This text will be replaced
Sustainable Eco-friendly Hotels with Simple Effective Ideas
Hotels know they need to do more for guests than simply provide a good night’s rest. Some green hotels are leading the eco-way for old and new hotels of all sizes.Hotel initiatives might not be “groundbreaking,” but these innovative and simple ideas work. Here’s what a few sustainable hotels are implementing:
ARIA Resort & Casino – Las Vegas, Nevada
At the heart of MGM Resort International’s seventy-six acre complex on the strip, the ARIA has earned six LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certifications due to their innovative green hotel initiatives. The building is made with over two hundred thousand tons of construction waste. The hotel limos are powered with clean-burning natural gas and turned slot machine bases into mini-air conditioners, cooling the casino area with every pull of a handle or push of a button.
Emirates’ Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa – Wolgan Valley, Australia
Build in 2009, this resort has quickly achieved its goal of being a carbon neutral hotel. The interior furniture is crafted from the trees that have fallen on its almost four thousand acres of property, and the lighting fixtures are made out of fence posts that date back to colonial days. Product and meal ingredients come from the hotel’s organic garden or from within a hundred miles of the property. Wolgan Valley received a Commitment to Excellenceand the Environmental Award at the 2010 Leading Hotels of the World Awards.
Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers – Copenhagen, Denmark
Named the World’s Greenest Hotel in October 2010, it’s a 279 feet tall building covered in solar-panel installations (the biggest such installation in northern Europe). The hotel uses groundwater as both a heating and cooling source. The TVs and lighting are both low-energy, and some bathroom amenities, such as shampoo bottles and shower caps, are completely biodegradable. Guests can help reduce the hotel’s environmental impact even more by hitting the gym—the exercise bikes supply the building with electricity.
Proximity Hotel – Greensboro, North Carolina
The first hotel property to obtain a LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Its 70-plus sustainable features include 100 rooftop solar panels and an elevator that generates electricity as it travels. The hotel uses 39 percent less energy and 34 percent less water than similar hotels. Even much of the hotel’s building materials and furniture came from local, salvaged walnut trees.
About EcoGreenHotel
EcoGreenHotel LLC (Robbinsville, NJ), is a privately held company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address a broad spectrum of sustainability issues. The company provides information, tools, checklists, current news and trends to the hospitality industry through its website, www.EcoGreenHotel.com. The company also runs an online marketplace for green products and services at www.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications, including LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star. For those properties that have reached certified levels of sustainability, EcoGreenHotel assists with marketing services to position the properties within the growing “green” space and enhance revenue. For further information, email info@EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888-229-0213.
About Author
Susan Patel, VP of Technologies & Communications received her B.S. in Economics from Rutgers College at New Brunswick and has over six years of financial and investment analyst experience. Driven by her passion for sustainability and economic development since childhood and through philanthropic adventures internationally, Susan now leads business development and operations at EcoGreenHotel and is the Site Director and Managing Editor of EcoGreenHotel online publications.
Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West Reduces Energy Use Through Green Technologies
Small changes into daily hotel operations can lead to extraordinary results. Beginning in early 2010, the 118-room Hilton Garden Inn – Knoxville West made the commitment to reduce its daily operation costs through energy efficiency and green technologies. A wide variety of energy conservation measures (ECM) were recommended by EcoGreenHotel and approved by M. Gibson Hotels Group. The project included innovative products such as US Energy Solution’s Energy Patrol and Boiler Management System, an ozone laundry upgrade, swimming pool saltwater conversion, and a liquid pool blanket.
“As an investment and management company, we are always looking for ways to reduce our operating costs throughout our portfolio of hotels to increase the ROI for our investors, “ said Michael Gibson, Founder and CEO of M.Gibson Hotels Group. “EcoGreenHotel’s E2A (Energy Efficiency Analysis) introduced us to several energy conservation measures and, with their vendor neutral approach, together we built a comprehensive energy strategy we felt comfortable investing precious capital towards. Since installation Scott and his team continue to measure results and provide us with detailed reporting that allow us to show our investors true savings and a return on their investment.”
EcoGreenHotel led the project implementation and scheduled the installation without upsetting the day-to-day operations of the hotel. “We evaluated, recommended and managed the installation of energy efficiency measures that are already delivering strong returns for the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West. EcoGreenHotel specializes in the select service market and have partnered with the best providers of technologies geared at this sector of hotels,“ notes Scott Parisi, President of EcoGreenHotel.
The difficult part of any energy conservation project is to balance the investment costs and potential cost savings with out exceeding a limited budget. EcoGreenHotel’s recommendations for this project all provided reasonable payback periods while delivering above average cost savings. Two of the most effective solutions implemented were the Guest Room Energy Management System and an Ozone Laundry system.
The Energy Patrol Energy Management system allows hotel management to gain precise control of the PTAC units in guest rooms through the use of motion sensors tied to the in-room thermostats. “More and more hoteliers are viewing sustainability projects as some of the most financially attractive investments that they can make. Our Energy Patrol System reduced HVAC waste by up to 45% per occupied room. Our system will have a great impact on the bottom line, while providing a return on investment of approximately two years,” said Kevin Hall, President US Energy Solutions.
The benefits of ozone as a powerful cleaning agent have been studied for over 100 years. Only recently have limited service hotels been able to take full advantage of its tremendous cleaning power in laundry operations. The Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West installed a small-scale system to work with its two 75-lb washers. The results have been very positive allowing a reduction in the use of laundry chemicals and terrific energy savings. Ozone acts as a powerful oxidizer and increases the saponification effects of the wash chemicals that allow for lower washing temperatures between 95°F to 115°F instead of the traditional 140°F to 160°F, with no sacrifice in cleaning power.
Looking beyond the most common energy conservation measures, EcoGreenHotel recommended two innovative solutions for the indoor swimming pool:
The first is a liquid pool blanket. The Heatsavr system automatically applies a biodegradable liquid that floats on the surface of the water to greatly reduce heat loss by slowing the evaporation rate. The invisible liquid blanket is very effective in reducing the steam loss per hour. The Hilton Garden Inn’s pool is experiencing energy bill reductions between 15% and 30%. For every dollar spent on Heatsavr, hotel owners will see three dollars in savings.
Finally, EcoGreenHotel recommended a green technology solution that does not reduce energy use; however it did provide excellent cost savings. Converting the standard chlorine swimming pool to a saltwater pool was relatively inexpensive and took less than an hour for installation with a simple cut in to the pool equipment lines. The pay back was tremendous, allowing for pool chemical cost to be reduced from $150.00 a month for dry chlorine tablets and crystals to less than $10.00 a month for 25-lb bags of salt.
Overall the energy conservation measures have resulted in a 25% reduction in energy and natural gas usage as compared to last year. All of the energy conservation measures are projected to be paid for with the savings within 24 months. As energy prices rise over the next five years the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West will be well ahead of its competition.
About M. Gibson Hotels Group
M. Gibson Hotels Group is an investment, development and management company with over 36 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, building expertise through multi-unit management and conceptual development of hotels and freestanding theme restaurants. They are a franchisee with InterContinental Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels Corporation, and Marriott International Inc. and offer hotel construction, development, interior design, project management, accounting, sales and marketing services through a team of dedicated professionals
About EcoGreenHotel
EcoGreenHotel LLC (Robbinsville, NJ), is a privately held company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address a broad spectrum of sustainability issues. The company provides information, tools, checklists, current news and trends to the hospitality industry through its website, www.EcoGreenHotel.com. The company also runs an online marketplace for green products and services at www.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications, including LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star. For those properties that have reached certified levels of sustainability, EcoGreenHotel assists with marketing services to position the properties within the growing “green” space and enhance revenue. For further information, email info@EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888-229-0213.
Green Hotels and Reclaimed Materials
Time and time again we hear hotel project managers and developers embarking on “greening” projects comment, “If only I thought of reclaimed materials before…” Although the project might have already been completed, it might not be too late to help you save time, money and help with your sustainable hotel initiatives. Who knows, you might still have some old furniture, carpeting, or other materials sitting in your storeroom from your recent renovation that you still need to discard.
Waste is piling up everywhere, billions of tons annually. What is worse, global waste production is expected to double by 2013. Much of that ends up in landfills with 40% coming from construction and renovation projects.
This year, PlanetReuse, like many other similar organizations, has taken a more active approach when it comes to reducing waste by focusing on reclaimed materials. Not only do they maintain a database of reclaimed and request listings, they also find the best way to make the connection whether you want materials for your green hotel project or have reclaimed materials to share.
Organizations like PlanetReuse take all the hard work out of incorporating reclaimed building material into green hotel projects around the globe. Each organization works differently, whether it be at a local or global level and has it’s own process. However, they work efficiently on your schedule, saving your green hotel both time and money, and – the planet by reducing landfill waste.
Click here to view Planet Reuse’s reclaimed materials listing page.
Next time you’re working on a construction or renovation project, don’t forget to discuss your reclaimed material options. You can also contact local municipalities or state for references.
Green Hotel Third Party Certifications Increasing
Ten years ago a business traveler looking for green lodging options would have to search long and hard for accommodations that offered in-room recycling, linen re-use programs, energy efficient light blubs, and water saving fixtures. Five years ago “certified green” hotels were tiny blips on the traveling public‘s radar.
Nearing the close of 2010, the business traveler has over 2000 “third-party certified” hotels in North America, dozens of USGBC LEED hotels and conference centers, corporate brands offering sustainability programs and LEED certified prototypes, numerous certifying organizations, Travelocity and Expedia “green lodging” search engines, and 35 State and Local Green Lodging programs to aid them in their quest for a sustainable overnight stay.
However there is no hospitality industry standard definition of a green hotel. Some will argue that simply implementing guest room recycling, using green cleaning products, and linen re-use programs are enough. Others say a self-certified audit program from an outside party such as following state lodging guideline qualifies. Even more say only a third party audited and certified hotel is the only way to guarantee compliance to strict standards.
Most sustainable industry professional’s definition of green hotel include green policies and procedures in place that at a minimum take into account energy, water, waste streams, indoor air quality, and green cleaning. Furthermore and most importantly, the hotels are audited and certified on a consistent basis from an independent third party organization. A third party certification provides accountability and assurance that the various standards are followed and to avoid “green washing”.
GreenKey’s Certification program has made tremendous gains throughout North America over the last five years. Currently they have over 1500 certified green hotels in the US and Canada and expect that number to increase with recently signed agreements with Hyatt, Carlson, Motel 6 and MGM Resorts.
According to Zach Cohen, GreenKey Global VP of Sales & Marketing, “the GreenKey Program has been well received because it allows for flexibility in the certification process by using a earn/deduction point scoring system rather than a pass/fail method. We expect to see another 1000 to 1500 properties earn their certification in 2011.” Additional programs such as EcoRooms/EcoSuites, LEED, GreenSeal and EnergyStar for hotels are available to hotel operators. All of which have their strengths and offer marketing advantages.
The green hotel movement is only going to gain momentum as more states and municipalities create green lodging initiatives and corporate brands adopt certification programs as standard practice. It will be exciting to see how the next ten years un-fold.
Third Party Certifications 2005-2010
About Author
Jeff Kiec, LEED-AP and Director of Sustainability at EcoGreenHotel, is a veteran of the environmental service industry. His experience includes engineering building assessments, operational sustainability audits, and environmental site assessments. He has project experience in a range of property types including industrial, multi-family residential and commercial office buildings. As the Sustainability Director for Deep Ellum, a historic arts and entertainment neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, Kiec is responsible for education and working with neighborhood businesses and property owners to incorporate sustainable building technologies.
Recent Comments