MCLEAN, Va.—Hilton Worldwide has announced that, following a comprehensive upgrade to its LightStay global environmental management system, more than 4,200 of its properties around the world are now ISO 50001 (energy management) certified. This certification complements the company’s other global system-wide ISO certifications of ISO 9001 and 140001.
ISO provides internationally recognized frameworks and standards for organizations in the areas of products, services, and systems. Hilton Worldwide achieved ISO 9001 (quality management) and 14001 (environmental management) certifications in 2011, and was fully recertified to both of these standards this year. With these certifications, Hilton Worldwide is one of the first multinational organizations to certify its entire system globally, achieving one of the largest-ever volume certifications of commercial buildings.
“The ISO frameworks help us to ensure we are managing our properties as efficiently and sustainably as possible. This results not only in cost and emissions reductions, but also helps us better prepare for potential changes in regulations in the United States and around the globe,” said Randy Gaines, vice president of engineering, Hilton Worldwide.
In addition to meeting ISO 50001 requirements, the upgrades to LightStay allow Hilton Worldwide hotels to forecast future energy consumption levels, receive alerts when a variation from expected levels is perceived, and ensure any energy variances from expected baselines are reported. These efforts will also enable the company to reduce its property energy use and carbon emissions even further as well as continue to engage Team Members in Hilton Worldwide’s broader corporate responsibility efforts.
“ISO 50001 provides a clear framework that encourages our Team Members to identify opportunities for improvements and efficiency projects. This process helps them see how important their individual roles are to reaching our goals,” said Maxime Verstraete, vice president of sustainability, Hilton Worldwide. “We are thrilled about this exciting milestone and will look to build upon it as we set our next set of goals.”
Going forward, properties will be able to set individual efficiency goals through LightStay and track real-time progress against those goals.
