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. - Hospitality Properties Reap Significant, Sustained Economic Benefits By Embracing Environmentally-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Bulbs; Lighting Retrofits Reduce Costs & Bolster Guest Satisfaction SAINT CHARLES, MISSOURI � MAY 23, 2006 � If a leading petroleum company said they�d bring gasoline straight to your car for $1.50 or less per gallon, would you listen? Of course you would � for the same primary reason hotels are partnering with Pineapple Hospitality to bring them energy-efficient lighting solutions: To easily cut related energy consumption costs up to 50 percent or more! �An EPA ENERGY STAR� partner, we have relationships with the leading manufacturers of energy-efficient lighting and have helped hotels across the country cut their related lighting costs up to 50 percent or more and their overall electrical bills up to 20 percent,� says Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality. �Through the adoption of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly fluorescent bulbs and lamps, properties not only are lighting up their bottom lines; they�re also bolstering guest satisfaction and safety by delivering much-improved lighting environments. �Don�t just take my word for it,� Burger adds. �Listen to your fellow hoteliers � Following are just three of our many recent lighting retrofit success stories�� Texas-Size $avings �Before partnering with Pineapple, we were in jeopardy of losing a $200,000 annual account with a company due to poor lighting in our guestrooms,� says Jason Kilgo, director of engineering for the 472-room Wyndham Greenspoint Hotel in Houston. Not even including how Pineapple helped the property improve guestroom lighting and save that large account (and probably several others), Kilgo estimates the Wyndham received a complete return on its lighting retrofit within six months � with significant additional energy consumption savings to be reaped for years. As part of the upgrade, Kilgo says the Wyndham Greenspoint installed 3,298 compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in its guestrooms to alleviate poor incandescent lighting conditions. The move reduced related energy consumption 70 percent (compared to the rooms� previous 100-watt incandescent bulbs) and will help the property save significant labor costs in bulb replacement because the CFLs last much longer. �The Wyndham Greenspoint�s lighting retrofit could save the property nearly $60,000 in energy savings alone � or the equivalent of an increase in occupancy of four percentage points year-round � for something as simple as changing light bulbs,� Burger adds. Seattle�s Shining Star Vickie Molzer, GM of the 152-suite Hawthorn Suites Seattle/Kent, says the property�s lighting retrofit cost $36,134 (including lamps, fixture improvements and labor) � but a rebate from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) covered $15,523 or 43 percent of the upgrade. �Pineapple was a great partner on this project,� Molzer says. �They were proactive in communicating with the installer and the vendors, prepared the project scope and details for PSE�s rebate program and followed up promptly on any questions we had.� The hotel�s reduction in energy consumption has helped the operators more than offset a sharp increase in local utility rates. �There has been a significant rate increase in electricity, approximately 18 percent, but we have still managed to meet our expense budget � in large part because the budget was completed before we embarked on this energy-efficient lighting upgrade,� Molzer says. Just as important, guests and employees alike truly appreciate the well-lit environment. �The lighting is at very least equal to more-costly, less-efficient incandescents,� Molzer adds. �Our guest-suite lamps require fewer bulb replacements and are aesthetically more pleasing � without any discoloration due to heat from the incandescents.� Burger said the project will deliver annual energy savings of more than $25,000. �With the rebate and monthly energy savings alone � not including significant maintenance labor savings with less-frequent bulb replacement needs or increased business stemming from improved lighting and guest satisfaction scores � the project pays for itself in about eight months,� Burger adds. �In a city as environmentally conscious as Seattle is, a lighting retrofit like this positions the property as a good corporate citizen, which warrants good press and more repeat business and referrals from guests and groups.� Independents� Day Chris Otto, GM of the 257-room Valley River Inn in Eugene, Ore., says the property received about a $24,000 rebate from the Eugene Water & Electric Board for its recent lighting retrofit. Otto adds that the installation was relatively seamless and did not disrupt business. �The process was quite benign from a guest perspective,� he says. However, that does not mean, the change went unnoticed. �The guestroom corridors are significantly lighter, which helps with ambiance and safety for sure,� Otto adds. Burger says the owner/operator of the independent property also notices a big difference � because it impacts the property�s bottom line positively to the tune of a projected more than $40,000 in projected annual savings. �Hoteliers are tired of paying skyrocketing utility prices for their facilities � Burger says. �Now they can fight back with significant savings on the electricity side of their utility bills. �These projects typically pay for themselves in a year or less, without factoring in local utility rebates, which we can help you capture if they�re available. Headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, Pineapple Hospitality� is an EPA Energy Star� partner bringing fresh ideas to hospitality guests� doors and owner/operators� bottom lines � including FreshStay�, Environmentally Sensitive Amenities, the greenSPA luxury amenity and dispenser system, GE energy efficient lighting, Guestat programmable thermostats, Oxygenic water-efficient showerheads, the Nature�s Mist deodorization system, and dozens of other products and programs. To get a taste of Pineapple�s sweet solutions helping hundreds of hotels bolster business and cut costs, please visit www.pineapplehospitality.net, or call Pineapple at 636-922-2285.
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