Transplanting over 900 trees affected by construction work and replanting them along the streets of Hollywood and New York within its Universal Studios theme park is among the environmental initiatives the new Resorts World at Sentosa. The resort also has Singapore’s largest solar installation, that can generate over 500,000 kilowatts per hour of energy a year. They expect to save half a million Singapore dollars easily on electricity bills each year.
Thomas Arasi, CEO, Marina Bay Sands – another nearby Singapore resort, said: “We have spent S$25 million on an intelligent building management system, and what that would do is that it would automatically record the customer’s needs and energy saving patterns.” They’re integrating a cool option for the guests, as Thomas goes on to explain “On the remote control in our guest room, there will be an eco button that you can hit and it will just take things up a notch and hopefully you will not feel it.”
You can read more about Singapore Resorts and what they are doing for the environment at Wild Singapore News.
Eugene OR Wetlands plays a big role in selection as #1
If I asked 100 people “What is the Greenest city in the US?” I’ll bet the most popular answers would be Seattle or Boston or San Francisco and Portland. Interestingly enough, according to a recent survey completed by Paul McRandle and Sara Smiley Smith at GreenGuide for Everday Living only Portland OR ranked in the top 10 Greenest Cities.
Are you ready?
The top city was Eugene, OR with a population of 137,893, the city was cited for their Sustainable business incubator, Renewable energy supplying 85% of city’s power, and Extensive wetlands program.
Agoda – a subsidiary or Priceline.com has come up with their 2009 list for the Top 10 Green Hotels in Asia. While I don’t know the criteria that was used to establish the list I thought I would pass it along. Here’s Agoda’s picks for ten of the best “Green” Asia Hotels.
Top 10 Green Hotels in Asia 2009 – Recommend by Agoda.com
Travelocity is offering a Christmas Promo to carbon offset travel for those who become fans of their Facebook page. They plan to spend $10,000 in carbon offsetting to build their friend’s list of “Green” travelers. They’ve already accumulated 10,760 Facebook Fans which will certainly be bolstered by this new promotion.
Some see this as a marketing ploy to build “Social Buzz” while others see it as a more altruistic move on the part of Travelocity.
According to EnvironmentalLeader.com “Responsibletravel.com, a UK travel agency, had been offering the offsetting option since 2002. Now it believes the best way to address global emissions is to focus on reducing emissions in the travel industry, instead of offsetting them.”
Right now every product is magically turning “Green”, massively polluting corporations are suddenly environmentally friendly, and sustainability has become the buzzword of the travel industry. To be sure, some companies and industries are taking significant steps and investing substantial dollars to do what’s right for the environment and society. But unfortunately allot of what is taking place is pure and simple marketing hype.
A hotel with tent cards offering the now common linen cleaning optional program touts itself as an environmentally friendly property. While another allows Prius owners to park for free and the press releases fly. While in and of themselves these initiatives are fine, the public is left feeling somewhat deceived – hence the now infamous “Greenwashing” term. The public is developing a definite lack of trust in the “Green” claims of product manufacturers, corporations, and yes . . . the travel industry too!
Not only is marketing hype an issue in the mind of the consumer, but in the travel industry there are so many different rating and certification programs that the traveler is left standing confused as to what a given rating actually means. Some programs focus on the structure, others on operations, while yet others on sustainability, and some a combination of the aforementioned.
While the efforts towards environmental friendliness and sustainability should be advanced irrespective of the marketing efforts, the simple fact remains that these lodging properties are businesses . . . businesses which need to make a profit and justify expenditures with return on investment. Virtually all recent polls and surveys agree that the majority of travelers would choose the eco-friendly option when all other factors are equal, and that even a fair percentage would be willing to pay a premium. Being “Green” is not only good for the environment but it is also good for business.
So here is where the transparency comes in.
If the consumer wants “Green” then a lodging operator whose property is “Green” should promote it, after all it does give the property a competitive marketing advantage. But since the traveler’s opinion of “Green” claims is somewhat jaded how does the property market itself without appearing to be greenwashing? The property must market their environmental efforts transparently.
How does a property market transparently? Here’s some simple steps to follow:
·Tell the whole truth – if half the property has CFL bulbs, don’t claim “We have replaced our incandescent light bulbs with new energy saving CFL bulbs” – instead say “We are taking steps to become more environmentally friendly and have already replaced over 50% of our incandescent light bulbs with the new energy saving CFL bulbs.”
·Be specific – as an example “We have installed low flow toilets and showerheads in 74 of our 112 units and expect to complete the balance by the end of summer.” Or “We invested $126,472.27 in a new energy efficient laundry system that is expected to cut our water consumption by 27%.”
·Disclose – tell what has been done, and what is planned, even if the property is just getting started. Everyone understands that you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before your run. Most people understand that a property has to start somewhere. People want to know what is being done, even if the property is just getting started.
·Use 3rd Party Trust – here’s a shameless plug – use resources like iStayGreen.org and our online environmental self-audit. The self-audit enables a property to claim the environmental initiatives currently in-place and the ability to elaborate on items not covered in the self-audit. Certifications are also helpful but not clearly understood by the public.
·Actively Promote – be out in the open with the property’s “Green” initiatives. Create a “Green” page, or better yet a “Green” section on within the website, and list the ratings or certifications the property has earned, including links to the certifying body.Educate staff to educate the property’s guests.
·Testimonials – if the property had a new energy efficient system installed have the installer provide a testimonial as to what this will do for the property and the environment and the expected energy savings. Ask guests to write eco-reviews at online review sites like iStayGreen.org, Tripadvisor, IgoUgo, etc.
Taking these simple steps will create transparency, which in-turn will create “Green Trust” , which will translate to a marketing advantage and increased profitability.
We’ve been hearing allot recently that with the economic woes the general populace is leaving “Green” behind in favor of saving or conserving cash. Is it true? Do tough times truly turn the eco-conscious from Green to Brown?
I came accross a recent article at eMarketer.com – Is Green Still Golden? and it had some pretty interesting facts. If consumers are in-fact curtailing spending on green, marketers apparently are not. According to a recent study by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and Fleishman-Hillard companies are continuing to invest in “Green” marketing, pushing the message to the consumer.
The survey found that 58% of those polled planned on putting more emphasis on developing corporate sustainability opportunities in the months ahead. Why? They believe that tough times actually encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly practices. I have to agree. The environemtal mantra – “Reduce – Reuse – Recycle” actually translates to cost savings and efficiencies.
According to Nancy Costopulos of the AMA. “The business community is embracing environmental sustainability in a way that this country has probably never seen before.” Almost two thirds of US Communications Professionals feel the new administration will only accellerate these efforts, while only a handful felt otherwise. There’s also a strong sentiment about the importance of sustainability playing a major role in a company’s ongoing reputation.
But, while marketing the “Green” message may be on the rise, a report from Clean Edge, “Clean Energy Trends 2009,” which concentrated on green industries, seems to indicate that capital investment projects may be suffering. Gobal investments in new energy technologies expanded by 4.7% last year, rising from $148.4 billion in 2007 to $155.4 billion in 2008 according to the report. But, because of the current global recession, it went on to say “The clean-energy sector faces considerable challenges moving forward.”
So what does all this mean for the hospitality industry and more specifically hotels & resorts. Dollars are tight and the majority of consumers are not willing to pay premiums for “Green” lodging. At the same time they want their lodging to be environmentally friendly. My suggestion is to focus efforts in areas that don’t require significant capital outlay which you would have to recapture through increased rates. Instead, make sure that your property is doing the simple things that don’t require large capital outlay and can in-fact create substantial cost savings.
A simple illustration of this is to educate your frontdesk and housekeeping staff on educating your guests. Most properties have linen programs with tent-cards and placards in each room. But does the staff encourage and educate the guest as to the difference they can make by taking advantage of these programs? Could the property perhaps even offer an incentive to guests that keep the same sheets and towels for a 3 day stay? I recently read about a hotel that placed a sheet next to the linen placard where the guest could indicate that they took advantage of the linen program. It was left for future guests to see . . . the result . . . adoption of the linen program had a huge increase. Seems like if someone else is doing it, social proof causes the next guest to want to be kind to the environment too.
A similar approach can be used for room electric and water use. Programs like these can be accomplished at minimal expense and the savings can amount to thousands annually for even a small property. Best of all . . . any property can do this . . . you’ll be earning a reputation as a sustainable property and your customer didn’t have to pay extra. In-fact, you might even choose to reward them for being eco-friendly durring their stay with you.
