Technology : SuStainability
the dual benefit of both energy and water savings ,” explains Andrea Pinabell , Starwood ’ s vice president of sustainability and global citizenship .
The Phoenician also uses Weather- TRAK smart irrigation controllers , which use AT & T technology to give users the ability to track weather patterns and adjust water use accordingly . The vendor claims in a single year , WeatherTRAK customers cut a total of 15 billion gallons
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has committed to a 30 % decrease in water usage as part of its ThinkPlanet initiative , and is working to reach that lofty goal through multiple projects . For instance , for its Radisson Blu brand , the water-mindful company is offering specific solutions and services to its guests as part of the effort .
“ We are now saying for every 250 towels that are reused by the guests in our Radisson Blu hotels , we give a child safe
The solar panel installation at The Phoenician , Scottsdale , Arizona , is estimated to offset a portion of the resort ' s energy demand equivalent to about 90 homes . staggering premium on water supplies — the Shore Hotel is also in the midst of installing such a system , in addition to existing features such as low-flow toilets and showerheads , minimal irrigation and automated public faucets . With the new laundry system the hotel expects to save some 70 % of the 3,000 to 4,000 gallons it uses daily for washing .
“ After reclamation , the water is clean enough to drink ,” says Steve Farzam , CEO of the Shore Hotel . “ It ’ s an investment , but based on that ROI , we ’ ll break even within one-and-a-half to two years . Not to mention what we ’ re doing for the community in saving that water during a critical drought crisis .” of water , US $ 137 million in expenses , hundreds of thousands of man hours and 62 million kilowatt hours of energy .
“ It tracks the needed irrigation via satellite ; there are probes in the ground and it tracks the amount of water that the grass actually needs , versus just turning on your sprinkler systems ,” Pinabell says . “ Through that system alone , the hotel saved over 307 million gallons of water and US $ 2.1 million in water expenditures since installation .”
Meanwhile in Europe , Brussels-based drinking water for life through a donation to Just A Drop ,” says Inge Huijbrechts , Carlson Rezidor ’ s global vice president of responsible business , of its revamped towel reuse program . “ We estimate we will save 12,000 children a year .”
Other hotels are finding substantial water savings by reclaiming laundry waste water using new technologies that turn gray water into a reusable resource . The Corinthia Hotel in Lisbon has this in place and in Santa Monica , California — where a severe drought has put a
Supplies and waste Another integral component of sustainability efforts is optimizing a hotel ’ s supply chain for all entering products and materials , as well as all resulting waste products pushed out of the facility .
For some hoteliers , this means addressing the underlying factors driving food production , like the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City with its 16,000-square-foot rooftop garden and supplier alliances with local farmers , or Fairmont Hotels & Resorts , which has been building honeybee apiaries on hotel rooftops since 2008 . Last year , FHR further increased the effort , dubbed the Fairmont Sustainable Bee program .
“ We expanded our focus to include a second bee species and created our first pollinator bee hotel atop Toronto ’ s Fairmont Royal York in an effort to reduce colony collapse disorder ,” says Jane Mackie , vice president of the Fairmont brand . “ This year , with local and national partners , we created 16 additional bee hotels in Canada atop our properties , as well as in local communities .”
Then there ’ s the issue of what do with
56 HOTELS October 2015 www . hotelsmag . com