Home Publisher's Point of View It’s Time to Eliminate Single-Use Bottles from Your Property

It’s Time to Eliminate Single-Use Bottles from Your Property

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Have you kicked the bottled water habit yet? If you run a hotel that has a restaurant, meeting space and that also offers room service, you definitely need to consider a water filtration/dispensing system to eliminate single-use plastic and glass bottled water. I learned about filtration/dispensing systems the last couple of weeks (see article) and highly recommend them. There are a number of vendors that supply these systems; the systems are available in different sizes. Typically, glass bottles are provided with either the vendor’s logo or a hotel property’s logo. When using a water filtration/dispensing system you can charge for premium bottled water (from $2 to $10 a bottle). Imagine that—actually making money while dramatically helping the environment at the same time! A no brainer.

According to pura vida h2o, 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough to run 100,000 cars, are used to make plastic water bottles each year. It requires seven times as much water to make the bottle as it does to fill it. Massive amounts of greenhouse gases are produced from manufacturing plastic bottles, and 60 million plastic water bottles are disposed of in the United States alone every day. Yikes!

There are operational considerations that come into play when leasing or purchasing a water filtration/dispensing system. My advice would be to let the vendor take care of maintenance as part of any signed agreement. Reusable bottles must be washed so you will have to establish a process for doing that. Some vendors offer bottles with narrow openings; I would recommend opting for bottles with wider openings to ensure a good washing. You don’t want customers complaining about the cleanliness of your bottles.

Great Branding Opportunity

Whether or not to private label your water is up to you but it seems to me it is a great opportunity to strengthen your own brand. Be creative. Vivreau USA includes a green message on the bottles that it provides. It reads: “Our environmentally positive water is helping reduce your carbon footprint.” A great idea. You may also opt to keep the vendor’s brand on your bottles. While I don’t believe these brands have yet to reach national recognition, they do sound luxurious—Vivante, Natura, etc.   

Let’s assume you have taken the step to eliminate single-use plastic and glass bottled water from restaurants and meeting spaces, and you are already providing filtered water as a room service/turndown service option. Think about how you can replace any remaining disposable water bottles from your guestroom floors. It can be done. One vendor I spoke with said one of his customers is considering hydration stations for each floor. A guest would purchase a reusable sports bottle and just fill it up when thirsty. A reusable bottle would present another branding opportunity for your property and give you yet one more way to generate additional revenue.

The water filtration/dispensing systems I described are already being used at many hotels around the world. Be sure to ask vendors for references. If you are already using one or more of these systems, I would love to hear from you about your experiences. I can be reached at (440) 243-2055 or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Green Lodging News Adds Verve Living Systems as Directory Partner

Green Lodging News welcomes Verve Living Systems as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Verve Living Systems is the one of the innovative brands of Masco Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of brand-name products for the home improvement and new home construction markets. Verve products include wireless, battery-less sensors and controls that can be easily installed in minutes using existing resources. When combined with its HVAC setback module or thermostat and its in-line switch module, Verve Living Systems’ wireless occupancy sensors can be used to achieve substantial automated energy savings. Sensors will monitor the room continuously and send a radio signal to set back temperature and shut off electric loads when a space is unoccupied for a preset length of time. For more information, e-mail verve@vervelivingsystems.com, call (877) 874-8774, or go to www.vervelivingsystems.com.

Who is Your Environmental Champion?

In our Personnel Profile section we frequently profile individuals who lead sustainability efforts at either the corporate or property level. (Click here for examples.) We are always looking for new people to profile. Do you have someone in mind for our Personnel Profile section? Be sure to contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.   

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Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots. Several new slots have opened up on the Green Lodging News website—two skyscraper ad spots on the right hand side of the site, and the Featured Product ad spot in the weekly newsletter and in the lower center area of the home page. Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com if you are interested in these ad spots. There are also many Green Supplier Spotlight dates available, and other spots on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. The 2011 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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