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The Market for Green Sustainable products are finally available at reasonable prices and in a wide variety. Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Beth Kormanik

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For hoteliers who may be overwhelmed by the concept of creating a sustainable property, the basics are fairly simple.

Reduce waste, conserve energy and conserve water. Buy things that come with less packaging. Look for products that are biodegradable. It's just that easy, said Ray Burger, a consultant on green lodging and president of Pineapple Hospitality.

"You've got to start with a core plan and then add the bells and whistles," he said. "It doesn't make sense to put the bells and whistles in without a core program."

Burger offered advice and insight into where the green movement in the hospitality is headed during a conversation at this week's record breaking and sold-out Buyer Interactive Trade Alliance and Conference in San Diego.

"I don't think you can call it a fad anymore," he said.

Now the market is offering products that are environmentally viable as well as economically feasible, Burger said. In addition, green products have been proven to increase guest satisfaction as well as employee satisfaction, he said.

He called staff members who are motivated to work at greener hotel properties "hidden greenies."

"You don't know who they are until you start roll out programs like this," he said. "They'll pop out of the woodwork and surprise the heck out of you with great ideas that will make your property more successful."

Burger cited the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study released in July that showed 66 percent of guests were aware of their hotel's conservation efforts, compared with 57 percent in 2008. Guest satisfaction was higher among these guests as well, the study found.

"That's kudos to the hoteliers because the hoteliers are beginning to communicate better as to what their environmental programs and conservation efforts are," he said.

Another study of 1,555 business travelers conducted by Deloitte in 2008 showed that guests' top five environmental initiatives at hotels were recycling, energy efficient lighting, energy efficient windows, a linen and towel/reuse program and an environmentally friendly cleaning program.

Suppliers now are finally stepping up to the green plate, he said.

"One thing that's fascinated me in the last 18 months during this economic downturn is the innovation," Burger said. "There are many other suppliers in the room that are bringing extremely innovative products to the market."

He cited Concept Amenities as one example. The company has created a plastic bottle for bath amenities that biodegrade in landfills in about a decade rather than the centuries it would take a traditional bottle to decompose. It works because of an additive to the plastic calledEcoPure. Concept Amenities signed an exclusive global license agreement with Bio-Tec Environmental of Albuquerque, NM, to be the only hospitality provider of EcoPure products.

EcoPure products can also be recycled like traditional plastic and the bottles are made from recycled plastic.

"Our company over the last few years hasn't been overly proud of what we've been contributing, and we've decided to come up with ways and means to make our product more biodegradable," said Gary Coward, senior vice president at Concept Amenities. "Our company philosophy is really there's only one shade of green. Green is our way of thinking. Our commitment is tominimize the harm against the environment."

Hotels representing more than 60,000 rooms have signed up for the products, including the Luxor in Las Vegas, the properties of American Casino and Entertainment, and Planet Hollywood.

The ultimate standard in green construction is the LEED designation from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. The certification is awarded after construction is complete and has various degrees depending on how rigorously a building adhered to standards on everything from heating and cooling systems to recycling materials to shipping goods.

Burger said there are 831 registered LEED certified hotel projects, with most of that growth coming in the last couple of years. In 2007, there were 74 projects, which grew to 132 in 2008 and finally ballooning to 632 this year.

The Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco earned LEED certification. General Manager Stefan Muhle, who also manages the green-minded Orchard Hotel, said it was important to continue the sustainable effort beyond the building to the daily operations.

"It's fantastic to build something from the ground up as green structure, but it was very important for us to understand how to operate from the structure," he said. "We want to make sure we send a consistent message. We understand what it takes to operate a hotel green from the inside out."

The hotel has multiple green certifications, something Burger recommended for hotels looking to maximize the benefits of committing to be environmentally responsible.