Name: Jesse Suglia
Title: Corporate Director of Hotel Sales
Company: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group LLC
Began working for Kimpton: July 2007
Primary responsibilities: “I oversee the national sales team and room revenue performance. I am responsible for monitoring and capitalizing on industry trends and identifying areas of opportunity to ensure Kimpton’s maximization of revenue and market share for the brand as a whole, as well as individual hotels. I also help to make sure that Kimpton has the least amount of impact on the environment as possible.”
What I enjoy most about my work: “I like working for a company like Kimpton where there is such a strong connection between its brand and its customers. It is something I have not seen before and it keeps me motivated.”
My company’s biggest environmental challenge: “There is the perception that by being proactive about the environment, one must sacrifice the quality of the guest experience. There is also the belief that being environmentally responsible is going to cost more money. These perceptions are not even close to being true.”
SAN FRANCISCO—When Jesse Suglia began working for the Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group last July, he hit the ground running. He had to. He joined a company that now has 41 properties open in the United States and Canada, and another 19 in the pipeline. For Suglia, who values and encourages sustainable business practices, a fast-growing company like Kimpton was a perfect match.
Kimpton, with its ever-expanding EarthCare program, has been practicing environmental responsibility at its properties for a long time. It all began in 1985, when one of the first Kimpton Hotels, the Galleria Park Hotel, opened a rooftop urban park. Kimpton formalized its EarthCare program in 2005.
In synch with EarthCare, Kimpton recently launched its “Great Meetings, Great Causes” program. It is an initiative that Suglia oversees. Kimpton is offering clients who book meetings at Kimpton hotels the choice of two of the following five incentives:
• Complimentary meeting upgrade to Kimpton’s environmentally-themed EarthCare meeting;
• $100 donation to one of Kimpton’s not-for-profit partners (The Trust For Public Land, Dress for Success and local HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness charities nationwide), or the client’s charitable partner of choice;
• Greensender.com box to help anyone get started or continue incorporating green practices into their daily lives with items such as an eco-friendly aluminum water bottle, reusable grocery bag, and energy-efficient light bulb;
• One complimentary night at a Kimpton hotel, all of which maintain Kimpton’s rigorous EarthCare practices and standards; or
• A $50 gift certificate to KimptonStyle, the online lifestyle retailer which donates all of Kimpton’s proceeds to its non-for-profit partners.
In addition to offering earth-friendly and socially responsible meeting incentives, Kimpton is providing meeting planners with the opportunity to reduce the volume of printed materials, use filtered versus bottled water, source organic and locally grown foods and beverages where possible, and participate directly with an environmental organization.
Meetings Program Meets Success
The “Great Meetings, Great Causes” concept evolved from what we already had been doing,” Suglia says. “The response we have gotten to it so far has been tremendous. Meeting planners are looking for ways to travel smarter.”
To promote its meetings initiative, Suglia says Kimpton has e-mailed 65,000 meeting planners. The volume of requests for green meetings at Kimpton hotels has tripled in the last year.
Having a program like “Great Meetings, Great Causes” is a competitive advantage,” Suglia says. “Interest in these types of meetings has been brewing in our industry for quite some time.”
In regard to its overall green business practices, Suglia believes Kimpton is way ahead of its competitors.
“At the same time, our competitors are making progress and that is not a bad thing,” he says.
Pondering the environmental efforts of the industry as a whole, Suglia said he is optimistic.
“I believe we have made a lot of progress as an industry,” he says. “I think you will see a lot more progress as corporations become more focused on their impact on the planet.”
When not working to boost Kimpton’s sales, Suglia and his wife enjoy spending time traveling, playing golf and running.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
