This past week I had the opportunity to attend the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) in New York. For those of you who did not attend, you missed a great opportunity to learn about steps you can take and products you can purchase to increase your property’s profitability during these difficult times. According to Melissa Gray, marketing manager for the show, the event featured 2,250 exhibitor booths and drew 34,050 attendees. In years past, the show drew enough exhibitors to warrant two levels of exhibits. That has not happened for quite some time. The “green” exhibitors I spoke with seemed pleased with the quality of the leads they were getting.
I had the honor of participating as a judge as part of the Editors’ Choice Awards. Winners were selected in five green categories: décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant, and technologies. Each of the winners was very deserving. Almost 150 entries were submitted for all of the show’s award categories. Be sure to read the Green Lodging News article that lists the green award winners.
One of the show’s highlights was a presentation by Christine Ervin, former president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and president of Christine Ervin/Company. While some in our industry are still under the impression that a separate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Hospitality certification program is in the works, a USGBC representative at Ervin’s session said it will never happen. The reason is because the various LEED programs—LEED for New Construction (and Major Renovations), LEED for Core and Shell, LEED for Commercial Interiors, and LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance—will be consolidated in 2009 to become one program that will be based on a 100-point system.
More Thoughts & Impressions
Here are some additional thoughts and impressions based on my three days at the IH/M&RS.
I was impressed by the array of new green products and technologies that are making it easier than ever to reduce waste, and water and energy consumption. From one year to the next, companies enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their products. In a way, the IH/M&RS pressures them to do that; companies see what their competitors are offering at the show and respond.
To sell products they can profit from, many vendors are still stuck sourcing product parts and labor from overseas markets such as China. Even companies marketing themselves as green are doing that. I did speak with one amenity vendor who mentioned that her company is weaning itself off of plastic bottles made in China.
It would make a lot of sense to have a section of the show floor dedicated to green vendors. This may aggravate those companies that have held their same spots for years but it would help the IH/M&RS reposition itself for the future. Offer affordable space smaller than a traditional exhibit booth to green start-up companies. Greenbuild, the USGBC’s annual trade show, has been almost doubling in size from year to year while the IH/M&RS has not been growing. Seems like simple math to me.
There were numerous news announcements made by vendors and associations. The most significant of the announcements, I believe, was the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s launch of its green strategy. For years there have been arguments about what is green or not green in a hotel. Lodging’s leading association is beginning to define that with 11 new guidelines. (See Green Lodging News article.) The guidelines are a good first step and will be continuously added to and built upon. Was there a glaring omission? Yes. In my opinion, the twelfth guideline should have been that a property be 100 nonsmoking to be considered a green hotel. Will the AH&LA have the courage to add this one in the near future? We’ll see.
Finally, I had an opportunity to meet with several people involved in developing a Green Hospitality Partnership for New York State. Be sure to watch Green Lodging News for an article on this program that includes participation from the New York State Governor’s Office, New York State Hospitality and Tourism Assn., and many other state organizations.
Greenbuild Coverage
I will be attending Greenbuild in Boston from Tuesday, November 18 through Thursday, November 20. Be sure to look for coverage of the event on the Green Lodging News website and in the weekly e-newsletter.
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