This past week I attended the UNLV/JMBM Hotel Developers Conference in Las Vegas. Two articles on Green Lodging News highlight some of the most noteworthy comments made at the event. While not the first Hotel Developers Conference organized by JMBM’s Jim Butler, it was the first time he focused on green hotel development. I applaud Jim and his team at JMBM, as well as UNLV, for taking a chance on this first-time conference.
Over the past two years, I have attended most of our industry’s green-themed conferences and I have to say that this past week’s event had the best lineup of speakers. Fascinating case studies were presented, topics such as carbon trading were addressed, and it was clear that event organizers had a real understanding of the hot button topics in our industry: the true cost of building green; whether LEED is worth pursuing; whether lenders favor green projects, etc. The organizers of the conference worked with NativeEnergy to offset the emissions associated with the energy used in the event space and for all of the attendees’ lodging.
About 400 people attended. Another green conference taking place at the same time—Lodging Hospitality and Pineapple Hospitality’s second Green Hospitality Conference—probably lured away some potential attendees. During the event, Jim did an informal “raise your hands” survey to learn what types of industry representatives were present. It certainly looked like there were more designers and architects than developers. If a similar event were held in a year’s time, I am confident more hotel companies would be there. Many of the major brands are just beginning to formulate their green strategies.
Additional Conference Thoughts
Here are just a few additional comments related to the Developers Conference:
• Sustainable hotel development is real and exploding. It is becoming a challenge to keep up with all of the innovative projects. Many designers and architects are doing incredible work.
• There is still a lot of confusion about the cost of green building.
• Some of our industry’s top hotel developers are still not sold on LEED; designers and architects are much more committed.
• There is still the perception that luxury and sustainability cannot co-exist. Over and over, it has been proven that they complement each other very well.
• Those hotel companies not present missed a great opportunity to learn about the strong business case for green building. They also missed some rare insight into the coming regulations that will pressure all commercial development to be green.
• There are a lot of people in our industry who really “get it.” What I mean by that is that they truly recognize the peril our world is facing and are committed to doing something about it. Our industry needs more of them.
• It struck me that there is so much buzz today about green building and LEED, but many properties still have not done the simple things like installing compact fluorescents. If every property in the U.S. did just that, it would have far more positive environmental impact than LEED may ever have.
• Too many hotel companies have not yet dedicated themselves to programs—e.g., the EPA’s Energy Star program—that provide proven benchmarking tools for measuring a hotel’s energy-saving progress. Being among the best of the best in terms of building performance will always be a strong selling point for any owner looking to sell or finance a property.
• And finally: Green hotel development is the hottest topic in our industry at the moment, and it will continue to be so. It is a focus of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA) but it seems to me there is a huge opportunity for a new type of lodging association—one separate from the AH&LA that would represent the interests of developers, designers, architects, consultants, attorneys, those in academia, students, the media and others interested in taking our industry in a new, green direction. Any takers?
Las Vegas Water Supply Part Two
In a recent column, I wrote about the drought in the Southwest and how it has contributed to the decline in Lake Mead’s water level. Lake Mead, which is now 103 feet below normal, is the primary water source for Las Vegas. Prior to attending the UNLV/JMBM Hotel Developers Conference, I had an opportunity to drive up to Lake Mead. As the photo below indicates, the drop in the lake level has indeed been dramatic. It does make one wonder what the future holds for Las Vegas and other areas of the Southwest.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
