MEMPHIS, Tennessee—Having a sustainable hotel isn’t rocket science, but it takes more than a passing thought to make the grade, according to executives participating in a sustainability panel during the recent Memphis Lodging Industry Summit..
Sure, there’s what’s described as “low-hanging fruit” to pick when a hotel changes from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow water discharge units are installed, but there’s plenty more than can be done—and it doesn’t always have to revolve around money.
“When you’re getting ready to do this, write a plan and reach out to the local folks and see what they think about it,” said Doug Gamble, owner of The Q Hotel & Spa in Kansas City Missouri. “Does it save money? Some things do, some things don’t.”
Gamble said he began with a 38-point sustainability plan as part of his renovation of the former Quarterage Hotel into an eco-friendly property, and quickly discovered that there are a number of consumers who know the difference between truly sustainable goods and services and those which practice greenwashing—an attempt to look more environmentally friendly than they really are.
Dennis Quaintance, president & CEO of the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, said exaggeration of sustainability is a real problem.
“Beware. There are so many people selling bad green stuff,” he said. “If you are going to get into this sort of thing, you have to be a tough customer, ask a lot of questions and demand a lot of answers.”
Gamble said guests can tell quickly if a hotel is simply going through the motions. But hotels that make a true effort to be sustainable are quickly rewarded.
“Does it sell rooms? Our numbers went up quite significantly,” he said. “This property, we finished renovations at the beginning of this year and we’re up 41 percent year to date. Government bookings have been tremendous. The IRS is all over us in a good way. The EPA is booking us left and right.”
Deirdre Wallace, founder & president of The Ambrose Collection in Santa Monica, California, said investing in staff training is among the most important steps to take.
“It’s an ongoing and challenging item, but it’s one of the most important things you can do for a green hotel,” she said. “It’s important for them to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it.”
The Ambrose has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation from the U.S. Green Building Council, which recognizes buildings with a comprehensive approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in human and environmental health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Wallace said subtlety is another important element in sustainable design.
“It’s important to not hit the guest over the head with our sustainable practices,” she said. “Give them info in the room so they know what’s going on.”
It’s clear what’s going on in terms of cost savings. Wallace outlined the savings her property achieved by being fully immersed in a sustainability platform:
* 20 percent on water bill with low flow toilets and faucets;
* 30 percent less energy used with Energy Star certified products;
* 75 percent of hotel waste is recycled;
* 37 percent savings in cost from printing double sided on 100-percent recycled paper;
* The payback for installing compact fluorescent light bulbs came in about three months; and
* 17 percent of The Ambrose’s energy is offset with Renewable Energy Credits, which is the equivalent to taking 12 cars off the road per year.
The hotel is exploring installing solar heating panels—she said the hotel plans on a 20-percent return on investment if it goes that route—and going to a paperless office environment.
Quaintance said hotel uses 100 solar panels on its roof to help offset the costs of heating water.
“We get over 60 percent of the energy we need for hot water from the solar panels,” he said, adding that even one solar panel would make a different at a hotel that doesn’t have the space for multiple panels. “The boilers haven’t kicked on in like three months.”
The Proximity, a new-build property that opened in November 2007, boasted of more than 70 energy and health enhancements, including:
* Uses 36.5 percent less energy than a conventional hotel by using ultra-efficient materials and the latest construction technology.
* Restored 700 linear feet of stream by reducing erosion, planting local, adaptable plant species and rebuilding the buffers and banks. Approximately 700 cubic yards of soil was removed to create a floodplain bench. And 376 tons of boulders and 18 logs were used to maintain grade control, dissipate energy and assist in the creation and maintenance of riffles and pools.
* Installed North America’s first regenerative drive model of elevator that reduces net energy usage by capturing the system’s energy and feeds it back into the building’s internal electrical grid.
* Uses building materials with recycled content. For example, reinforced steel contains 90 percent post consumer recycled content, sheetrock 100 percent, asphalt 25 percent and staircase steel 50 percent. Concrete contains 4 percent fly ash, the mineral residue left after the combustion of coal that is diverted from landfills. It cut the height of guestrooms by one inch to 9 feet, 11 inches, to reduce the amount of sheetrock used.
* Installed newly-engineered variable speed hoods in the restaurant that use a series of sensors to set the power according to the kitchen's needs and adjusts to a lower level of operation (typically 25 percent of their full capacity). The sensors also detect heat, smoke or other effluents and increase the fan speed to keep the air fresh.
* Uses geothermal energy for the restaurant’s refrigeration equipment, instead of a standard water-cooled system, saving significant amounts of water.
“Our total return is hard to calculate, but we think we spent about a million and half more,” Quaintance said. “We’re saving a bunch of money, it’s very positive for marketing. It impacts groups and events, and it helps with recruiting.”
Even if hotel owners let guests know about the sustainability measures, some guests won’t get it, Gamble said. He spoke of a guest who wanted to drink wine and didn’t like the recyclable paper cups in the guestroom
“Where we’re at now is a very fluid situation,” he said. “If you take some of this and install it, things will change. There are huge hassles, like trying to find a local farmer to take our limited food waste. We’re experimenting with turning lights off during the day to lower usage further.”
“It’s all about staying on top of what’s going on at your hotel,” Wallace said.
“Don’t be spooked by it, but don’t get started on it if you aren’t willing to go deep,” Quaintance said. of the Proximity Hotel