Two Seattle hotels are the first in the region
to implement Green Suites International�s EcoRooms, which offer hotels
a host of environmentally friendly products that save money and help protect
the environment. |
SEATTLE � March 21, 2006 - Two area hotels have been saving money and
the environment, thanks to a host of environmentally enhanced products
from Green Suites International, a California-based supplier of environmental
products and programs to the lodging industry.
�We�ve
been using Green Suites� EcoRoom products for more than two years at two
of our hotels, and we know we�ve saved money and made some friends for
our environmentally sound practices,� said Howard Cohen, general manager
of the Best Western Executive Inn and Best Western Loyal Inn, both in Seattle.
�We are saving water and electricity, and keeping thousands of small bottles
out of the waste stream.�
EcoRooms feature more than a dozen different environmental products
including compact fluorescent light bulbs; low-flow showerheads and sink
faucets; nightlights; digital thermostats; non-toxic cleaning chemicals;
Nature�s Mist deodorizer; a linen reuse program; and lotion and liquid
soap products dispensed from refillable containers in the shower and at
the sink.
�The great thing about this program is that it does not cause any guest
complaints,� Cohen said. �Guests don�t notice when they use the sink or
flush the toilet that these are water-saving devices, because they work
just as well as non-water saving fixtures. The same holds true with the
biodegradable amenities and non-toxic cleaning chemicals.�
What they do notice, however, are the in-room recycling containers and
the fact that there are no mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion
or shower gel in the bathrooms. They also notice the linen reuse informational
pieces, which ask guests who stay more than one night to consider reusing
their towels and sheets to save water, energy and detergent. These products
provide a full-court press on the guests� environmental consciousness.
�Not polluting the Earth with all those shampoo and lotion bottles,
and saving water and electricity are the right thing to do, in terms of
the environment,� Cohen said. �You are saving money � smart money � and
polluting less. Several of our guests have had positive things to say about
our linen reuse program and the fact that we aren�t dumping all those little
bottles in landfills. They are environmentally conscious and the EcoRooms
program speaks to them in a positive way.�
He said the program is attractive for that reason and because it saves
his hotels money. A pre-installation analysis showed that the two hotels,
based on occupancy levels and the level of service and amenities they provide,
would save about $1.70 per occupied guestroom, equaling nearly $100,000
per year in energy (gas and electricity), water, waste and labor while
doing so much good for the regional ecology, according to Dan Bornholdt,
president of Green Suites International.
�The two hotels are preventing more than 200,000 amenity packages annually
from entering local landfills, and reducing water consumption by more than
2 million gallons,� he said. �In addition, the energy-efficient products
eliminate more than 50 tons of air pollutants caused by coal-fired power
plants.�
The hotel�s use of liquid soaps saves some labor in the housekeeping
department, because there is no soap scum buildup in the sinks or showers,
according to Cohen.
�The program makes guests more aware of things they can do to conserve
resources and protect the environment,� Cohen said. �We hope they notice
these principles and do the same thing in their homes. It�s about being
responsible for your place in life.�
Green Suites International�s products and programs have saved 2,500
hotel customers more than $150 million in reduced energy, water, waste
and labor, Bornholdt said. The company�s products are in 50 states and
45 countries.
�EcoRoom products are good for the guest, good for the Earth and good
for the hotel�s bottom line,� Bornholdt said. �The products are energy
efficient, water efficient, waste reducing, non-toxic and biodegradable.�
He estimates that hotels using EcoRoom products will save 20 percent
to 70 percent on the cost of amenities, 20 percent to 40 percent on water,
30 percent to 70 percent of energy, 10 percent on waste and 10 percent
on labor. Instead of buying the amenities, hotels that opt for EcoRoom
products pay Green Suites International a negotiated amount based on its
number of occupied guestrooms. This means there is no capital expense to
the hotel, it has a guaranteed cost per occupied room, and it only has
to pay one invoice.
In addition to Best Western, Green Suites International supplies Hyatt
Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton Hotels &
Resorts, Marriott International and U.S. Franchise Systems with its products.
About Green Suites International
Green Suites International is the lodging industry�s leading supplier
of environmental products and programs with more than 2,500 hotel customers
in 50 states and 45 countries, offering profitable solutions AND environmental
benefits. Green Suites International has saved its hotel customers more
than $150 million in reduced energy, water, waste and labor costs. Green
Suites products include energy efficient lighting, low-flow sinks and showerheads,
non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning supplies, a linen and towel re-use
program, and the Natura Amenity Program that annually prevents more than
20 million hotel amenity packages from entering landfills.
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