By Jeff Kiec, Director of Sustainability - EcoGreenHotel
In today’s strenuous economic conditions, hotels are looking for every advantage to increase occupancy and lower operating expenses. Fortunately, there is a program that can help do both. The U.S. EPA’s ENERGYSTAR Labeling program for hospitality buildings offers solutions to property owners to find hidden operational cost savings and unlock energy efficiency throughout the property. In addition, since ENERGYSTAR is the most recognized eco-label by environmentally conscious consumers, it provides positive connection to the traveling public.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY = COST $AVINGS:
- U.S. hotels spend close to $4 billion on energy every year.
- A 10 % reduction in energy costs is equivalent to increasing ADR by $0.83 for limited service hotels and by $2.45 for full-service hotels.
- Hotels and motels spend an average of $2,196 per available room each year on energy, an amount that represents about 6 percent of all hotel operating costs
INCREASED RECOGNITION = ADDITIONAL REVENUE
- Leading online travel companies, Travelocity (Green Directory) and Orbitz (Eco-Toursim Travel Guide), enhanced their online hotel listing to allow travelers to easily identify properties that have earned the ENERGYSTAR Label.
Leading hotel corporations are taking advantage of the cost savings found within the program. Hilton Hotels earned the EPA’s ENERGYSTAR Award for Excellence in Energy Management and ties their hotel general managers' annual bonuses to energy performance. By meeting Hilton's goal of reducing energy consumption by 5% for every owned hotel, a manager's annual bonus was increased. This resulted in almost every property meeting the goal. Marriott has over 275 hotels with its ENERGYSTAR label, more than any other hotel company. The US EPA also presented Marriott with its ENERGYSTAR Sustained Excellence Award and has named the company “Partner of the Year” since 2004.
Currently there are 415 labeled green hotels: which represents 4% of the total labeled buildings in the US. (see figure 1).
Less than 1% of all of the 47,000 US hotels are ENERGY STAR Labeled, which means yours can stand-alone in its local market. EcoGreenHotel can assist your property achieve the ENERGYSTAR Label through its onsite Energy Efficiency Analysis and ENERGYSTAR benchmarking and labeling services. http://www.ecogreenhotel.com/energystarbenchmarking.php
About EcoGreenHotel
EcoGreenHotel is a company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address energy and environmental solutions. Sustainability services are strategically designed to help hotels identify incentives, rebates, and grants to allocate toward energy efficient solutions to decrease energy costs and achieve the Triple Bottom Line. EcoGreenHotel also offers Energy Star Benchmarking and Energy Efficiency Analysis. For further information visit www.EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888.229.0213
