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 .
Technology : SuStainability
organic ( primarily kitchen ) waste , which can be expensive to haul away , and messy if composted on-site . One partial solution is to donate uneaten food as the New York Hilton Midtown does with City Harvest . Then there ’ s the JW Marriott Marquis Miami , which has been making huge strides toward lowering food waste by implementing a cutting-edge liquid composter called the Power Knot , which uses enzymes activated by warm water to rapidly break down organic scraps .
The Power Knot ’ s enzyme technology was developed in Asia where waste management is crucial ; representatives from the hotel say their property is the first in the hospitality industry to use this device . The Power Knot reportedly reduces waste down to gray water within four to six hours , and in the case of the Marquis Miami , that water is then reclaimed and used to irrigate landscaping .
“ Previously all of that would go into a trash can , which went into a larger trash can , which went to the dumpster , which would go to the landfill ,” says Paul Pebley , director of sales and marketing at the hotel . “ We had one size and then we upgraded to a larger size because we used it so much .”
Installation was a breeze , too , according to Pebley . The composter is a self-contained unit that gets pushed up against a wall , plugged in and hooked up to a water supply . It ’ s clean and odorless , and the payback has been immediate .
“ We ’ re probably averaging [ savings of ] about US $ 1,350 to US $ 1,500 a month just on the weight of the garbage itself ,” says Raymond Linares , director of engineering at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami . “ It was not only for the bottom line — which is fantastic , obviously — but we looked at it thinking this food just goes to waste , and it ’ s a responsibility to make sure that as we grow our population , we can be as efficient as possible .”
For some operators , conservation begins before a hotel opens for business . Take , for example , Hotel Skyler in Syracuse , New York , built inside the existing walls of the former Temple Adath Yeshrun , circa 1921 . Owners Woodbine Hospitality Group adapted the building for re-use as a hotel and kept 90 % of the historic building ’ s exterior intact , even reusing window and door cuts , and as much reclaimed timber as possible .
Other construction features of the green-minded hotel include FSC-certified wood used almost exclusively , harvested from sustainably managed forests ; local materials recycled into the building décor like Tiffany-style stained glass windows from a church in Oswego , New York ; lobby casework from a warehouse in Syracuse ; and where possible , preserved original architectural features from the Temple including decorative corbels , window casings and ornamental trim .
Mission Hills Group purchased a fleet of 300 solar-powered golf carts for its three golf courses in China .
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 .
— Jane Mackie , FairMont Hotels & resorts
Woodbine recycled more than 534 tons of the 712 tons of material removed from the site for a more than 75 % waste stream diversion rate . The now-open hotel ’ s energy policies are similarly frugal .
“ Sustainability is no longer a trend . Sustainable business methods are necessary , especially in the lodging world ,” says Tom Fernandez , Hotel Skyler ’ s director of marketing . “ Our industry consistently operates with the expectation that a room will always be ready and comfortable , and yet this method of business leads to an enormous use of energy . I think back to the antiquated slogan , ‘ We ’ ll leave the lights on for you .’ At Hotel Skyler , we will definitely not leave the lights on .”
58 HOTELS October 2015 www . hotelsmag . com