Creating “Buzz”
While Calistoga Ranch’s entire brand is centered on sustainability, that often isn’t a possibility for hoteliers who are running properties in dense urban areas as opposed to a picturesque vineyard. However, even city hotels are finding ways to capitalize on green trends by introducing more unorthodox eco-friendly initiatives. When the Seaport Hotel in Boston decided to build a few beehives on its roof in 2011, it was an extension of the sustainability efforts the hotel had been making since it opened.
“We recycle our water, we send our organic waste to a farm in Maine to be combined with cow chips and burned for energy. We recently updated our HVAC systems and our elevators to save energy,” says Jim Carmody, the hotel’s vice president and general manager. “And we’re all very concerned with the sustainability of our food supply, which is greatly affected by the depletion of the bee population. That is really how we came to add the bees.”
Starting with two shoebox-sized hives in 2011, the bee population of the Seaport Hotel now numbers more than 10 million. The five current hives are extremely robust and produce more than 500 pounds of honey twice a year. This honey plays a major role in the hotel’s marketing endeavors, and how the hotel interacts with guests. “We drizzle honey in our breakfast buffet and banquets, we sell jars of it like crazy in the gift shop, and we brew a honey-ginger beer that is only served at the hotel bar,” Carmody explains.
The guests are also encouraged to schedule visits to “meet” the bees, on tours that Carmody says take place four or five times a month. Edwin Medrano, the hotel’s executive beekeeper, leads these tours. “We sent Edwin to beekeeping school when we installed the initial hives,” Carmody describes. “He is so enthusiastic, and his passion for the bees draws guests’ interest and makes them want to go visit the hive.” Carmody says that once the guests are able to see the hives in person, it makes them feel included, which increases their likelihood to spread the word about the property, as well as return.
The Seaport Hotel’s bees also inspired further green initiatives, including a rooftop garden that allows the bees to pollinate nearby their hives, rather than searching all over town for flowers.
Carmody says the bees were an extremely cost-effective way to create “buzz” around the hotel. “Truthfully, our biggest concern was regarding liability around bee stings. But the increase in engagement and the excitement that the bees generate for guests and the staff is well worth the expense and the risk,” he explains.
Improvements and Experience
While guest-facing green measures often impress the guest with the sheer volume
of plastic that’s been recycled or the sustainability of the hotel’s food source, these initiatives also must always improve guest experience. In the case of Calistoga Ranch and Seaport Hotel, these improvements are obvious, but what about less flashy green programs like recycling and water conservation?
Brian McGuinness explains that with Element, Starwood is acutely aware of how a program will impact their guests’ stays. “We’re very cautious not to ‘greenwash,’” McGuinness says. “Because this is a new territory and hospitality is a very tricky industry. Yes, guests want to be green, but they don’t want to compromise their quality of life when they’re staying at a hotel.” Compromising quality of life could mean anything from dealing with a low-flow shower head that can’t wash the shampoo out of someone’s hair, or lamps that are saving energy but not emitting enough light. “It’s a matter of striking a balance between operating hotels that deliver on the experience while also saving valuable resources,” he adds.
Element hotels are constantly working to maintain that balance. The brand rolled out Element 2.0 last year, which involved a redesign of the lobbies and guestrooms that included low volatile organic compound paint and rug backing made from recycled material. Starwood is watching those new components closely to ensure they can handle the increased wear-and-tear associated with being in a hotel. “If they degrade too quickly, we’ll see how we can continue to modify our processes to keep everything high-end but environmentally friendly,” McGuinness says.
This process allows Element to continuously improve its sustainability programs while making sure the guest experience is only enhanced by its green efforts.
