by Dr.
John
Hogan, CHE CHA CMHS
June 20, 2011
The first “real” hoteliers I ever worked for owned
and operated independent, family-run inns and businesses.
They had learned to be frugal, having lived
through very hard times in WWII and the subsequent years as the economy
grew
and recovered in the decade that followed. When
recently looking at a client's income statement that
was trying to
look at all costs for potential savings, I
noted a number of things they practiced then that still
have merit
today. These can be especially valuable in small properties and are
offered as
ideas for consideration.
Office
1.
Get rid of Waste in Printing
We often print a document that has unwanted advertising or a
single line
on the last page. This can be addressed by using software that can
predetermine
this waste of paper and ink, or we can start looking a bit closer at
our print
jobs. While it used to be calculator
ribbon and tape, the principle is the same.
2.
Buy Environmentally Friendly Paper
We still need paper, so look for options. GREEN is huge and
growing, and
many times lesser known brands may have the best price and a great
product.
3.
Copier and Printer Settings
Verify copier and printer defaults back to single copies after
someone
has used it. Other options may include double-sided printing and using
the
“draft print” mode whenever possible uses less ink.
Think about your print jobs – which of them
“need” avoid color printing?
4.
Buy Re-manufactured Ink and Toner
Cartridges
Not only do these refilled and/or remanufactured
cartridges cost 15-25%
less than new ones, but each reused
cartridge saves about several pounds of metal and plastic and almost half a gallon of oil, which are waste
products in the manufacturing .
5.
Rexamine Office Equipement at
replacement time
All
office
equipment produces toxic substances in both manufacturing and disposal
stages,
so fewer office machines means the smaller your carbon footprint can
be. There
are many ranges of multi-tasking machines availabele now that copy, scan, fax and print.
6.
Power Down
A substantial amount of office power is used by machines that
are off,
but still plugged into a live outlet. Think about your iPhone or Droid
– note
the reminder to unplug the charger? Standby or phantom power is a huge
and
generally unnecessary expense.
7.
Do away with Screen Savers
The photos may be lovely to look at, but in addition to being at times
distracting, they can use a lot of energy. Set monitors to power
off
after the same amount of time as changing photos.
General
8.
Use
More
Natural Light
Artificial lighting represents 40% of electricity
consumption in typical
offices and open blinds and enjoying daylight wherever possible makes
sense.
The obvious is also at the end of the day – turn the lights off at
night.
9.
Install Motion Sensors
We have learned to do this in remote housekeeping and engineeting
closets and
are beginning to do it in guest rooms. Evaluate your office and
meeting
space and noti how many have lights on, evene when empty. Instead of
leaving it
to people to turn off lights as they
leave rooms (which they often do not do), install motion-activated
light
switches. These will turn lights on for a designated period of time
(eg: 15
minutes) whenever somebody passes in front of the switch or moves
around in the
sapce .
10.
Swtich
to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
I could not believe the quick pay back, but compact fluorescent
bulbs
use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and they last about
10 times
longer. Their costs have dropped, so you can save on energy,
replacement bulb
costs, labor replacing them and reduce overall waste as well. They are
now
available in almost all sizes and wattages, with softer sheens than
earlier
moidelss. No changes in equipment is
necessary, as just about any light that uses an incandescent bulb can
instantly
use a compact fluorescent bulb.
11.
Look
at Reasonable Bulk Purchases
Costco,
Sam's Club
and others have made it possible to get reasonable amounts of cleaning
and
office supplies, as well as office type foods (coffee, sugar,
etc.) .
12.
Consider
Green Cleaning Practices and Products
Paper
Towels can
be replaced by hand dryers in rest rooms and affordable environmentally-
friendly cleaning products protect the health of not only your cleaning
staff
but also your associates, while reducing harmful substances and odors
from the
office.
13.
Remember the Lessons of
Craig's
List
Those
independent hoteliers I mentioned in the opening did not have the ease
of
Craig's List or other online search options, but they often went to
auctions
and sales. They found many one of a kind items they were able to use in
many
different ways.
Hospitality Tips of the Week™
“Action
expresses priorities.”
Mohandas
K. Gandhi
KEYS TO
SUCCESS is the
umbrella title for my 2011 programs, hospitality services and columns.
This
year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers
and
professionals including both my "HOW
TO" articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™,
Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R
PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
|
Feel
free to share an idea for a column at
[email protected]
anytime or contact me regarding consulting,
customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need
a
regular dose of common sense.
John
Hogan is
a successful
hospitality executive,
educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote
speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of
www.HospitalityEducators.com, which
delivers
focused and affordable counsel in solving specific
challenges facing hospitality today.
www.HospitalityEducators.com
is a membership site offering a wide range of
information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help
individual
hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration,
deliver
service excellence and increase their profitability. Individuals
wishing to
contribute materials may send them
[email protected].
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