This week I had an opportunity to chat with the CEO of a company who is about to target our industry with a new green lodging certification program. My advice to him was that he had better hurry up; a few of his competitors are really starting to pull away in the race to gain the attention of owners and operators here in the United States. The most recent evidence is this week’s announcement that Carlson Hotels has selected Green Key Global’s Green Key Eco-Rating Program as its preferred green lodging certification program. Just two months ago, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced that it had agreed to launch the Green Key Eco-Rating Program at its hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Accor North America is piloting Green Key in its hotels in the United States this year, and other companies and at least one state (Indiana) have committed to Green Key.
It is possible that by sometime next year, more than 2,000 hotels in the United States and Canada will have the Green Key rating. This column is certainly not an endorsement of the Green Key program, which was first launched by the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) in that country and is now run by LRA Worldwide here in the United States. It is clear, however, that Green Key Global is building the greatest number of certification program participants in North America—by far. While not endorsed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) here in the United States, that organization has partnered with Green Key Global to offer its members a discounted fee to participate in the Green Key program. Why haven’t the other certification programs partnered similarly with AH&LA?
For new construction, the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program remains the preferred choice but for existing buildings in the United States it is clear that Green Key will soon lead a pack that includes the EPA’s Energy Star rating program (423 U.S. properties), Green Suites Certified Green Hotel Program (211 U.S. properties), Green Seal (100 U.S. properties, including all Kimptons), Audubon Green Leaf (35 U.S. properties), EcoRooms & EcoSuites (16 U.S. properties), Green Globe (one U.S. property), and others.
Every certification program has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some who run programs are more growth oriented than others. Quality will always be more important than quantity but quantity (and affordability) helps when one is trying to establish legitimacy.
It will be interesting to see which certification players remain a year from now. Will new companies enter the mix? You can bet I will be observing from the sidelines.
West Coast Green Lodging Conference
The West Coast Green Lodging Conference is just one week away. I will be the keynote speaker for the event. The conference is being held at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort from August 22 to 25. I hope to see you there! Click here for more information.
GLN Adds Hospitality Battery Holder, Newton Distributing as Directory Partners
Green Lodging News welcomes Hospitality Battery Holder and Newton Distributing Co. as Green Product & Service Directory partners. Kissimmee, Fla.-based Hospitality Battery Holder specializes in electronic battery holders for the most common locks available today. The company’s battery holders replace expensive wrap-around battery packs that are typically thrown away at end of life. With Hospitality Battery Holder’s battery holders, one can use rechargeable batteries or the batteries of one’s preference. There is no need to dispose of the holder. For more information, e-mail crodriguez@hospitalitybatteryholder.com, call (407) 401-6733, or go to www.hospitalitybatteryholder.com for more information.
Newton Distributing Co. specializes in supplying restroom products including environmentally friendly hand dryers, faucets, flush valves, baby changing stations, drinking water fountains, toilet accessories, partitions and much more. The products represented in Newton’s selection are manufactured by leading companies such as Excel Dryer, Rubbermaid, Sloan Valve, Moen, American Standard, Elkay, Kohler, and TOTO. For more information, e-mail lance@NewtonDistributing.com, call (877) 837-7745, or go to www.newtondistributing.com.
Advertising Opportunities
Several new advertising spots have opened up on the Green Lodging News website—two skyscraper ad spots on the right hand side of the site, the home page bottom banner ad spot, and the Featured Product ad spot 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 other excellent spots available on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog & Twitter
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://hasekcom62.wpengine.com/Blog/. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also now on Twitter. To follow my postings, go to http://twitter.com/greenlodging. Be sure to add Green Lodging News to those tweets that you follow. Green Lodging News now has 499 Twitter followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
