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Green Hospitality

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Going green is the one of the big trends in hospitality industry. When April 22, the 40th Earth Day, is around the corner, three students in my Hotel and Resort Operations class presented a topic on green hotel concept in class. They showed us numerous green practices of Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in LA and Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco. Here are some examples:

· Using organic bath products and sustainable amenities;
· Adopting an energy control system;
· Promoting “reusing towels program” to guests;
· Using energy-efficient appliances;
· Recycling;
· Separating food waste to produce organic fertilizer;
· Using recycled materials in constructions;
· …

These two hotels benefit from these green practices by saving operation costs and gaining marketing advantages. When hotel chains follow this trend (many of them do), green practices will bring more impacts to the environment. For example, Hilton introduced a LightStay system in 2009 to assist properties in calculating and analyzing their environmental impacts. The system had helped 1,300 Hilton hotels “reduce energy by 5%, carbon output by 6%, waste output by 10%, and water use by 2.4% in 2009.”

What are the going-green practices in your organizations? What are the benefits you have seen?

Some websites about “going-green” include:
U.S. Green Building Council: http://www.usgbc.org/
Green Building Certification Institute: http://www.gbci.org/homepage.aspx
Green Guidelines by AH&LA: http://www.ahla.com/green.aspx
Green Seal: http://www.greenseal.org/index.cfm

References:
Memphis Business Journal: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok04212010
Pictures were copied from: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok04212010P (A Green Hilton Hotel in Bariloche)
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Comments

  1. RudyApril 25, 2010 at 10:09 PM

    great topic! what are the pictures at the bottom? its looks like an interesting building, is it a hotel?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linchi KwokApril 26, 2010 at 5:49 AM

    Thanks, Rudy. All pictures are about the green Hilton Hotel in Bariloche. The bottom right picture looks like a lobby or a multi-functional banquet space. The other pictures, including the bottom left, show us the exterior look of the hotel.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Linchi KwokMay 7, 2010 at 10:19 AM

    Green Promises Kept

    By: Jeri Clausing (Travel Weekly)

    "The Westin hotel in Westminster, Colo., next month will become the first hotel in Colorado to install solar panels, capping a $9 million renovation that included a number of green upgrades to its energy and water systems."

    To read the full discussion, please go to:
    http://www.travelweekly.com/article3_ektid213986.aspx

    ReplyDelete

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