GLOBAL UPDATE
Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco recycles or composts 80 % of its waste and consumes less than one gallon of water a minute .
CERTIFIED GREEN
Imagine a restaurant that recycles or composts 80 % of its waste and consumes less than one gallon of water a minute . It might seem too good to be true , but this is exactly what San Francisco ’ s Luce restaurant has accomplished .
Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco is part of the IHG Green Engage sustainability program , and in September , InterContinental Hotels & Resorts announced all of its IHG corporate-managed restaurants in the United States and Canada had gained certification from the Green Restaurant Association .
Twenty-six restaurants implemented 1,180 steps in the areas of energy , waste , food , packaging , chemicals and building materials . Luce , for example , decreased its energy bill 15 %, says Stephanie Coutouly , InterContinental San Francisco ’ s director of food and beverage .
“ Now that we have the infrastructure in place , the plan for the future is to find more ways to save energy ,” Coutouly says . “ We can find better products and more ecofriendly ways to save .”
“ We know that there ’ s value from the certification in terms of helping us save money around energy and waste in the restaurant ,” adds Maury Zimring , IHG director of corporate responsibility . “ We see this as a key element of our overall environmental sustainability strategy .”
Overall , IHG ’ s Green Engage program has reduced hotels ’ energy costs 25 % and garnered US $ 22 million in savings across the global estate .
SIGNING ON TO
SINA WEIBO
With alternative forms of social media banned on the Chinese mainland , hotels are relying on Sina Weibo to engage consumers , although a measurable ROI remains unclear .
The microblogging site , described as a combination of Twitter and Facebook , was launched in 2009 and has 56 million active daily users . The site ’ s content is regulated under the Chinese government ’ s censorship laws . So far hotel companies mainly use the site to increase brand recognition and post updates on company news and activities . Western hotel companies say Sina Weibo represents a new way to engage Chinese consumers with their brand identity . The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co . launched a Sina Weibo page in September and has 1,200 fans .
Ritz-Carlton works with an outside marketing agency to develop posts , and says its goal is to generate an ongoing conversation with consumers about its brand identity .
“ In China we ’ re introducing the brand , what we stand for as a company and teaching consumers about luxury ,” says Allison Sitch , vice president of global public relations for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co . “ The way we engage with them is as educators .”
Chinese hotel companies use Sina Weibo to engage the domestically driven tourism market , says Bernold Schroeder , CEO of Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotel Group Co . Jin Jiang has posted 12 , 500 messages to its Sina Weibo site , has 35,000 active fans and primarily uses the site as a way to highlight hotel openings , sales promotions and recent company awards .
14 HOTELS December 2013 www . hotelsmag . com