Pursuing green certification might seem like a daunting task for independent hotels that don’t have programs or prototypes in place like the big chains. The process might be more challenging for smaller properties, but that extra effort can yield valuable financial, environmental, and marketing benefits.
Green Key Global’s Eco-Rating Program is designed for both full service and limited service hotels. Tony Pollard, managing director of Green Key Global and president of the Hotel Association of Canada, says independents might worry about how they can stack up against a hotel that has multiple dining rooms, thousands of square feet in meeting and conference space, a pool, and more, but the program doesn’t work that way. “Hotels aren’t penalized for being small or big,” Pollard says. “That’s a critical factor.”
Based on the results of a 150-question environmental self-assessment, which covers a broad range of hotel operations, hoteliers are awarded a 1 to 5 Green Key rating and provided with a comprehensive performance report that includes recommendations, best practices, and potential areas for improvement and savings.
Although brands with thousands of rooms have more resources at their fingertips, Pollard says it hasn’t been problematic for independent properties to complete the assessment. “For a smaller property with 80 or 100 rooms, it can be a little more challenging,” he says, “but at the same time we have never, ever had difficulty with a property being able to work through the 150 questions and so forth.”
Questions range from the kind of light bulbs a hotel uses and whether guestrooms have water-saving showerheads, to how a hotel gets rid of waste and what recycling program it implements. In April, Green Key added a green meetings component to the self-assessment.
The Green Key program currently has more than 2,100 members in North America. In Canada, Pollard says about 20 percent of the approximately 1,600 hotels in the program are independent properties. Almost all members who came on board at the outset were brands, but eventually it reaches a point where independents can’t afford not to be a part of a green certification program. Pollard has seen a similar pattern in the United States and expects more independents here to follow suit, especially with the help of promotional campaigns.
Since Green Key is the AH&LA’s exclusive green certification partner, AH&LA members can already enroll in the program at negotiated rates. In celebration of Earth Month in April, however, the partners offered additional incentives, including a chance to win a site visit and environmental consultation from AH&LA Green Guru Pat Maher.
“Many independent hotels, who make up a large percentage of our membership, don’t have the resources to create a comprehensive green strategy,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joseph McInerney, CHA. “Green Key provides a turnkey and highly-respected program to get them started or to elevate their performance.”
By becoming a Green Key-rated property, Pollard says hotels can save money, since energy costs go right to the bottom line, and gain marketing ability. “The third leg of the stool is how well they are doing in terms of reducing their environmental footprint,” he says. “and what they are doing to help the environment.”
