Last week, Joie de Vivre, operator of 29 boutique hotels in California, launched Joie de Vivre Green Dreams, a new portal on its website. Joie de Vivre Green Dreams is also the name of the company’s environmental program. Be sure to check out this new website. Its design is appealing, user friendly and worth emulating. The site spells out the company’s environmental policy and provides links to green travel tips and helpful online resources. What is most unique about the site, however, is the property scorecard section. There, through a colored “leaf” system, Joie de Vivre reveals how far along each one of its properties is in regard to recycling and waste reduction, energy conservation, water conservation, pollution prevention and green meetings.
The scorecard lists those properties that have been green certified by the city or county in which they are located. So far, eight Joie de Vivre hotels have been green certified. Three additional hotels are expected to be certified by the end of the year.
Putting information about recycling, energy conservation, etc. before the public is important—not only in the interest of public disclosure but to also create peer pressure from one property to the next to get certified and make improvements. From a marketing perspective, it is also smart. Joie de Vivre needs to keep pace with the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, its California competitor, as well as other hotels in its markets. Kimpton has long had its own EarthCare program. (Interestingly, Kimpton does not provide the amount of property-specific information on its website that Joie de Vivre now does.)
More Thoughts on Green Dreams
Here are some additional thoughts in regard to Joie de Vivre’s new website:
• The entry point on the Joie de Vivre home page should be more prominent to attract attention. It is currently a small link at the bottom of the page equivalent to links such as “Privacy Policy” and “Contact.”
• In its scorecard, the company should note which of its properties are 100 percent nonsmoking.
• If properties are certified based on city or county guidelines, it would be helpful to know what those guidelines are. Are they different from one location to the next?
• In its scorecard, the company should provide more detail on the use of green cleaning products. Travelers, especially those with chemical sensitivities, would be interested in knowing this.
• Also in its scorecard, it would be great to see more detail in regard to the degree of renewable energy implementation or carbon offsetting.
I commend Joie de Vivre for the important steps it has taken. Very few websites provide property-specific environmental progress information. It is something more companies should do.
GLN Adds Two New Product & Service Directory Partners
Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Cascades Tissue Group and EnviRelation as Green Product & Service Directory partners. For more than 40 years, Cascades Tissue Group has provided paper solutions designed with environmental preservation in mind. North River 100 percent recycled tissue paper products have more third party certifications (Green Seal, EcoLogo, and Processed Chlorine Free) than any competitive brand and are now made with Green-e certified wind energy. For additional information, call (800) 246-0711, e-mail info@northriverwind.com, or go to www.northriverwind.com.
EnviRelation Emissions Management Services (E2MS) help hospitality operations track their greenhouse gas emissions, while providing them with valuable information for measuring the performance of their environmental initiatives. EnviRelation is developing industry indices in order to track hotel performance. Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Per Occupied Room (GEPOR) index serves as a benchmark as well as platform for sustainability dialogue with governments and environmental organizations, in addition to helping the industry maximize its environmental efforts. Call (202) 465-4802, e-mail info@envirelation.com, or go to www.envirelation.com.
Green Lodging News Advertising
If you are a supplier selling green products, be sure to call me at (440) 243-2055 to discuss your advertising plans for 2009. Several premium spots are currently available, including the top banner position on the website. Interested in having your products featured in the weekly Green Lodging News newsletter? The Featured Product spot is available beginning in March. A 2009 media kit is now available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
