NEW YORK—The second annual Futuregreen Hospitality Forum brought together hotel brands, hospitality designers and furnishings suppliers for a one-day brainstorming session to tackle the possibility of hotel design as a catalyst for positive change for the future, and to discuss how technology can affect the future of hospitality. Sixty-five high-level delegates gathered in New York’s Crosby Street Hotel on May 31.
“Our goal was to elevate social and environmental sustainability to the top of the hotel industry’s agenda,” said Michael Suomi, principal and vice president of interior design at hospitality design firm Stonehill & Taylor and founder of Futuregreen. “Through routine renovations, rebranding and building of new properties, hotels create a multi-billion dollar demand for manufacturing every year, allowing for great change if we influence this sector to be more sustainably-minded.”
Alex Steffen, the well-known futurist and the author of Carbon Zero, was charged with helping the group identify challenges and opportunities for hospitality design. Two of those highlighted were: changes in the skill set of the American worker and emergence of new manufacturing technologies like 3D printing.
Solutions Brainstormed During Breakout Sessions
In breakout sessions, Futuregreen delegates brainstormed solutions that would leverage the hotel industry’s influence through its purchasing power and connection to millions of consumers. Ideas aimed at making a difference in job creation and environmental factors—that will resonate in a span of five to 15 years into the future—were discussed.
Among the ideas that emerged from the brainstorm sessions were:
• Potential elimination of certain standard in-room technologies like the alarm clock or the room phone.
• Creation of a crowd-sourced online portal that reveals hotels’ sustainability credentials in order to educate the public.
• An “on demand” concept that would allow for the personalization of hotel rooms; hotels could simplify the guestroom and eliminate waste by offering base-line guestroom furnishings, encouraging additional needs to be ordered from a menu.
• Implementation of a guest reward system for sustainability.
• Development of a sustainable product for wide-spread adoption in hotels.
The Futuregreen Advisory Board is currently drafting a commitment letter that will be ratified by all attendees. The forum self-reports on progress every year and offers a refinement of initiatives and best practices.
Following the inaugural Futuregreen Hospitality Forum in 2012, delegates signed a commitment to create projects that use locally produced products and materials, including a pledge to support manufacturers in the United States when working on U.S. based projects.
The 2013 Futuegreen Hospitality Forum was organized by Futuregreen board of directors, made up of representatives from top architecture and interior design firms, namely Gensler, Wimberly Interiors, Clodagh Design, Stonehill & Taylor and Studio 3877, together responsible for construction and design specification totaling more than $2.4 billion. This year’s delegates included executives from major hotel brands including Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood, King & Grove, Tishman, and Delos Hospitality, in addition to purchasing firms and manufacturing representatives.
The Futuregreen Advisory Council works to create resolutions that rally the hospitality industry toward change. Michael Suomi, principal of architecture and interior design firm Stonehill & Taylor, organized the inaugural Futuregreen Hospitality Forum in partnership with Interior Design magazine. It was held in June 2012 at NYC’s first LEED Gold hotel, The Crosby Street Hotel, and attracted leaders of the industry, including hotel companies, major hospitality design firms and procurement companies.
