Legendary hotelier Barry Sternlicht and his 1 Hotels chain have been making waves recently. Not because the chain is so chic, but because it has taken the concept of going "green" to another level — designed with the specific agenda of protecting the environment.
Developed by Sternlicht's Starwood Capital Group, the hotel chain debuted earlier this year in Miami, with a second hotel in Manhattan opening this month. As Sternlicht mentioned in his statement, he wanted to create a retreat that both celebrates and protects nature, and this socially and environmentally-conscious hotel chain will help him do just that.
While the concept of an eco-hotel is hardly new, one that goes to great lengths and makes every aspect of its business green is news indeed.
In many ways, chains like 1 Hotels are setting the trend for the new age of green in the hospitality business. They are not experimenting or chasing a trend anymore, and they are no longer responsible for educating consumers.
Everyone is aware of environmental impacts, and most expect their hotels to offer green services today. Implementing green business practices is imperative for sustainability. Sociocultural responsibility and focus on local economic growth is as important a part of these practices as is the balance with environmental protection. Hotels must do all of this without sacrificing the comfort of their guests.
It's not just individuals looking for these features either. An increasing number of corporations are unwilling to patronize hotels that do not match the necessary sustainability credentials.
There was a time when eco-hotels meant a location off the beaten track. Today, it means even a downtown hotel can make important improvements to its infrastructure in order to minimize its impact on the environment.
Greener purchasing policies and energy-efficient products are intrinsic parts of the green initiatives, which in turn also mean reducing high running costs. With concentrated efforts, hotels can not only consume less energy and conserve water, but can also recycle up to 75 percent of their waste.
Public-private efforts have been effective — a fact that more states are taking into account and working upon. One of them is in California, where the state wants its hotels to converge on green initiatives and fight serious environmental issues like drought.
Like 1 Hotels, JHM Hotels is another chain that has stepped up its green efforts by diverting their 200 pounds of daily waste to better use. A major part of this agenda is to collect the discarded soap and plastic amenity bottles left behind by guests and ship them off a Clean the World Recycling Operations Center.
Clean the World's recycling program is aimed at sanitizing and repacking these hygiene products for those who need them most yet have no means to buy them. Their effort saves wastage — thereby lessening their environmental impact — and helps fight the spread of preventable diseases. So along with ensuring a safe, nontoxic and energy-efficient accommodation for their guests, JHM is directly contributing to the health and hygiene of many others as well.
Brands like Hotel Maya have gone a step further to transfer their green knowledge to the community. Hotel Maya recently used a $3,000 grant from Hilton Worldwide to beautify a preschool for homeless children in Long Beach, California. Executive Chef Victor Juarez even conducted a culinary class to teach children the importance of healthy cooking and eating greens.
Other efforts include the use of nontoxic cleaning agents; organic linens, soap and amenities; energy-efficient lighting; and renewable energy sources like solar or wind energy to power all hotel needs. To follow the practices of green living, some have even included organic and local-grown food in the menu, along with on-site transportation with green vehicles.
As you can see, providing economic return to the local community has become synonymous with other green efforts like conservation and ecological sustainability.
