SILVER SPRING, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced a number of efforts it has undertaken to underscore its ongoing commitment to the environment. These initiatives are in support of the company’s Room to Be Green environmental protection program and in honor of the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, being celebrated Friday, April 22.
At the hotel level, the company has significantly increased the number of hotels in its Room to Be Green program to more than 1,300 hotels. Since the program launched in 2009, these hotels have achieved significant reductions in energy and water usage, measurable in billions of kilowatt hours and millions of gallons of water. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) Green Task Force calculations, through this optional program, participating owners and operators can save an average of approximately $7,000 in annual utility costs through energy and water conservation, and recycling and waste reduction. Hotels that support the green practices of Choice’s Room to Be Green program are recognized on ChoiceHotels.com with a green leaf icon.
At the corporate level, the Choice Hotels International Foundation has made a donation to the nonprofit American Forests. This donation will allow for the planting of a tree for each of the company’s 1,600 full-time domestic associates.
Recognition of Responsibility
“As we celebrate Earth Day, we recognize the tremendous need to support our environment and we are extremely proud of the efforts of our franchised properties and our associates in this arena,” said Kelly Kane, executive director, Choice Hotels International Foundation. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue to expend significant energies toward ongoing efforts to engage our guests, associates and franchisees in efforts to protect our environment.”
The Room to Be Green program is a core pillar of the company’s Room for Responsibility program, which focuses on areas where Choice Hotels associates and more than 6,000 global franchised hotels can have an impact on the communities in which they live and work.
Earth Day also marks the first anniversary of the Choice Hotels Music initiative, which has donated tens of thousands of dollars to charitable organizations in its first year. This program supports signature causes and artists by introducing new music to millions of listeners using the power of the company’s leading edge marketing and distribution channels. Each song directly benefits a featured cause or charity through donations per download from ChoiceHotels.com, and all music is produced to the artist’s creative specifications and remains the ownership of the artist.
Go to Choice Hotels.
