UPLAND, CALIF. � June 16, 2003 � How many parents let their kids crank up the AC to their hearts� content � while leaving the back door open in the summer? How many homeowners leave their AC running while they go on vacation?

While these questions initially might sound a little off the wall, today as you read this tens of thousands of hotels across the country have placed their properties in a position that few parents or homeowners would tolerate simply because the properties have not yet installed programmable digital thermostat technology proven both to prevent guests from letting operators� profits vanish into thin air, as well as curb guestroom energy consumption in unoccupied and un-rented rooms.

Ray Burger, Green Suites International�s VP Sales & Marketing, said the GueStat^TM Flush-Mount Programmable Digital Thermostat able, which costs less than $100, pays for itself in 12 months or less through energy savings of 25 percent, and has a lifespan of 10+ years. Performing 90 percent of the tasks of occupancy sensor systems at 25 percent of the cost, the PTAC-adaptable GueStat features: 

• Peak Demand Setback and Hidden Temperature set-points; 
• an easy-to-read Electroluminescent Display and Nightlight; 
• Internal Temperature Limits and Digital Temperature Accuracy. 

�I don�t believe in offering �all the bells and whistles,� just for the sake of it. All of our purchases are value-driven: They must provide bottom-line benefits to owners and guests alike � and the GueStat accomplishes this in short order,� Jeter said. Jeter said he became interested in the GueStat after stopping by Green Suites International�s booth at last year�s Hospitality Industry Technology Exhibition and Conference (HITEC) and discussing the benefits of energy management

Quality Inn & Suites Statehouse 101 East Adams Springfield, Illinois

"I really appreciate the simple logic behind this proven guestroom energy-saving system. Of course, it certainly doesn�t hurt that the GueStat is priced at a fraction of competitive occupancy sensor-based systems, which can trigger guest satisfaction issues when they fail to detect a guest�s presence say for instance when the individual is under the covers sound asleep.�

Jeter said the GueStat has a sleek, modern design featuring neutral colors and a flush-mount wall placement.

�The GueStat is designed to be hidden when you�re not using it. It barely sticks out from the wall, so it isn�t an eyesore and there�s no risk of guests accidentally knocking the system off the wall,� Jeter said. �Just as important, when a guest, housekeeper, maintenance staff or hotel owner/operators wants to check and/or change the guestroom temperature, the individual is greeted by large, easy-to-read temperature readings. The GueStat�s electroluminescent digital display doubles as a nightlight, providing guests with a �beacon to the bathroom� to further ensure their safety and security.

The GueStat is as easy to program as it is to afford and install, Jeter said. �For instance, thanks to GueStat, in the winter we can keep our unoccupied rooms at 55 degrees � because on the outside, where the guest is coming in from, it might be 15 degrees or below,� Jeter said. �Once the room is rented, we typically can recover the temperature to the mid to high 60s in 15 minutes or less.

�Just as important, when our rooms are rented we can enact pre-set Hi/Low temperature limits based on external weather conditions and the time of day � which studies have proven are closely linked to occupancy,� he said. �Again, the GueStat is centered on the need for dual values: Providing the perfect blend of energy consumption controls and guest comfort options.�

The 82-room Best Western Villa Del Lago Inn in Patterson, Calif., tested four programmable digital thermostats and found the occupancy sensor-based systems to be far more costly to purchase and install and far less simple to use than the GueStat, said Chief Engineer Dieter Brandau. The property received a rebate from its local utility supplier, Pacific Gas & Electric, which covered nearly two-thirds of the cost of the GueStats it purchased for each of its guestrooms.

�When rebates from local utilities are factored in � and they�re available in dozens of markets across the U.S. for dozens of Green Suites International solutions � the payback on these money savers is measured in months,� Brandau said. �Green Suites International did our homework for us and saved us thousands of dollars on our GueStat upgrade.

�Green Suites International is a one-stop shop for cost cutting solutions,� he added. �The supplier tapped its relationships with our local utility to get us a 100-percent rebate on an energy-efficient lighting retrofit involving 400 fluorescent bulbs � a move that has reduced our guestroom lighting costs an estimated 70 percent and overall energy costs up to 40 percent.� 

Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites International is lodging�s leading provider of profitable solutions with environmental benefits. Thousands of hotels in every state and more than two dozen countries use Green Suites International�s natural bathroom amenities delivered from elegant dispensers, non-toxic cleaners, air and water filtration systems, and energy and water efficient products and programs. For more information on the GueStatTM Flush-Mount Programmable Digital Thermostat and other Green Suites International solutions, contact Ray Burger, VP Sales & Marketing, at 888-590-2285, e-mail [email protected] and visit www.greensuites.com.