At the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show last weekend, the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. released a book that I highly recommend. The title: "High Performance Hospitality/Sustainable Hotel Case Studies." The book is authored by University of Michigan students Michele L. Diener, Amisha Parekh, and Jaclyn Pitera and includes a forward by Andrew J. Hoffman. Hoffman is the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan.
The authors first define high performance hotels. "High performance hotels, especially those that are designed, constructed, and operated sustainably, use energy, water, materials, and land much more efficiently and effectively than hotel buildings that are simply built to code. High performance hotels capitalize on the opportunity to enhance efficiency in the hotel market—a
market that traditionally has not been concerned with its environmental impact. High performance hotel developers, owners, and managers create healthier working, playing,
and resting environments with more natural light and cleaner air. These buildings improve occupant health, comfort, and productivity. When developers build in an environmentally sustainable manner, they increase profit margins and create a differentiated product that is increasing in demand. Hotel owners and managers save money by reducing the costs of operations and maintenance and by increasing employee productivity."
The book includes case studies of the following hotels: Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco; Comfort Inn & Suites Boston/Airport; Inn and Conference Center University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, Md.; Airlie Center, Warrenton, Va.; Hilton Vancouver Washington; Mauna Lani Resort, Kohala Coast, Hawaii; The Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta; and The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.
For more information on this new book, go to the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn.
website.
