Upland, Calif.�(May 28, 2002)  What a difference a few degrees can make � not only to the guest, but also to a property�s bottom-line. Green Suites� Guestat Programmable Digital Thermostat addresses both of these seemingly conflicting hospitality issues by bolstering guest comfort and satisfaction while reducing guestroom energy costs.

�The Guestat is priced at $85 or less per unit and it looks great � sitting just one-quarter inch off the wall. The Guestat is the easiest in-room energy management system on the market to install, use and maintain for maximum energy cost savings,� said Dan Bornholdt, President and Founder of Green Suites International.

�There is no doubt that if you look at the competitive landscape you�ll find that our Guestat really is in a suite of its own because the other competitive products on the market are based on expensive occupancy sensors and they typically cost hundreds of dollars more per unit.� Bornholdt said.

Green Suites� Guestat keeps energy management simple and predictable. This is in sharp contrast to the more expensive occupancy sensor-based models that are nice in theory but in reality all too often end up annoying guests by too aggressively adjusting temperatures in the middle of the night or during relatively short guest absences during the day. In addition, they can be quite confusing to operate, hindering true energy-saving opportunities, Bornholdt said. 

With today�s ever-increasing energy bills, a reduction of just a few degrees in a hotel�s average guestroom temperature can turn an operator�s financial pain into significant financial gain. That is a major reason hoteliers are turning to energy-management systems to rake in thousands of dollars per month in bottom-line savings, said Ray Burger, Green Suites International�s VP- Sales & Marketing. 

�Dozens of hotel properties already are benefiting from the intelligent features of Green Suites� Guestat Programmable Digital Thermostat,� Burger said. �They have experienced first-hand the benefits of this unique guest-friendly solution and are happily pocketing its plentiful payback.�

First-hand experience

�Our experience is that Guestat is the most-dependable programmable digital thermostat to use because it keeps rooms at a more satisfactory temperature than any others that we have used,� said Richard Elkin, Chief Engineer at the 400-room Sheraton Gateway San Francisco Airport.

With a couple of years of very positive Guestat experiences under its belt, the Sheraton Gateway is sold on the benefits of the Green Suites International solution. The property now is installing 200 more Guestats as it upgrades older PTAC units. Plans call for the installation to be completed by July.

�We�ve been using Guestat in our restaurants, bars and meeting rooms since it first hit the market years ago,� Elkin said. �Guestat makes people happy � both guests and those looking toward our bottom line.�
Elkin said the property has tried several thermostats and that nothing compares to Guestat.

�The combination of features incorporated into the Guestat Digital Thermostat adds up to the best all-around temperature control solution,� he said. �Because it has a hidden limit control, it prevents people from making the rooms extra hot or cold, so the rooms stay within a comfortable temperature range.

�The hidden set point, the reduced operational noise, and the unit�s slim-line in design are key selling points,� he said. �The cost savings in energy is proven and certain. Equally important, Guestat is smart yet simple technology that anyone can use, including the many international guests that stay here.�
 
Mit Amin, Project Manager for Diplomat Hotels Corp.�s new AmeriSuites Atlanta Airport property, said he is sold on the Guestat�s myriad benefits.
Guestats were installed at the AmeriSuites property a few months ago during the construction phase. All 152 rooms were equipped with Guestat units. From Day One, the property was enjoying the many features and benefits of the Guestat.

�We really liked the Guestat solution because it�s the most economical on the market and its ROI is proven,� Amin said. �The design is a recessed, sleek style so it blends in flush with the wall and people don�t knock it off. Also a big hit are its neutral white color with an easy-to-read green LCD display.

�We looked at several other energy management systems and we are confident Guestat is the best buy out there,� said the Diplomat Hotels official. �Guestat quickly pays back its own costs and continues to provide significant on-going cost savings. Sweetening the deal, oftentimes, hotels can benefit from utility company rebates that help offset the marginal investment expense � whether it be a new build or retrofit upgrade.�

Amin said Guestat also keeps guests away from a hotel�s PTAC systems � resulting in less potential for damage to in-wall heating and air-conditioning units from every-day dangers such as spilled drinks. Amin estimates Guestat will save the AmeriSuites property 10 percent to 20 percent on energy bills.

�When the mathematics on the savings come in, I am confident the system will pay for itself in a few months,� Amin said. �We are definitely looking at installing the Guestat energy management system in all of our new hotel projects from this point forward.�

�Guestat is EMS technology in its most-effective form,� Amin said. �Green Suites International knows that anything that saves money is good in the hotel business � and it has developed an EMS solution that uniquely saves significant dollars on both the capital investment and ROI ends, so hoteliers can sleep as well as their guests will using our Guestat.�

Eric Rosenblum, Executive Vice President of Commerical Development for New Jersey-based American Properties Realty, said the company decided to install Guestats in each of the 132 guestrooms at its new Hilton Garden Inn -Raritan, N.J., primarily because of the unit�s guest-friendly design. 

�Guestat�s biggest benefit is that it is simple to operate, but it�s also attractive and cost effective,� Rosenblum said. �Definitely, what sold us on the Guestat is its ease of installation and guest operation. We fully expect it will provide the added benefit of energy savings. It�s still early, but once we have six to eight months of experience using the Guestat at the Hilton Garden Inn, we believe that we will be installing it in the additional hotel projects we have underway and on the drawing boards.�

Set points & psychology

Not all EMS solutions are created equally.

Green Suites� Guestat Programmable Digital Thermostat stands out above the rest in the ROI department � offering 90 percent of the benefits of the occupancy sensor-based models at just one-quarter the cost, Bornholdt said. 

Guestat stands out because it lets hotels control the temperature in their guestrooms, allowing the programming of four temperature presets a day to enable maximum energy savings during the times when most rooms are unoccupied. The fact is that most rooms are wasting energy on heating and cooling at time periods around 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. because these are periods when most rented rooms are unoccupied.

Bornholdt said the Top 10 list of Guestat features and benefits include:
 

Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites International is the lodging industry�s leading environmental solutions marketing and Distribution Company. Green Suites 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 natural amenities delivered from elegant dispensers, non-toxic cleaners, air and water filtration systems and energy and water efficient products. Facilities reaping the benefits of Green Suites� solutions include properties from every state and 12 different countries. For more information on Green Suites International, the GUESTAT Programmable Digital Thermostat and/or the wide array of other ecological solutions providing significant economic benefit, please contact
Ray Burger, Green Suites International, VP Sales & Marketing, at 888-590-2285, e-mail [email protected], and visit www.greensuites.com.

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