PHOENIX—The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AzHLA), in partnership with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), has officially launched the state’s first “Certified Green Lodging” program, which streamlines the requirements for Arizona hotels to designate themselves as environmental stewards.
This new program was conceptualized by AzHLA and was developed due to the demand from hotel members and visitors looking for a consistent application that could measure green hotel efforts. After conducting extensive research of other statewide green lodging programs, AzHLA selected a model that provides a workbook where hotels accumulate a certain number of points in order to become “certified.”
AzHLA worked with those states to learn what worked well in their programs and took best practices from each while adding additional Arizona-centric information related to pools, golf courses, etc. In addition, AzHLA developed the unique “Sense of Place” section that no other state currently offers, which incentivizes properties to feature local and/or historical art, furnishings and tours in order to provide visitors an experience only available in Arizona.
Comment from AzHLA President
“This new program, and our partnerships with AOT and ADEQ, make Arizona’s green lodging efforts among the best in the country,” said Debbie Johnson, president and CEO of AzHLA. “Our goal was to provide Arizona hotels with the tools and the incentive to be as green as possible and to communicate to environmentally-conscientious visitors that Arizona has a surplus of lodging options for them. I’m proud that our efforts and partnerships have allowed us to meet those goals.”
The Arizona Office of Tourism agreed to provide exposure for certified properties on the state’s Official Visitor Website and Official Visitors Guide and The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has spent extensive hours refining the workbook and ensuring that the criteria meet federal credibility standards.
To become “Certified,” properties must achieve a minimum of 150 points in 15 different categories. This certification is valid for two years, when properties must reapply and show an increase in green practices while scoring a minimum of 200 points.
The Certification workbook is available for download at www.azhla.com/green and that site also lists the 20 hotels currently certified. There is an annual fee to become certified, which depends on the property’s number of rooms and whether the property is an AzHLA member.
