SHELTON, CONN.—From recycling programs to energy-efficient electrical and HVAC systems, “green” is in among hotels that recognize increasing customer demand for environmental awareness. But New Castle Hotels & Resorts has challenged its properties to go beyond the green basics. Properties that meet the challenge can earn the leading third-party manager’s Sustainability Award. In 2008, Digby Pines Resort and Spa in Digby, Nova Scotia, captured the award with nearly two dozen programs, events and activities designed to reduce the resort’s environmental impact.
One of three Signature Resorts New Castle manages on behalf of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Digby Pines occupies a stretch of pristine woodlands overlooking the Bay of Fundy. Expanding the resort’s eco-programs was a “natural” business evolution in many ways, says Gerald P. Chase, president and COO of New Castle. Digby Pines’ programs not only reduce the resort’s impact on its environmental setting, they make good business sense as well. Each program either boasts zero cost or has actually saved the resort money.
In 2007, the resort created an employee task force to identify opportunities for environmentally friendly practices, says Annah Boucher, the resort’s guest service manager. “We fielded a number of ideas and really looked at all sides of each idea,” she says. “The cost benefit had to be there as well as the environmental benefit.”
Staff Ideas Evaluated, Implemented
With the support of The Dalhousie Eco Efficiency Centre, the resort evaluated the ideas. Some, such as collecting pine needles from the nearby area to use in the resort’s landscaping, made perfect sense. Others, such as switching the resort’s vehicle fleet to hybrids, wouldn’t work because of the property’s rural setting and the vehicles that would be needed were unavailable. In the end, the panel came up with a list of nearly 24 programs, activities and events that were practical, cost effective and achievable, including:
• Retrofitting lights throughout the property with energy-efficient bulbs, through the support of Nova Scotia Power and Conserve Nova Scotia.
• Diverting 60,000 pounds of waste from local landfills by composting.
• A paperless registration system that includes e-mailed reservation confirmations reduces paper consumption. To further reduce paper waste, offices print on both sides of a sheet of paper before recycling used paper.
• Equipped all departments, offices, staff areas and meeting room facilities to handle separation of waste and recyclables.
• Switched to 100 percent biodegradable containers for take-out orders in public areas and guestrooms. Supplied kitchen staff with their own reusable coffee cups and banned disposable cups from kitchen areas.
Guest response has been overwhelmingly positive, Boucher says. In fact, guests have received the changes so well, that the next step in the resort’s ongoing plan is to impress the same eco-conscious values on guests. They’ve already begun by placing literature in the hotel lobby. Next, they will provide separate waste and recycling receptacles in the rooms, Boucher says.
“The industry is recognizing what guests have already embraced in their own lives—that ‘green’ habits are not a trend, but rather a paradigm shift in how humans interact with and protect our environment,” Chase says. “It makes good business sense to create a hotel environment where guests can continue to practice their environmental consciousness. Eco-friendly practices can not only save properties money, but enhance the overall guest experience as well.”
New Castle Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio includes 30 hotels the company manages, owns or is developing in the United States and Canada. The hotel management company consistently ranks in the country’s top 100 hotel management and development companies in hospitality industry trade publications. New Castle will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2010. For more information, go to www.newcastlehotels.com.
