Consumers think that recycling is about “stuff.” This is not true. The true value of recycling is not about materials—although it is good materials policy to recycle—it is about energy. Recycling saves a tremendous amount of energy and, as we all know in today’s world, energy equals pollution. Look at the materials that have a high recycling rate—aluminum being the best example—they are the materials that use a tremendous amount of energy to initially produce, thus recycling aluminum, glass, steel, paper etc… saves huge amounts of energy. Making something from recycled uses far less energy than making it out...

From restaurants to room service, bars to banquet halls, and catering to continental breakfasts, hotels offer a broad range of food service options. Since commercial kitchens and restaurants consume roughly 2.5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial building space types, any hotelier seeking to reduce energy consumption and costs cannot ignore food service operations when designing an energy management strategy. ENERGY STAR estimates that the total savings potential in a commercial kitchen ranges from 10 percent to 30 percent, based on the technologies installed and the overall energy management strategies put in place. By making energy-efficient choices...

The lodging industry is clearly undergoing a major shift in the way that business is done. Hotel owners and operators are seeing the clear bottom line impact of green building strategies as well as increased consumer demand. Increasingly, reliable third-party tools and verification is being used by hotels to ensure that they are getting the results they expect, both in building performance and in marketing and credibility. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building certification program is an instrumental tool moving the built environment towards sustainable building practices and is being widely used by the lodging industry for...

Luxury resorts and small motels alike benefit financially from being energy efficient. Cutting energy usage is good for the planet, it helps the economy, and it puts money in hotels’ pockets. However, while energy efficiency opportunities abound, they are frequently not taken. Why? In working with hotels, sustainability analysts at BlueMap Inc. found that many managers simply did not understand how fast the cost of wasting energy adds up to real money. In our experience, it is not unusual for hotels to save from $10,000 to well over $30,000 per year, per property, by employing the right measures. To...

I relish the times when I get out of the office to visit functioning laundries and speak with those in charge of the operations as well as the employees. These visits are important to see our company’s equipment in action. I always leave having learned something or at the very least having had a key point reinforced. Recently, my travels took me to Cavallo Point-The Lodge at Golden Gate in Sausalito, Calif. This unique, 142-room luxury hotel resort property, located in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, has fully embraced green. Their task was tall and goals lofty in...

Hotels have become increasingly effective at improving the efficiency of their operations and conserving energy, many realizing meaningful energy savings and improved profitability. Such changes can also provide an opportunity to generate renewable energy on site with a photovoltaic (PV) system, displacing electricity that would have otherwise been purchased from a utility. Not to be confused with solar thermal systems that capture the heat of the sunlight warming the Earth, PV systems generate electricity from the sunlight. As solar electric PV technology continues to improve in efficiency, reliability, and become more accessible for various applications and situations, more hotels are...

With increased expectations from customers, attention from the media, and regulatory scrutiny, sustainability has made its way to the forefront of the hospitality industry. Sustainability has become a business imperative as lodging companies seek to improve operational efficiencies and respond to conscientious consumers as well as the actions of their competitors. A recent survey conducted by Deloitte reflects the expectations of business travelers that hospitality companies will adopt green policies. Of the more than 1,000 travelers surveyed, 34 percent said they seek out hotels that are environmentally friendly, and 38 percent have researched green lodging facilities either online or by...

There’s widespread consensus among the scientific community that human activities are altering the Earth’s climate through increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing the potential for large-scale adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects. There’s also an abundance of scientific evidence that many of the predicted environmental changes are now occurring. What may not be so clear is how climate change will affect the lodging industry in particular, what the industry can do to combat it and where you can start to do your part. The broad impacts of climate change could potentially have serious implications for the lodging industry as...

Cutting costs, enhancing cash flow and making wise investments while strengthening brands are at the heart of business decisions being made today by hoteliers operating properties both large and small. Old processes, old practices and old thinking are being tested and being challenged. With CEOs and CFOs pressed to find new ways to cut costs, they need only look to the enormous cost savings potential of refillable dispensers for guestroom baths. With a minimal investment, a single hotel will save thousands of dollars annually. If you have hundreds of hotels, the savings opportunity is too large not to investigate. Changing the...

For the hotel industry, energy savings can be one of the best ways to reduce cost while increasing guest satisfaction. The industry not only is being encouraged to switch its energy consumption practices to more environmentally friendly alternatives but also is being incentivized by local municipalities to implement these changes. Some states are going as far as offering tax breaks for businesses that are switching to more efficient lighting, like light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). In many areas, matching funds also are available for energy saving programs. Those in the hotel industry are weighing the pros and cons...