SILVER SPRING, MD.—For Earth Day this year Choice Hotels International issued a press release that included an update on its more than two-year-old Room to Be Green program (see article). Room to Be Green is an optional program for Choice licensees that gives them an opportunity to receive marketing recognition—a green leaf icon—on the Choice website based on their commitment to implement at least three green programs at their properties in the areas of energy conservation, water conservation, and recycling. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Christopher Schrader, project director of brand programs for Choice, to get more details about the progress of Room to Be Green.
According to Schrader, there are now about 1,400 of 6,128 total Choice properties participating—primarily in the United States but also in Canada and in Australasia (area of Australia, New Zealand, neighboring islands). Each month, about 18 new hotels join the program. Participants are required to at least do the following: have compact fluorescent bulbs in all guestroom lamps and light fixtures; offer either a towel or linen re-use program or both; and place at least one recycling receptacle in plain view for guest usage in the hotel common area, for any of the following recyclable items: newspaper, glass, plastic, aluminum, etc.
Licensees interested in participating in Room to Be Green are first asked to complete an online form that asks for a record of current green practices. In addition to the required practices mentioned above, licensees also have the option of listing all of the other green steps they are taking. For those interested in going beyond the mandatory three practices, Choice provides a long list of steps one could take—everything from implementing ozone laundry systems to creating green teams. Schrader says the approximately 1,400 online submissions have provided Choice with many best practice ideas.
‘Supports Green Initiatives’ Message
Those properties where the minimum three practices are in place are recognized with the green leaf icon on the Choice site. Travelers, when clicking on the icon, are presented with the following “Supports Green Initiatives” message: “‘Supports Green Initiatives’ designates a hotel’s participation in an optional environmental program that includes the use of energy-efficient lighting, guestroom towel/linen re-use, and on-premise recycling. ‘Supports Green Initiatives’ does not represent an official certification of any kind.” Participating properties also commit to having their green steps as part of their quality assurance (QA) process. From a QA standpoint, recycling container(s) and other green initiatives become just as important as the soap that is used in guestroom bathrooms.
According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Green Task Force calculations, through minimal participation in the Room to Be Green program, participants can save an average of approximately $7,000 in annual utility costs through energy and water conservation, and recycling and waste reduction.
Planning for Room to Be Green first began in 2007 as a result of two driving forces: pressure from licensees interested in going green, and in recognition of the growing interest among meeting planners to select green destinations.
Moving forward, Schrader says there are no plans to make Room to Be Green mandatory although the program could be strengthened.
“Our focus right now is on participation growth and further educating our licensees on the general benefits,” he says.
Room to Be Green is just one of many green initiatives under way at Choice. In early 2013, the company will move its headquarters to a newly constructed, LEED certification-eligible building in Rockville, Md. Also, according to Don Griner, AIA, LEED AP, senior director of design and innovation for Choice, the Silver Spring, Md.-based company is preparing to roll out a new LEED Silver-eligible prototype for its Cambria Suites brand. The prototype is expected to be launched later this year. Specific design aspects and highlights of the new Cambria Suites LEED prototype include options like low flow water fixtures, bicycle and hybrid car parking, white reflective or green roofs, and the use of environmentally-responsible certified wood.
Go to Choice Hotels International.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
