Hotel Online  Special Report

Safe & Sound
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Operators and Guests Sleep Easy with Green Suitesâ
International�s Organic Bedding and Bath Linens
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Superior sleep experience accompanies down-to-earth pricing on flat and fitted sheets, pillow cases and shams, duvet covers, bed skirts, wash cloths, hand and bath towels � all made from Indian organically grown, chemical / insecticide - free cotton 
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Upland, Calif. � Nov. 30, 2004 � Sometimes, in the hustle-and-bustle of daily hotel operations, one forgets why most people stay with us. When one comes right down to it, it�s really all about getting a good night�s sleep.

"As an industry, we�ve accomplished almost everything except for putting hotels on the moon, and that day might come sooner than we all think. There�s one area, however, that surprisingly is often ignored � and it�s at the heart of our business � bedding," said Dan Bornholdt, President and Founder of Upland-based Green Suites International. "While a few chains have publicized recent moves toward more-comfortable mattresses and higher-thread-count bedding, we�re helping lodging operators and their valued guests sleep even easier by expanding our partnership with Coyuchi to launch a nationwide organically grown, chemical-free luxurious cotton bedding and bath towels program for hospitality."

Chemical-free cotton

Green Suites International is the exclusive distributor for the lodging industry of the complete line of organically grown cotton bedding and bath towels produced by Point Reyes Station, Calif.-based Coyuchi Inc. Comprised of certified organic cotton, Coyuchi bed linens and bath towels have helped eliminate the use of more than 30 tons of herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers from the environment during the past 12 years, according to Coyuchi President & CEO Christine Nielson.

Included in the popular Coyuchi bedding product mix are organic cotton flat and fitted sheets, duvet covers, pillow shams and bed skirts (for twin, full, queen and king size beds; in thread counts ranging from 220 to 300, in a range of fabrics),
as well as wash cloths, hand and bath towels.

"On average, 1.5 pounds of agricultural chemicals are used to produce the conventionally grown cotton in a single set of queen-size sheets," Nielson said. "Our goal is to have eliminated the need for 50 tons of these chemicals by our 15th anniversary in 2006 � and our partnership with Green Suites International is helping us reach this goal."

Ray Burger, Green Suites International�s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, said Coyuchi products make as much sense to buyers (bottom-line focused hotel owners) and users (comfort- and safety-minded guests) as they do environmentalists.

"While hotels across the globe race to obtain the next competitive differentiator � whether it be an indoor pool, in-room high-speed Internet access or something as simple as in-room coffee or a complimentary continental breakfast, we must be careful not to forget where it all started," Burger said. "This industry�s primary mission is to provide a safe and sound sleep environment, and that begins with comfortable, chemical-free bedding."

Nielson said Coyuchi bedding and bath towels will help hospitality operators cater to the tens of millions of environmentally concerned travelers, while helping sustain our planet for future generations of hoteliers and guests alike.

"Talk about a real chance to differentiate: Most hotels today have bath and bedding products that are not made of organically grown and certified cotton as are Coyuchi�s," Nielson said. "Most have conventionally grown cotton bed linens and bath towels in which harmful chemicals were used in the farming processes, including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers. By growing cotton organically, the old fashioned way � with smaller �family farms� producing a variety of crops � the masses of insects cotton crops attract can be much more easily and naturally controlled. We don�t have to introduce harmful chemicals that studies have proven are a real danger to our planet and people.

"The benefits or organic are pretty straightforward," Nielson said. "The chemicals used to grow conventional cotton are designed to kill pests, and they�re doing their job all too well. The harm doesn�t stop with the targeted insects. These chemicals pollute our limited, valuable natural resources � our air, soil, and water. Just as important, conventional processing of bedding usually includes substances such as formaldehyde or other solvents that can provoke allergic reactions � keeping the growing number of guests who are sensitive to chemicals from the safe, sound sleep they expect and deserve."

Green Bedding

Kimtpon Hotels & Restaurants� Hotel Triton in San Francisco is one property that caught on early to the myriad benefits of bedding and bath towels made from organically grown cotton in a chemical-free farm process. For three years, the prestigious boutique property has purchased Coyuchi bed linens from Green Suites International.

"Green Suites International has been providing us with any number of �green products� for about a decade, and their organically grown cotton bedding and bath towels are something we embraced at the Triton and are considering taking to all of our properties in the near future," said Michael Pace, City Manager overseeing the Triton and two other Kimpton properties, and Eco Leader for the hotel owner/operator.

As former GM of the Triton, which recently was recognized by the State of California as one of just four Leadership Level Green Lodging Program properties in Northern California, Pace said he�s a big fan of eco-friendly solutions, particularly those from Green Suites that help hotels save significant monies and build business and loyalty while preserving the planet.

"An increasing percentage of the traveling public has chemical allergies and sensitivities, and that�s just one very good reason to buy Coyuchi linens and bath towels from Green Suites International. Some of our own staff have chemical sensitivities, and as you can imagine they also really appreciate our organically grown bedding and bath towels," Pace said. 

"The truth is that overnight many hoteliers could better attract and retain valued guests and employees simply by upgrading their linens to those made entirely of organically grown cotton," he said. "It�s one of those education-needed issues, and we�re doing our best at Kimpton to stay ahead of the curve and meet, exceed and even create heightened guest expectations."

Stocked with all of Coyote�s organic cotton linen and bath towel offerings, Green Suites International is a key player on our �green team� whose number we plan to call a lot more often for good reason," Pace said. 

In addition to organically grown cotton linens and towels, the Triton has an entire Eco Floor on the 7th story that comprises 24 EcoRoomsÔ /Green Suitesâ equipped with an array of Green Suites International�s water- and energy-saving solutions, including: low-flow sink aerators and purifying filters in all sinks and tubs; air filtration systems/purifiers; and compact fluorescent lighting throughout that cuts related energy consumption up to 75 percent. Property-wide, the hotel uses Green Suites International�s bathroom amenity dispensers to reduce related packaging waste by 90 percent. 

The Hotel Triton also offers all Green Suites� towel and linen reuse program that GM Brian Fenwick said reduces laundry detergent and related water and electricity use by 25 percent. Fenwick said more than two-thirds of waste property wide is recycled thanks largely to Green Suites receptacles in guestrooms and public and work spaces, and "a complete buy-in" from top management to line-level employees to guests. Paperless purchasing through Green Suites International is helping save trees, and Green Suites� non-allergenic, biodegradable, all-natural cleaning products are used throughout the hotel as well.

"Thanks to Green Suitesä � solutions, and the wholehearted adoption of so many �green� products and programs by our property�s owners, management, staff and guests, today we serve as a blueprint for Green Lodging in California and elsewhere," Fenwick said. "Properties owe it to themselves to check out these solutions today so they can start saving monies and precious natural resources, and begin better attracting the tens of millions of environmentally aware business and leisure travelers, agents and meeting planners."

Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites International is lodging�s leading provider of profitable solutions with environmental benefits. For more information on Green Suites International, contact Ray Burger, Vice President of Sales &Marketing, at 888-590-2285, e-mail [email protected], and visit www.greensuites.com.


Did U Know?

  • Approximately 25 percent of the insecticides used in the agricultural sector are applied to cotton crops.
  • Many insects have developed resistances to insecticides and consequently are more difficult to control.
  • Insecticides can harm wildlife, especially birds, fish and beneficial insects.
  • Exposure to pesticides is linked to increased risk of cancer.
  • Organically grown cotton bedding can be cost competitive and of equal quality to conventionally grown products.
  • Organically grown cotton reduces the need for 1.25 pounds of chemicals per set of queen-size sheets, thus reducing the input of chemicals into in the environment and helping sustain our planet.
Source: Coyuchi and Green Suites International.

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Contact:



Ray Burger
VP Sales & Marketing
Green Suites International
Tel: (888) 590-2285
[email protected]
Internet: www.greensuites.com

Also see: 
 

EcoRooms�: The 1st Logical Step Toward Jumping on the �Green� Bandwagon / November 2004
Choosy GMs Choose Nature�s Mist / October 2004
Bars & Bottles; Canada�s Custom Amenities Selects Green Suites International to Market and Distribute Environmentally Sensitive Amenities / August 2004
The Watt Stopper and Green Suites International Join Forces to Provide Energy Saving Nightlight Sensor / January 2004
Lighting Made Easy with Customizable Electronic Order Form / Oct 2002
Best Western Island Inn Saves with Linens & Towels Re-use Thanks to Green Suites' Project Planet Pennies Per Occupied Room Program / Oct 2002
www.greensuites.com Upgraded to Provide More Online Information and Conserve Paper and the Environment / Oct 2002
Hotels from Coast to Coast Light Up Bottom Lines Through Energy Savings / Oct 2002
New EPA Energy Startm Performance Rating Tool for Hotels Provides Benchmarking for Energy Saving Strategies / Sept 2002
Southern California Edison Quadruples Rebate for Guestat Programmable Digital Thermostat / Sept 2002
East Coast Hotels' Demand for Cost-Saving Ecological Solutions Heats Up as Utility Expenses Soar / Aug 2002
Green Suites International to Showcase Winning Line-up of Energy Saving Products at HITEC / June 2002
New and Existing Hotels Choose the Guestat Programmable Digital Thermostat for Guest Satisfaction and Energy Savings / May 2002
Hotels Pay Just Pennies Per Occupied Room to Guarantee Non-Smoking Rooms and an Odor Free Hotel / April 2002 
EcoRooms & Green Suites Accommodations Open Doors to Property-Wide Programs / Feb 2002
Green Suites International Helps Hotels Guarantee Non-Smoking Rooms / December 2001 
Green Suites International's O-Tech Cleans Up Laundry Operations Waste 
Hotels Inject $$$ Directly into Bottom Lines by Installing O-Tech Direct Injection Ozone Laundry System
GUESTAT Digital Thermostat Can Pay for Itself in 3 Months 


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