Many hotel executives are aware that wasting water costs money. But with increasing demands on many municipal water supplies, frequent and increasingly severe droughts and a broadening concern for the environment, it has become more important than ever to control the flow of this precious limited resource. Irrigation expertise and advances in irrigation technology, however, provide a ready, proven solution to a major source of water waste.

Building a relationship with a trusted landscaper can help hotel executives understand their hotel property's irrigation needs, protect their landscape investment and improve their bottom line. Although savings depend on prior water usage, studies show that proper irrigation techniques often save property owners 20%-40% annually on water bills (irrigation.org). A landscaper can provide guidance in understanding which type of landscape would be most appropriate, and most efficient, for a specific property based on a range of factors such as climate, appropriate plant species, property size and location.

Hotel executives should consider the entire irrigation system and develop an ongoing process for its evaluation and upkeep-from installation, to maintenance, to troubleshooting to any necessary on-site repairs. Existing systems should be thoroughly reviewed before a new system is installed or a renovation is initiated. A water audit ...