Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

I chose this article because it is an opinion article from the Huffington Post about the balance of luxury and being eco-friendly. Joanna Zelman shares her views on green hotels. She presents the question of whether living luxuriously during your hotel visit means sacrificing our planet. She also shares that hotels are indeed recognizing the major amounts of waste they have been producing. Zelman feels that hotels are trying to be green, but in the end they let the guests decide how green they want to be.

"Some hotels now recognize the astronomical amount of waste they produce daily, and a green hotel movement is underway. The Hilton Americas-Houston generates a reported 675,000 pounds of dirty linens per month. With the purchase of an AquaRecycle water recycling system, they reduced their water usage by 75%, from 630,000 gallons to 157,500 gallons per month."

Some hotels now recognize the astronomical amount of waste they produce daily, and a green hotel movement is underway.Element Times Square West is Starwood's most recent endeavor, an "eco-chic" hotel located on W. 39th street in New York City. The hotel proudly touts recycling bins in every room, complimentary bikes, reusable laundry bags, silverware instead of plastic, dispensable bath products, and an organic on-site pantry.But right next to the reusable laundry bag is a plastic laundry bag, beside the ceramic mugs are paper cups, across from the dispensable soap is an individually wrapped bar, and after consuming your organic food, you can rest your guilt-free head on a bunch of down feather pillows. Someone suggests that guests unplug chargers when not in use, turn lights off, and take advantage of linen reuse policies.

With the ecological environment changes, the general trend of hotel is going to green, which included hotel sewage treatment, boiler dust emission, waste heat emission, the kitchen for the discharge of atmospheric pollutants. Not only the hoteliers require themselves pursuing green but also hope their guests could see that. Most of hotels have already taken action. Such as, Marriott International stop delivering newspapers to guests' rooms, Starwood has eliminated thin shampoo bottles, instead installing dispensers in showers at its Element and Aloft hotels. We are glad to see the hoteliers dedicated to protecting the natural environment.

Travelers prefer to stay at green hotels. Major corporations such as Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton & Starwood are looking for ways to integrate green into their hotels while conserving water and energy. Not only is the focus on going green going to impact the environment but also will impact the bottom line which is the dollars. This article shows how the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois has been able to go green to benefit both the company and the environment. The amount of items they are able to recycle is amazing; it is great that the company can also focus on the disposal of foods. As we continue to focus on the environment, more and more companies will continue to find ways to help reduce cost while protecting the environment. At the Walt Disney World Resort, guest can tour facilities and are educated on how the company impacts the environment through their recycling programs worldwide.

This article talks about the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and the different steps they have taken to Go Green. They have significantly reduced their water and electricity consumption with the "When not in use, turn off the juice" project. Along with saving water and energy, they have also begun recycling. They recycle, paper, plastic, cardboard, light bulbs and the list goes on. They are also taking the time to educate their employees as well. "To encourage participation in programs such as 'When Not in Use, Turn Off the Juice,' employee awareness days are held. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are given to employees to help them save energy at home." The hotel has a green team who meet quarterly to continue growing in their sustainability initiatives. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is Green Key certified and has been recognized and awarded for their Green efforts.

Net Menu is a web-based software that not only manages food and beverages recipies and menus, but also provides an opportunity to view food and beverage control, waste, and profit margins.

This articles talks about the nature of the hotel industry, which is inherently wasteful. when we see from energy and water use to waste generation, the guests in the hotel consume more resources than they do at home. Unless and until the hotels don't take steps to reduce waste and over-consumption of resources, this industry will have a large environmental impact on the world. the hotels which have green lodging standards reduce the impact of their operations and the bad part is that majority of the hotels have not even adopted these standards. the reasons could be either the management doesn't know the impact on the environment, or they believe the process is costly and time consuming, or the person who holds the responsibility is not doing his/her job right. Just like the law of science says "every action has equal and opposite reaction". similarly we can say, that managers and their managing practices can make a big difference in climate changes of the environment. Most of the hotel rooms say to recycle our towels, is it to recycle or to save their costs ? There could also be a possibility of having a wrong manager at the wrong position, who is not willing to widen his/her scope and learn about green initiatives, because in the end, these investments will generate benefits, financial, social and environmental.

This article was particularly intersting to me because it highlights the active "green movement" in the industry, but it also points out that many hotels that claim to be "going green" are actually employing practices that are anything but sustainable. The "green" notice you see when you enter the property, is nothing more than a marketing ploy in case they may encounter a customer who actually values sustainability. As much as eco-friendly organizations may inspect, certify, and supervise the industry, it is still very easy for companies to take the cheaper, more traditional road of ignoring the very principles of sustainability they claim to operate by. As much as we may try to regulate this movement, our efforts are never enough. Becoming environmentally sustainable has had a global impact already, but the level of awareness is not high enough to reach a globally effective level yet. Sustainability is our obligation to the earth that lets us live rent free. It is our responsibility and we must all take the initiative to ensure our global destinations are still around for future generations to enjoy. The problem, as this article points out, is that you can still polute and waste energy and hide behind the sign on your property that says you are eco-friendly just in case you come across that customer out there who actually values sustainability. It is sad that with all the sustainable technology available today, we still don't appreciate its importance. We have the technology to manage HVAC systems, waste processing, and renewable energy to name a few, but it is cheaper and more convenient to employ the traditional methods that are not sustainable. Many travel industry organizations have figured out that all they have to do is post signs saying they have sustainable technology and what it does without actually having to practice what they preach. I believe government agencies need to move in the general direction of coercing sustainable practices under s

This articles talks about what a true recycling is, and how to know whether the things that you are recycling are are being really recycle. Is important to know that if a product is "return to commerce" or "reused for the material's originally intended purpose" is true recycling. So next time that you are recycling make sure that the product is "return to commerce".

This article talks of 10 simple steps to go green in both a comercial and home cercumstances. Every business can do these steps to make a green company that can be used as a deferenciation point. I have never heard a company say that they make their own cleaning products.

This article tells the definition of what is a green---- an environmentally friendly property. And it also lists several tips that may help encourage hotels to go GREEN. These tips are mainly focus on using a energy saving facilities and operating the hotel in a low-carbon way. It also give the reason why hotels should take steps to go green, it figures out that the green concept can lean to cost saving and also makes the hotel more liable for their wasting.

The Grand Cancun has been designed to anticipate natural disasters climate change, as well as incorporated amenities that will make it self-sustaining and even beneficial to the city in which it resides. Including a wind and underwater energy farm, desalination plant, ocean waste facility, wind turbines and solar panels. Not only this but its design will avoid destruction of the underwater ecosystem during development and construction. This is not only a hotel but also it incorporates a facility for marine research. The design appears expensive but it has the opportunity to recapture its investment through the building's own energy savings, the sale of the energy it generates to external users, its ability to remain largely unaffected by rising sea levels or other climate change and the incremental business related to the research laboratories.

I found this article incredibly interesting, as it is an interview with the co-founder of eMenu, Alexandru. He speaks about how he thought up the idea of eMenu, when he was at a restaurant trying to pay the bill, but after five minutes of trying to call the server and being ignored, he got annoyed; and believed there was a way to fix this. Additionally, he makes great points about why the eMenu is so efficient, such as it being technology based, it is very popular amongst Millennials. He also makes the great point of it being on a tech system, it allows restaurants to have the menu in several language options more conveniently. As well as, it being flexible enough to make changes, such as newly added plates, without needing to reprint several new menus. He then goes on to say, he now looks forward to bringing this technology into the hotel industry, where room service menus can now be available from the TV, rather than in a "small wasted paper menu." All in all, I believe Alexandru makes some very valid points as to why the eMenu should be considered in many aspects of the hospitality industry. 

The Grand Cancun eco-complex including hotels and convention centers, set to be completed in 2020, will drive ecotourism to Cancun while utilizing multiple green hotel technologies. The mega-building will have zero carbon footprint and be able to provide drinking water and energy to the city, all while helping clean the surrounding ocean water of pollution and waste. Remarkably, the entire structure is built on stilts, taking up no space from the ocean marine life. I recommend checking out the pictures in the article, the design is incredible!

This article touches upon why it is so imperative for sustainability practices to be taught in the hospitality industry. It talks about how the next generation to come will not be able to tolerate today's world's insensitivity to the environment. Sustainability has shifted from a want to a must. Many big name hotels, like Marriott, have set high goals to reduce their environmental impact. They have key performance indicators like reducing energy use and the level of CO2 emissions to help aid the Earth's environment. The goal should be to have zero CO2 emissions and zero landfill waste, but this is a goal that will take time to reach. Profits should not be the only thing businesses are interested in. Sustainability should be included in the training process of employees within the business whether they be in customer service, kitchen or marketing...everyone can help save somewhere. Sustainability has become the new management dimension, right along with providing memorable experiences and providing good service. It has been shown that companies who practice sustainability in the workplace have a lower turnover rate because the employees know they are working towards a greater good and are given a sense of purpose.

The issue of illegal electronic dumping has been a real severity, and mostly because people are unaware of what happens to the products that they used to own. Luckily, our world is advancing to a point where appropriate disposal is being greatly developed. There are different mainstream companies that will take your old products to refurbish them, or handle them accordingly. Most importantly, there are companies like GreenCitizen, who are responsibly recycling products. They gather all of the old technology, and attempt to refurbish it. If not possible, then they use the parts, or just dispose of it in the right way. Certified monitors of the recycling process look over the practices of GreenCitizen to make sure that they are doing their jobs correctly. Actions are being dealt more responsibly, as the EPA and these certified monitors have gotten involved. Recycling used to be claimed, but done wrongly. Now, these groups closely overlook the process, and ensure that things are being done appropriately.

Going green not only helps the environment, but it invests in communities and the environment.  Many guests are looking for places to stay that offer more green trends.  

In the era of green travelers, the demand for eco-friendly hotels is on the rise. Since the interest is increasing, a lot of hotels have changed their routine practices and policies to become eco-friendly. Hotels have found ways to implement greener alternatives and have abandoned practices that create waste. Eco-friendly hotels have adopted practices that prove to be less harmful to the environment. For example, hotels can install energy saving thermostats, air conditioners and use solar water heating systems to conserve energy. Green travelers will appreciate these changes and it will also make a positive contribution to the hotel's bottom line. Eco-friendly hotels ultimately look at every facet of the guest experience to implement green changes. Some hotels offer programs where guests, that stay multiple nights, receive additional benefits for not having their linens washed. Some hotels have even replaced there chemical cleaning products for bio-based cleaning products. This is a great start toward a better tomorrow and within time more hotels will become more environmentally friendly.

Great article, the majority of hotels are currently implementing the paper straw and remove all plastics. Our hotel as well have changed the lights throughout the hotel. Not sure if that helps with the electrical cost but a lot of change is being made to be Eco-friendly.

Smart rooms provide efficiencies with the use of less wasted water or electricity. The smart room can self adjust to help guest that have been on long trips avoid jet lag by changing the color or tinting the glass of the room. The guest room is connected to a smart phone app allowing the guest complete control of the room

New technology is working to fix the global garbage problem. AMP Robotics has processed more than 1 billion recyclable objects in a year with their computer technology. Robotics and artificial intelligence sort through recycling to ensure the waste is disposed of properly. Matanya Horowitz, founder/CEO of AMP Robotics said, "If you reduce the cost of sorting, the margin you can extract on all those materials increases and you naturally find incentive to capture that material." Another way technology is enhancing the garbage industry is through the Association of Plastic Recyclers by designing packaging that can be recycled. Also, developing compostable containers and eliminating single-use plastics which is what the company Footprint is working on.

This week I want to share two articles. I realized that on the discussion we all or almost all of us used the same examples as sustainable methods or strategies. There a million of ways to become sustainable in this industry. Check this examples or ideas for a more sustainable restaurant.