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HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

MAY FOCUS: Eco-Friendly Practices

 

Beginning Your Sustainability Journey: Lessons Learned From Sofitel

By Cerise Bridges Certification Specialist, Green Seal | May 2018

Hotels can be like small cities with complex infrastructures and intricate moving parts. “Going green” on such a large scale can be daunting, but the benefits are undeniable and the tools for success are out there. For some firsthand guidance on how to start, what to expect, and where to find help, we tapped Rex Umbay, Director of Engineering at the Sofitel Los Angeles, a recently Green Seal-certified gem in the heart of glamorous Beverly Hills.

Cerise Bridges: Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience and insights with us, Rex. Let's start with the basics. Could you give a quick snapshot of the building - the year it was built, recent renovations, etc.?

Rex Umbay: The building was originally built in 1988 as a Sofitel, part of the AccorHotels Group, and was fully renovated in 2006. Soft renovation projects have been taking place since then, including a full renovation of our food and beverage areas (bar and restaurant).

CB: When did the hotel begin to go green and why was it important?

RU: AccorHotels has been pioneering green initiatives and leading sustainability in the hospitality industry since 1994, when its Environment Department was created. In 2002, the Sustainable Development Department was formed, and in 2011, an action plan came to fruition as the Planet 21 program. Planet 21 consisted of 21 sustainable key actions and granted 4 levels of certification to hotels successfully executing certain initiatives. It is at this time that the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills made eco-friendly initiatives its number one priority - and nothing has changed since then. Being green is still our own hotel's main objective -- we have a great responsibility to balance our activities with eco-friendly practices. This positive environmental impact starts at the property level. Now, more than ever, we are working on sustaining and improving our green initiatives.

CB: What is one thing you've learned during the process and do you have any advice for hotel managers who are just beginning the process of greening their properties?

RU: Without a doubt, sustainability has become a global trend. Customers highly consider your sustainability initiatives when making their decisions on where to stay or conduct their business. Gaining recognition for our actions with green certifications is very honorable, but it is just the beginning. This is why we did not slow down or stop innovating when we received our 4 keys Green Key certification and Green Seal® SILVER Certification, and why we did not stop when our restaurant received the LA Green Business certification. Our guests don't stop thinking about the planet, why should we?

The advice we would share includes:

1. Check your city, learn what the sustainability initiatives/programs are and take advantage of them -- they can help you. Here in Los Angeles, we have the LA Green Lodging Program (LAGLP), a collaboration of the Mayor's Office and key LA City agencies to encourage hotels to earn Green Seal certification and provide financial incentives. In addition, the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) helped us with our lighting and water-saving fixtures upgrades.

2. Your state may have sustainability regulations that are currently in place. Know them and they will guide you. You may be pleasantly surprised that you are already abiding by them. Also, be sure to ask your utility provider about their rebate program and take advantage of its offerings if feasible.

3. Look for certification guidelines from organizations like Green Seal and Green Key and do an in-house audit. Self-examination is the first step to success.

4. Start the process now. There are a lot of organizations out there ready to help.

CB: Because managers can't do it alone, how do you involve staff and keep them interested and active in the process? Why is this important?

RU: Although the Planet 21 committee and myself are leading the greening process, it is important that all hotel employees are supportive of our green initiatives for them to succeed. Before people can change their habits, whether in the workplace or at home, they need to understand the affect that their actions will have. For this reason, our hotel hosts awareness campaigns for employees to participate in year-round. Earth Hour, Earth Day, World Food Day, and many others are celebrated not only at Sofitel Los Angeles, but also within our Sofitel brand and the entire AccorHotels Group. The celebrations are perfect opportunities for us to explain to the staff why our green actions are so important. Whether meeting with our green partners, detailing the recycling processes, or participating in gardening sessions, the key takeaways are keep people interested in what we do and why we are doing it, not only for the hotel, but for the planet. We also emphasize the fact that our daily activities have a real impact on our community, and that going green also involves a social responsibility. By choosing local environmentally-responsible vendors, whether it is for food products or for printing services, we support the local businesses while reducing our carbon footprint. Think globally, act locally!

CB: What do you still want to accomplish for the hotel?

RU: As mentioned earlier, there are always more ways to improve eco-friendliness and sustainability. We have a couple of new objectives for this year: plant a vegetable garden on our rooftop and replace our major mechanical equipment with energy-efficient units, including our chillers and cooling tower. We are just a few steps away to reaching the highest level of the Planet 21 program and becoming platinum certified, and we hope to succeed this year! We have full support from AccorHotels on this project, as sustainable development is a priority for them now more than ever. Every hotel within this group is willing to exchange ideas for new practices and technologies to become greener -- we believe that solidarity is key to accomplishing our goals.

CB: Have you had the opportunity to quantify the benefits of your sustainability initiatives? Any fun stats to share re: water or energy savings (esp. since the lighting upgrade and energy management system), reduced waste, etc.?

RU: Since we started to work on our sustainability, we have saved about 868,793 KWh energy annually (about $121,631/year), about 9,375 HCF water annually (about $49,400/year), plus annual trash reductions of about 24 tons (about $13,750/year). As a result of our cardboard bailer being installed in fall of 2017, we now recycle an average of 4500 pounds per month, with savings of 30% on trash disposal. And due to the installation of our ORCA machine, a unique food waste recycling technology, we have managed to reach zero food, with all food waste composted in-house. The ORCA is housed in a stainless-steel container, and its proprietary, natural microorganism solution works with water and recycled plastic Bio Chips to quickly break down the waste. Through a process called "aerobic digestion," the ORCA technology constantly churns the material, adding oxygen that accelerates its transformation into earth-friendly water. Within 24 hours, this technology turns food waste into environmentally safe water that flows straight into the municipal sewage system. At Sofitel Los Angeles, we are able to compost an average of 200 pounds per day, and 6,000 pounds per month, with the ORCA machine. The numbers really do say it all! And because we believe sustainable behavior goes hand-in-hand with strong social responsibility, our partially-used personal amenities (shampoos, gels, conditioners and lotions) are donated to the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition and redistributed to the local homeless shelters, at an average of 400 pounds per quarter. Another social responsibility initiative was signing EPCAT's Tourism Child Protection Code of Conflict to help prevent the sexual exploitation of children. This code is framed at our front desk, and trainings are regularly done with our employees on how to identify and fight the sexual exploitation of children.

CB: How do you involve guests in the hotel's green initiatives? Why is this important? What type of feedback have you received from guests regarding the hotel's green initiatives?

RU: Our guests are the judges and the promoters of our green initiatives, therefore, it is paramount that they are aware them. At Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, aside from the usual informative techniques like in-room flyers, we promote a lot our green actions and our green successes on social media platforms. Our social channels are the perfect communication tool to share daily details about our property and create excitement that reaches people on a national and international level. With the use of online promotion techniques, we can reach thousands of potential guests who are looking for greener lodging options. We know that being green is now a very important component for our guests, so we make sure to incorporate our green actions and successes in every step of the customer journey, from the reservation to the post-stay survey. We make sure our staff is fully aware of our green initiatives and can answer all questions posed by our guests during their stay. We now provide full training on our green actions during employee orientation.

CB: What sort of challenges did you overcome when converting and updating systems? Were there any surprises (good or bad), such as the pipes were in better condition that you thought, or the lighting/wires weren't salvageable, etc. What achievements are most notable or make your team the proudest?

RU: We thought that our initial investment in upgrading existing lighting and water fixtures into energy-efficient ones would be our biggest challenge, but it quickly became our biggest achievement. By taking advantage of a program through our utility vendor, which in our case was LADWP, we were able to upgrade to energy- and water-efficient light bulbs and fixtures with little to no cost to us! This great discovery prompted a sense of optimism in our staff, as they realized the amount of support we had from the city, and it meant a lot to them. By the city demonstrating its immense care for helping us reach our goal, the staff was able to better understand that they were not alone in the process, which encouraged them to increase their efforts in making our property even greener.

CB: Of the sustainability upgrades that you've made, what has produced the quickest ROI? What has produced the biggest ROI over time?

RU: As we were implementing our green actions, we quickly realized that some of our projects had an instant ROI, like the lighting upgrade. As mentioned, this was made without an initial investment from the hotel. LADWP calculated the savings of upgrade and gave rebate incentive that covered installation and light bulbs. They took care of everything, which was life-changing for us, and did the same thing for the water-efficient toilet upgrade. Additional ROI successes are our cardboard bailer and ORCA food waste technology, which pay for themselves on a monthly basis through the savings of trash disposal - they're incredible! All of these projects are very satisfactory from a financial standpoint as well as a motivational standpoint. You can quickly see the positive results, which helps employees and our partners envision what we set out to accomplish.

CB: What are the top 3 benefits you've seen from implementing such a strong sustainability program?

RU: Our most valuable benefit would have to be the savings - both in terms of money and carbon footprint -- from these green initiatives. The figures really speak for themselves. Another great benefit we have reaped since earning Green Seal® SILVER Certification and implementing the sustainable actions it requires, is the increased ability to answer to companies' proposals. Big corporations and technology pioneers like Google or Microsoft have substantial environmental charters in place and want their partners to be the same. We are now aligned with their green criteria and are eligible to host their events. The final benefit is really the engagement of our employees. The excitement and satisfaction they portray when helping the community and the planet is beyond rewarding.

CB: Any additional stories or anecdotes you'd like to share regarding the hotel's sustainability journey…?

RU: Last year, on World Food Day, we displayed some salad towers on our garden patio and then collected the salads to serve them to our employees in our cafeteria during lunch break. We had prepared the salads with fresh items from our garden on the patio, so we served a delicious salad that was grown and made in house! Our employees were very happy about this initiative and curious about the process. Their elation gave us the idea to extend this concept at a higher level and develop a rooftop garden, which is now part of our 2018 objectives. Ideas truly grow, like seeds in a garden! (Pun intended.)

Of the many reasons to go green, the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has shown that active and engaged staff can really make a difference in a hotel's green program, and that there can be major benefits to a hotel's bottom line. By providing a healthier environment for guests and staff and improving efficiencies in hotel equipment and operations, a hotel can also reduce turn-over, potentially increase the number of reservations and event bookings, and save money and precious natural resources along the way.

The good news is that there is no right or wrong way to begin to green your property. Every effort made to upgrade old systems, purchase greener products, and increase efficiency is a step in the right direction.

As Rex says, “Start now. Look for organizations or government programs that are willing to help and take advantage of what they have to offer.” Your own region may offer incentives and tools like Los Angeles' Green4Green grant money, LADWP's lighting and water fixture rebates, and LA Better Buildings Challenge 's assistance with water and energy benchmarking requirements. Also, don't be afraid to get creative. A big part of sustainability is innovation. What works for one property may not work for another. Whether you have 10 rooms or 1000, it is never too late to begin your sustainability journey and no act is too small to make a difference.

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Any and all disputes or controversies of any kind, including but not limited to any performance, duty, obligation or liability arising under or related to this Agreement which are not first resolved informally, shall be determined by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The final award in any such arbitration proceeding shall be subject to entry as a judgment by any court or competent jurisdiction, provided that such judgment does not conflict with the terms and provisions hereof. The jurisdiction of the arbiter (or arbiters) with respect to legal matters shall be limited only by the statutory and common law of the State of California and the United States.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any and all disputes, which the parties cannot informally resolve, regarding the scope of issues or matter with the jurisdiction of the arbitrator, shall be resolved by a separate dispute resolution process whereby HotelExecutive, in its sole discretion shall elect the dispute to be resolved by either (1) a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of California or (2) a panel of three new arbitrators.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California notwithstanding any conflict of laws provisions. You and HotelExecutive agree that the venue for all legal disputes, controversies, actions of any kind arising under or related to this Agreement shall be San Francisco, California. You and HotelExecutive further agree that in case of any litigation regarding this Agreement, you irrevocably and unconditionally (i) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the County of San Francisco, California for any litigation or dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, (ii) agree not to commence any litigation arising out of or relating to this Agreement except in the California Courts, (iii) agree not to plead or claim that such litigation brought therein has been brought in an inconvenient forum, and (iv) agree the California Courts represent the exclusive jurisdiction for all litigation relating to this Agreement.

11. MEMBERSHIP FEES

Hotel Business Review Subscriptions

If you choose to purchase a subscription, member subscription payments can be made in U.S. Dollars, as well as a variety of international currencies. Membership terms are Annual Recurring, and Monthly Recurring. The Annual Recurring subscription is an annual commitment and subscribers will be charged each consecutive billing cycle. Annual Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first billing cycle and within 30-days of the billing date for a full refund. Monthly Recurring subscriptions are ongoing and subscribers will be charged each consecutive monthly billing cycle. Monthly Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first month and within 7 days of the monthly billing cycle for a full refund.

12. PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Payment for the services provided to you in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive may be made by automatic credit card, debit card, direct debit, bankwire or Paypal and other approved payment means offered in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive, and you hereby authorize HotelExecutive and its agents to transact such payments on your behalf.

You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

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