GLOBAL UPDATE
HARNESSING THE SUN
WESTIN DAWN BEACH RESORT & SPA IN ST . MAARTEN INSTALLED 2,602 SOLAR PANELS TO REPLACE ENERGY CONSUMPTION THROUGHOUT THE PROPERTY .
There is no shortage of sunshine in the Caribbean , and Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa in St . Maarten is putting it to work .
The 317-room property recently completed a US $ 1 million solar installation that allows it to produce six to eight hours of its own power during peak times . Westin Dawn Beach claims to be the first Westin property in the world to use solar panels to replace energy consumption throughout the resort .
The resort began harnessing the power of the sun in 2007 with the installation of solar panels to heat water used in its guestrooms . The current installation includes 2,602 solar panels capable of a total system capacity of 755 kilowatts . It will produce more than 1.2 million kilowatt hours annually — enough electricity to power 111 average-sized American homes . “ With sunshine guaranteed year-round , we saw only positive attributes to making this capital and environmental sustainability investment ,” says Dan Szydlowski , regional director for Columbia Sussex Corp ., the hotel ’ s owner .
Szydlowski adds the installation has proven to be a strong asset when it comes to attracting group business , and the hotel is already looking ahead to additional green innovations . Westin Dawn Beach also has invested in a Smardt Chiller , which achieves part-load efficiencies for chillers and chilled-water systems by using proprietary magnetic bearings rather than conventional oil-lubricated bearings .
THE BEST IN SOCIAL MEDIA
The use of videos , custom apps and real-life event tieins showcases the global hotel industry ’ s willingness to invest more than ever in social media . As a result , innovation is blossoming , and to celebrate this HOTELS in 2012 debuted the Social Hotel Awards .
HOTELS received more than 250 entries for its 2013 Social Hotel Awards program . As part of the judging process , the entries were culled by HOTELS ’ editors down to about 70 of the best for the judging panel to review and choose the winners . Ultimately , 16 awards were handed out for the 14 categories , as two of the categories saw ties .
Rather than ignoring the other entries deemed worthy as finalists , HOTELS has compiled them into a collection of mini case studies of successful social media campaigns and published an ebook , “ HOTELS ’ Best Social Media Practices Guide .”
The case studies include relevant information on the campaign submitted by the entrants , including details about the strategy , tactics and labor used and sometimes the amount of money invested and the return on investment .
HOTELS ’ goal with the ebook is to provide hoteliers with an inspirational reference guide to help them navigate their own social media outreach .
“ HOTELS ’ Best Social Media Practices Guide ” is available for purchase in the Apple Store , Amazon . com , Barnes & Noble and other online stores .
14 HOTELS June 2014 www . hotelsmag . com