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Cleanlink News 11/9/2009

Demand Drives 'Green' Hotels


Many big companies and states are increasingly steering their travel business to hotels that meet "green" environmental standards. The results are twofold: Companies can tout environmentally conscious business practices, and hotel owners are spurred to adopt energy-saving standards to attract guests.

"Corporations want to be able to say, 'This is what we're doing.' They can put it in their annual reports," says Linda Chipperfield of Green Seal, one of the better-known groups that certify environmental practices.

Indicative of the trend:
• Florida and California certify "green" hotels and urge state employees to consider staying in them whenever possible. New York started a similar program this year.

• Tech giant Oracle, accounting firm KPMG and the American Institute of Architects are among companies or organizations that check hotels' green practices before they sign contracts, says Tamara Kennedy-Hill of the Green Meeting Industry Council, which promotes environmental consciousness in business travel.

• Major cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, are pushing local hotels to take environmentally sustainable steps to gain a competitive edge in attracting conventions.

A few years ago, companies rarely asked hotels about operating policies. Among questions that companies pose of hotels: How much water and energy is conserved and waste is trimmed, how often towels and linens are replaced and what is recycled.

In a survey of corporate travel managers by the National Business Travel Association in August, 21% said environmental practices are important in choosing a travel company. That's up from 16% a year earlier.

"The idea is: If two hotels are equal, you should choose green," says Patricia Griffin of Green Hotels Association, a group of hotels that promote environmentally friendly measures.

Hotels understand the trend. Green Seal has certified 53 hotels after monitoring their operations, and the number will double by spring, Chipperfield says. Kimpton, a small hotel group, says it plans to have its 48 properties Green Seal certified by next year.

About 30 hotels are now LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, which means they were built using environmentally sustainable materials and practices. Hundreds of others being built or renovated are seeking certification, says Ashley Katz, a council spokeswoman.

Starwood says four of its hotels are LEED certified and 64 others are pursuing it. Marriott has two, with 50 in the pipeline.

As seen in USA Today.


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