Upland, Calif.—(Oct. 10, 2002) Capturing significant savings in laundry and housekeeping labor, and linen and towel supplies today is as easy as simply saying “please” to your guests thanks to Green Suites International’s partnership with Project PlanetTM and new zero-down Pennies Per Occupied Room (POR) Linens & Towels Re-Use Program.

With the Green Suites’ Project PlanetTM POR Linens & Towels Re-Use Program, professional signage and in-room educational materials from Project PlanetTM say “please” for you and encourage guests to re-use their linens and towels, conserving energy and water — saving big dollars for participating properties, while helping to save the planet, too. Green Suites’ POR program allows properties to forgo any upfront investment associated with the very successful Project PlanetTM program, the only such program endorsed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. All the necessary start-up materials, including staff training and in-room signage to explain planet-saving options to the guest, are included.

Raving fan

At the Best Western Island Inn, with 50 guestrooms and 11 family suites, on St. Simon’s Island, Ga., General Manager Sue Garwood is very impressed with the benefits of the Pennies Per Occupied Room Project PlanetTM Linens & Towels Re-Use Program offered by Green Suites International.

“I saw Green Suites International representatives at a recent Best Western International conference in which they were promoting the Project PlanetTM Pennies Per Occupied Room program,” Garwood said. “I also manage another property, where we have used the Project PlanetTM program since it opened, and I was excited and very much impressed with its results. I wanted to implement Green Suites’ POR program at the Best Western Island Inn property and was eager to sign on to a proven zero-down, cost-saving eco program.”

Getting an AH&LA-endorsed Project PlanetTM Linens & Towels Re-Use program up and running is easy, according to Ray Burger, VP Sales & Marketing for Green Suites. “All it takes is a call into us and we can start the ball rolling, schedule the training and get the materials to you so you can start saving today.”

Hotels pay just pennies per occupied room per month, billed at month’s end, for participation — in essence using a small portion of related savings already reaped in water, energy, labor, as well as linens and towels, which can last 25 to 50 percent longer by reducing laundry cycles and detergent contact.

Penny wise

“A typical 100-room hotel can reduce its water usage by 72,000 gallons and detergent usage by 480 gallons, saving more than $20,000 per year, all for just 9 cents Per Occupied Room, billed to the property at the end of each month,” Burger said. “And this doesn’t take into account savings associated with housekeeping and laundry labor and linens and towels purchasing.”

“I know we’re saving significant dollars and time in our housekeeping and laundry departments,” Garwood said. “My staff likes the Green Suites’ Pennies Per Occupied Room Project Planet Linens & Towels Re-Use Program as much as our guests. The program is good for everyone, and the planet.”

Garwood added that based on her previous experience with the program, she expects at least a 17- percent reduction in laundry loads and related water/sewer, energy and labor costs. 

“I know that we are handling less loads than before, and all of this adds up to significant savings for our property and the planet’s limited environmental resources,” she said. “It’s important to note that time and again our guests have told us that they truly appreciate the program and all we’re doing to keep our costs and rates down while playing our part in helping to preserve the planet for future generations.”

Participating hotels receive in-room materials including environmental table brochures, Linens Program door hangers or pillow cards, and Towel Program door hangers. Back-of-house materials include an eight-minute training video, environmental posters and audit checklists, and energy and water conservation posters/wall stickers to educate staff and guests on the benefits of washing towels less frequently and changing the linens once every three days or upon request.
“The program couldn’t be easier, or more effective,” said Dan Bornholdt, President & Founder of Green Suites International. “The 43 million environmentally aware travelers nationwide are very receptive to the message, so it works.”

Win-win program

Garwood noted that since the Best Western Island Inn is in a resort area, the average length of stay can be longer than that for other transient lodging, and so the bottom line benefits of the program are that much greater. She said the program makes sense for all properties, particularly those without such programs or those trying to ‘go it alone’ without an AHLA-endorsed linens and towels re-use program. Resort destinations, conference center hotels and extended-stay properties are other markets ripe to reap the most financial rewards from adopting this program.

Best Western Island Inn finds that the use of the cards on the bed are most effective. The property also makes use of program promotional cards on towel racks and educational cards with generic information on what the hotel is trying to do to keep water and energy use down and help the planet, and why.

“We like the program for reasons other than the cost savings, too,” Garwood said. “It’s important to us that we’re doing what we can to keep the environment clean, and conserve water and  energy.”

Plus, Garwood said guests and staff appreciate the environmental awareness a property shows by participating in the program.

“We’ve had great guest comments, like ‘Good for you – this is great,’ and ‘We’re glad to see this type of program — we wish more hotels would do this,’ and even ‘I conserve at home and it’s good to see that I can conserve while away,’” Garwood said.

“The Pennies Per Occupied Room program is a winning proposition all around, plus it’s easy to manage,” said Burger. “It’s very simple — it’s a great pay-as-you-go plan.”

”We decided to go with the Green Suites’ Project PlanetTM program primarily because people are familiar with it and the promotional material is very professional,” Garwood said. “We couldn’t have done this ourselves in-house with anywhere near the results we get with this program.”

“The biggest measure of the effectiveness of the program is the cost savings, but equally important to us is the positive feedback we get from our guests,” Garwood said. “It’s nice to know that I’ve done something good for the environment and for our guests. The bottom line is that we in hospitality are in business to satisfy our guests.” 

“With our Pennies Per Occupied Room Project PlanetTM Linens & Towels Re-Use Program, the sun is shining a little brighter and the bottom line is a lot greener at the Best Western Island Inn,” Bornholdt said. “We’re just happy to have the opportunity to please more owners, GMs, staffs and guests with a proven planet saver that also happens to cut costs dramatically and cost zero upfront. Our POR program is a savings-share system where you keep most of the savings while boosting guest satisfaction scores.”

“In addition to delivering significant sustained savings with literally zero upfront investment, the Pennies Per Occupied Room Linens & Towels Re-Use Program helps all types of hotels improve their public image and bolster guest satisfaction and property recognition scores — further driving net profits,” said Tyler Tatum, Project Planet Corp. GM. “Between 68 and 72 percent of guests participate and re-use their towels and linens, and this percentage is climbing rapidly along with travelers’ environmental awareness and the number of properties offering the program.”

Experience “The Island Difference” at the Best Western Island Inn on St. Simons Island, George, situated in a tropical island setting of lush landscapes and glistening coastal waters, located midway between Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia. With 61 fresh island decor guest rooms, including 11 family suites, guests will enjoy the pleasant ambiance as both a vacation and business destination. For more information, contact Sue Garwood, General Manager, at 800-673-6323 or 912-638-7805. Online information is available by email at bwisland@gate.net, or visit www.bestwesternstsimons.com.

Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites International assists hotels by developing solutions that are profitable to hotels and image enhancing to the more than 43 million environmental travelers in the United States. Solutions include energy and water efficient products, natural amenities delivered from elegant dispensers, non-toxic cleaners, and air and water filtration systems. Facilities reaping the benefits of Green Suites’ solutions include properties from every state and 12 different countries. For more information on Green Suites International, its Project Planet Linens & Towels Re-Use program and wide array of other ecological solutions providing hotels with significant economic benefit, please contact Ray Burger, VP Sales & Marketing, at 888-590-2285, e-mail rburger@greensuites.com, or visit www.greensuites.com.

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