Honeybees, hydraulic elevators, and instant-off lighting. Experts weigh in on what Green Hospitality means to them and how their hotels are helping reduce waste without sacrificing customer experience.
Hospitality has always been a resource intensive and high waste business. Linens to wash, food to prepare, surfaces to clean, and infrastructure to maintain. All that means a lot of potential ground to gain by going green.
Nowadays, there’s a dizzying number of programs and certifications for so-called green establishments. How do consumers and business leaders know which actions are the most meaningful? Does recycled toilet paper mean a hotel is green? Is that better or worse than optional linen service? Or is all of the above just greenwashing unless power usage and building materials are addressed? And how do you make sure your employees come along for the green ride?
Recently, swissnex San Francisco led a visiting delegation from EHL to investigate innovations in Green Hospitality. We spoke with experts from software startups to solar energy insiders to hotel managers. Again and again, it came down to people.
The take-home message: A truly green business must include the whole team in a bottom up approach, with a balanced scorecard for each department and the appointment of green ambassadors. This way, a manager can be sure that he or she creates a culture of change that will continue even if the initiator leaves the company.
After the study tour, I wanted to know more about Green Hospitality here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here’s what five locals say on the subject:
- Stefan Muhle, General Manager of Casa Madrona
Stefan Muhle, General Manager of Casa Madrona
“When strategically planned, smartly managed and systematically measured, properties with sustainable business practices catering to the triple bottom line are dramatically more cost efficient and better places to work and visit. When added to your marketing programs, sustainability efforts attract guests, as it’s now part of their decision making process.”
- Stefan Muhle, General Manager of Casa Madrona
Stefan Muhle, General Manager of Casa Madrona
“When strategically planned, smartly managed and systematically measured, properties with sustainable business practices catering to the triple bottom line are dramatically more cost efficient and better places to work and visit. When added to your marketing programs, sustainability efforts attract guests, as it’s now part of their decision making process.”
- Casa Madrona
Casa Madrona
Casa Madrona has an ambitious recycling program and key card system in their rooms that turns the electricity off when guests are out. Casa Madrona holds a platinum certification from the Green Business Bureau, a Climate Leader Award, and is on track to earn a LEED certification after its current renovation. Image Courtesy of Casa Madrona.
- Casa Madrona
Casa Madrona
Casa Madrona has an ambitious recycling program and key card system in their rooms that turns the electricity off when guests are out. Casa Madrona holds a platinum certification from the Green Business Bureau, a Climate Leader Award, and is on track to earn a LEED certification after its current renovation. Image Courtesy of Casa Madrona.
- Roger Huldi, General Manager of W Hotel
Roger Huldi, General Manager of W Hotel
“Green hospitality is about achieving the highest sustainable standards without sacrificing the guest experience. W San Francisco is only the seventh existing hotel in North America to obtain LEED Silver certification. We blend our Whatever/Whenever service promise to provide luxurious lifestyle experience for our guests while staying green and glamorous.”
- Roger Huldi, General Manager of W Hotel
Roger Huldi, General Manager of W Hotel
“Green hospitality is about achieving the highest sustainable standards without sacrificing the guest experience. W San Francisco is only the seventh existing hotel in North America to obtain LEED Silver certification. We blend our Whatever/Whenever service promise to provide luxurious lifestyle experience for our guests while staying green and glamorous.”
- The W Hotel, San Francisco
The W Hotel, San Francisco
The W Hotel has a Silver LEED-EB Certificate and is aiming to achieve platinum level next year. They use LED lamps, have their own beehives, and are planning an aquaponic system that will ultimately grow herbs for the restaurant including fresh basil. Image Courtesy of W Hotel.
- The W Hotel, San Francisco
The W Hotel, San Francisco
The W Hotel has a Silver LEED-EB Certificate and is aiming to achieve platinum level next year. They use LED lamps, have their own beehives, and are planning an aquaponic system that will ultimately grow herbs for the restaurant including fresh basil. Image Courtesy of W Hotel.
- Circe Sher, Marketing Director, h2hotel
Circe Sher, Marketing Director, h2hotel
“At h2hotel green hospitality starts with the building, ours was built to LEED Gold construction standards, and extends to our operations such as our use of green cleaning products, on property resource conservation and our focus on local and sustainable ingredients in our F & B.”
- Circe Sher, Marketing Director, h2hotel
Circe Sher, Marketing Director, h2hotel
“At h2hotel green hospitality starts with the building, ours was built to LEED Gold construction standards, and extends to our operations such as our use of green cleaning products, on property resource conservation and our focus on local and sustainable ingredients in our F & B.”
- h2Hotel, Healdsburg, California
h2Hotel, Healdsburg, California
The h2hotel swimming pool is heated with solar panels, and a green roof filters rainwater for the nearby Foss Creek, where h2hotel works with community groups to protect its natural settings. Their gearless traction elevators use 60 percent less energy than standard hydraulic elevators. Image Courtesy of h2hotel. Photo by Zubin Shroff.
- h2Hotel, Healdsburg, California
h2Hotel, Healdsburg, California
The h2hotel swimming pool is heated with solar panels, and a green roof filters rainwater for the nearby Foss Creek, where h2hotel works with community groups to protect its natural settings. Their gearless traction elevators use 60 percent less energy than standard hydraulic elevators. Image Courtesy of h2hotel. Photo by Zubin Shroff.
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