With the dizzying amount of environmentally responsible planning, development, and operational incentives currently offered by local governments, the analysis and decisions for how to engineer and operate your lodging property can feel like more of a hassle than a benefit. In this article, we will try to outline how local governments are streamlining this market and, especially for hotels, make the implementation of environmentally responsible polices and practices a faster and cheaper process. READ MORE

When faced with the task of implementing environmentally responsible policies and programs on the ground, many property and chain managers feel overwhelmed by all the options and considerations in greening their operations. The delivery of high quality hospitality services depends in part, on a property's dependence on suppliers for quality products and services. In the first half of this article, we highlight why greening your supply chain can be a benefit for you, your suppliers and local community. In the second half, we provide some key tools and points to consider when greening your relationships with suppliers. READ MORE

Now that being green is a part of your brand, you have opened the door to a variety of ways that you can re-position your property or chain with existing customers as well as within new markets. You now have a wealth of information you can use concerning how waste minimization, energy efficiency, fresh and wastewater management, and environmentally and socially sensitive purchasing affect your bottom line and improve the quality of the products and services that you provide at your facility. The first and most practical means of marketing your green operations is within your local community and supply chains. READ MORE

Today, with increasing public interest and awareness of the detrimental impacts human activity can have on the environment and society, consumers are more skeptical and critical of "green" claims being made about goods and services. The question facing them when they make purchasing decisions today is more graduated, and examines to what extent the production and use of a good or service is detrimental to the environment and society. Specifically within the hospitality industry, this question can now be phased as, How does the hospitality service promote sustainable development of its local community and other communities that it interacts with? READ MORE

Bathroom and facial tissue products are ubiquitous and essential elements of all property guest rooms. Despite their small size and lowly function, they have very significant environmental impacts. They are also to some degree associated with performance and quality issues, and many properties take considerable care in selecting them to conform with their standards or decor. This article will attempt to demonstrate how environmental issues can be addressed satisfactorily in choosing tissue products without sacrificing performance or quality. READ MORE