then provides a report that details how to maximize additional opportunities to reduce operating costs and environmental impact through reduced utility consumption, employee training and supply chain management. Strengths and weaknesses are highlighted in the report. Each year, HAC sends out plaques to newly rated properties.
HAC does not require onsite inspections but Willett said the organization has started to conduct random audits with the help of third-party certifiers. Those properties that are inspected will have that noted with their listing on the Green Key website.
As the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) works to put together a rating program for the United States (it expects to have such a system ready by the fall), it should mirror what HAC is doing. It should get buy-in from groups of hotels to help the program reach a critical mass faster. It should keep the process affordable, operate the application process online, reward participants with a plaque and publicity, and inspect consistently but randomly. AH&LA should do what it can to make the U.S. member website as accessible as possible to meeting planners, and business and leisure travelers.
Putting together a hotel rating system for the U.S. lodging industry will be no small task. Thankfully, our friends in Canada have developed a program worth emulating. We owe them. Should you ever run into Tony Pollard, president of HAC, or anyone else from that organization, be sure to buy them a beer—something from Molson, of course.
Indoor Air Quality/Smoking Connection
I must thank Stephanie Steinberg, who is with Smoke-Free gaming in Greenwood Village, Colo., for sending me an article regarding Colorado’s casino smoking ban which went into effect January 1. According to the article, which originally appeared in The Gazette in Colorado Springs, indoor air quality (IAQ) in casinos has improved by 92 percent since the ban.
The air went from “unhealthy” to “good” under an Environmental Protection Agency rating system. Good is the highest rating possible, in which pollution poses little or no risk. Unhealthy means everyone in the room may experience health problems, especially those with breathing problems such as asthma. The casinos’ nonsmoking restaurants saw similar improvement, 90 percent, and went from unhealthy to good. Click here to read the entire article.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
