It is estimated that 15 percent of the population suffers from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). MCS is a medical condition in which individuals develop symptoms from very low levels of chemicals in the environment, levels which they previously tolerated and which most people don't even notice. MCS usually results from exposure to toxic chemicals, either in a single massive dose or from long term exposure to low doses.
Assuming the U.S. population is currently 305 million people, almost 46 million people of those individuals are impacted by MCS. Many of those people travel and are always on the search for places to stay where the air is cleaner, where insecticides and toxic cleaners are not used, where volatic organic compounds (VOCs) are not present, and where smoking is certainly not allowed.
In the past I have been in touch with the owners of the Safer Travel Directory. I just learned that this guide has a new owner. Her name is Kathleen Gray. Kathleen says she is understanding of the needs of people with MCS, as her daughter has been chemically sensitive for 17 years. For a very reasonable fee, the Safer Travel Directory lists those properties that are friendlier to those with MCS. Be sure to check out the website. It includes a Resources page with links to helpful websites, tips, and links to suppliers of products for those with chemical sensitivities.
If you are not targeting this type of traveler, you are excluding a lot of people who could be staying at your property. Is that a wise idea in this economy? (See article mentioning company profiting from implementation of PURE rooms.)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Green Building Survey Results Worth Analyzing
The 3rd Annual Allen Matkins/CTG/Green Building Insider Green Building Survey produced some interesting results. More than 900 green building professionals were surveyed in December 2008 and follow-up interviews were conducted in January 2009. A super majority of respondents (93.4 percent) support green and sustainable construction. Despite this endorsement of building green, just 66.2 percent in 2008 (down from 76 percent in the 2007 survey) of respondents agreed that it was worth obtaining official LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED was perceived as attractive by just two-thirds of green building supporters.
Why the decline in the support of LEED? According to the survey's authors, they believe several factors came into play: financial concerns due to the recent financial meltdown, competition from other certification programs, and LEED's failure to fully address greenhouse gas and a building's carbon impact (items LEED is addressing this year).
The majority of respondents expressed the view that the cost premium for green construction is less than 4 percent, and building owners participating in the survey stated that the greatest risk in green construction for them is not recouping capital costs.
While the survey results did not spell out exactly what sectors the survey respondents represented, the results, I believe, fairly reflect the sentiment of many in the lodging industry. Some companies are sold on LEED while others are not, and recent LEED projects are coming in with less than a 4 percent cost premium. (See recent column on The Nines hotel in Portland, Ore.)
To read the complete results of the survey, click here.
Why the decline in the support of LEED? According to the survey's authors, they believe several factors came into play: financial concerns due to the recent financial meltdown, competition from other certification programs, and LEED's failure to fully address greenhouse gas and a building's carbon impact (items LEED is addressing this year).
The majority of respondents expressed the view that the cost premium for green construction is less than 4 percent, and building owners participating in the survey stated that the greatest risk in green construction for them is not recouping capital costs.
While the survey results did not spell out exactly what sectors the survey respondents represented, the results, I believe, fairly reflect the sentiment of many in the lodging industry. Some companies are sold on LEED while others are not, and recent LEED projects are coming in with less than a 4 percent cost premium. (See recent column on The Nines hotel in Portland, Ore.)
To read the complete results of the survey, click here.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Social Networking and Its ROI
Garry Trudeau, in his Doonesbury comic strip, has been poking fun at social networking—primarily Twitter—the last few days. In the strip, journalist Roland Hedley has been exploring micro-blogging. Trudeau, as cunningly as only he can, makes Hedley appear as if he has just a little too much time on his hands. I could not help but laugh reading the strip.
One of my favorite lodging columnists of all time, Howard Feiertag, recently wrote about social networking in his "Sales Clinic" column for Hotel & Motel Management magazine. Feiertag, who is on the faculty of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va., asks his readers if spending time on sites such as LinkedIn, Naymz or other sites is really bringing in new business for hotels. "So far, we have not seen any firm results reflecting sales published on this," Feiertag says.
Feiertag argues that sales staff should concentrate their time on the tried and true phone calling and e-mailing to drum up new business. "Sales staffers and managers should start measuring time productivity on these networking sites versus the time spent developing relationships via phone calls and e-mail messages," he says.
I could not agree more. Communication vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. may be fun but when it comes to establishing meaningful business relationships with substance, face-to-face contact, phone calling and e-mailing matter most. Especially in this economy, if there is no ROI on time invested, it is wasted time. Speaking of which, back to work....
One of my favorite lodging columnists of all time, Howard Feiertag, recently wrote about social networking in his "Sales Clinic" column for Hotel & Motel Management magazine. Feiertag, who is on the faculty of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va., asks his readers if spending time on sites such as LinkedIn, Naymz or other sites is really bringing in new business for hotels. "So far, we have not seen any firm results reflecting sales published on this," Feiertag says.
Feiertag argues that sales staff should concentrate their time on the tried and true phone calling and e-mailing to drum up new business. "Sales staffers and managers should start measuring time productivity on these networking sites versus the time spent developing relationships via phone calls and e-mail messages," he says.
I could not agree more. Communication vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. may be fun but when it comes to establishing meaningful business relationships with substance, face-to-face contact, phone calling and e-mailing matter most. Especially in this economy, if there is no ROI on time invested, it is wasted time. Speaking of which, back to work....
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Hotel Commits to Carbon-Neutral Meetings
According to the Steigenberger Hotel Group, the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin is the first corporate hotel in Germany to offer certified carbon neutral meetings. All the conference rooms in the new convention center of the five-star Berlin hotel have been rebuilt with ecological factors in mind. Modern design ideas combine with ergonomic comfort and environmentally friendly high-grade materials. For example, all carpets are made of wool with no artificial fibers while the conference chairs were manufactured without using synthetic materials and then finished with a water-based lacquer. Care was also taken to ensure that low-emission materials were used in the paint, wallpaper and veneers. The hotel's electricity supply comes from 100 percent renewable resources. The entire rebuild cost more than $12 million.
The conference catering policy deliberately embraces a wide variety of organic and ecological produce. Priority is given to the purchase of organic products, sourced, where possible, from local suppliers. Not only does this satisfy demands for healthy eating but it also places an emphasis on low food miles and low-emission, environmentally friendly production methods in order to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible. The Steigenberger Hotel Berlin offsets all those emissions that are unavoidable in the course of a conference or an overnight stay. The climate partner in this enterprise is the company "greenmiles," which supports recognized climate protection projects. For each event the hotel issues conference clients with an official TÜV-approved certificate.
The conference catering policy deliberately embraces a wide variety of organic and ecological produce. Priority is given to the purchase of organic products, sourced, where possible, from local suppliers. Not only does this satisfy demands for healthy eating but it also places an emphasis on low food miles and low-emission, environmentally friendly production methods in order to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible. The Steigenberger Hotel Berlin offsets all those emissions that are unavoidable in the course of a conference or an overnight stay. The climate partner in this enterprise is the company "greenmiles," which supports recognized climate protection projects. For each event the hotel issues conference clients with an official TÜV-approved certificate.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference
I am writing from the Greening the Hospitality Industry conference here in Pittsburgh. It is an event organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) and is for those with a stake in the green meetings industry: hoteliers, meeting planners, government representatives, etc. The mood here is mostly upbeat, even as the recession takes its toll on meetings attendance around the world. According to Amy Spatrisano, president of GMIC, membership in GMIC grew 320 percent in 2008. The group now has 345 members in 20 countries and new chapters are forming in Atlanta, Chicago and Florida/Caribbean. Meetings industry representatives in numerous other locations have expressed interest in starting chapters.
What is driving the interest in green meetings? In some locations such as Florida, state government agencies are required to choose green meeting venues, and some national organizations such as the U.S. EPA are also seeking out hotels and conference centers that have programs such as recycling, green purchasing and energy and water conservation in place. All over the world, meeting planners are raising the bar for what is expected in regard to sustainability. The winners in this environment will be those properties that not only take the steps to reduce their carbon footprint, but those that also take the extra step to certify their actions. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, for example, where GMIC's conference is being held, is LEED certified and has a comprehensive waste management and energy conservation program in place.
Clarity about what is a green meeting is coming soon. According to GMIC's Spatrisano, the U.S. EPA and Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) are working with GMIC to establish clear standards. The first level of standards may be announced as early as April 2009. Be sure to visit Green Lodging News for coverage of the Greening the Hospitality Industry conference and to stay abreast of standards development.
What is driving the interest in green meetings? In some locations such as Florida, state government agencies are required to choose green meeting venues, and some national organizations such as the U.S. EPA are also seeking out hotels and conference centers that have programs such as recycling, green purchasing and energy and water conservation in place. All over the world, meeting planners are raising the bar for what is expected in regard to sustainability. The winners in this environment will be those properties that not only take the steps to reduce their carbon footprint, but those that also take the extra step to certify their actions. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, for example, where GMIC's conference is being held, is LEED certified and has a comprehensive waste management and energy conservation program in place.
Clarity about what is a green meeting is coming soon. According to GMIC's Spatrisano, the U.S. EPA and Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) are working with GMIC to establish clear standards. The first level of standards may be announced as early as April 2009. Be sure to visit Green Lodging News for coverage of the Greening the Hospitality Industry conference and to stay abreast of standards development.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Put Someone in Charge of Sustainability
Increasingly, hotel companies are creating corporate level positions for the purpose of leading and managing sustainability programs. This has happened at Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Worldwide and numerous other companies. At the property level, it is quite rare for a hotel to employ someone whose sole responsibility is to manage an environmental program. The Grand Hyatt New York is one example of a hotel that does have its own environmental development manager. Maybe more properties should have someone leading sustainability efforts?
According to new survey by human resource firm Buck Consultants, employee involvement in green programs dramatically increases when organizations appoint an individual to lead the efforts. For companies with at least three-quarters of their employees actively involved in green programs, 71 percent have appointed individual leaders whereas only 29 percent do not have such a leader.
Incentives programs help too, the survey found. Among companies that provide rewards to encourage green behaviors, 77 percent provide special employee recognition, 36 percent give prize incentives, and 14 percent offer a monetary reward.
"Many employers now recognize that green programs in the workplace can promote social responsibility among workers and help retain top talent," says Don Sanford, managing director of Buck's communication practice. "But there is still much more that organizations can do. We expect to see future growth in green training programs, environmentally responsible investment options, and recruiting employees with green skills."
According to new survey by human resource firm Buck Consultants, employee involvement in green programs dramatically increases when organizations appoint an individual to lead the efforts. For companies with at least three-quarters of their employees actively involved in green programs, 71 percent have appointed individual leaders whereas only 29 percent do not have such a leader.
Incentives programs help too, the survey found. Among companies that provide rewards to encourage green behaviors, 77 percent provide special employee recognition, 36 percent give prize incentives, and 14 percent offer a monetary reward.
"Many employers now recognize that green programs in the workplace can promote social responsibility among workers and help retain top talent," says Don Sanford, managing director of Buck's communication practice. "But there is still much more that organizations can do. We expect to see future growth in green training programs, environmentally responsible investment options, and recruiting employees with green skills."
Friday, February 20, 2009
Recession Tests Business Relationships
One of the most unfortunate results of this recession is the incredible number of broken—or at least damaged—business relationships. This has certainly happened between banks and home owners but it is also happening in our industry. Have you been having a more difficult time collecting payment from your customers? If so, how do you deal with that customer? Especially if the customer has been a loyal one for a long time? Do you work out a payment plan? What if the customer fails to meet the basics of the reworked agreement? Do you separate yourself from that customer forever? How forgiving should you be? At what point do you run out of patience? At what point is it just not worth the effort to chase what is owed you?
This recession has certainly created some interesting dynamics between businesses and their clients. Here at Green Lodging News I have been fortunate to have so many loyal customers who have met their financial obligations promptly. Still, I get the occasional company that will commit to purchasing an ad and then totally disappear. No returned phone calls. No returned e-mails. Nothing. How do you handle this type of situation? When a customer makes a commitment to buy but then goes "poof" into the darkness? I am still trying to figure out how to handle it. All of us will always get that type of customer—the type of person who is truly not serious about a business relationship. What these people don't realize is that they are killing their own businesses by destroying the bridges to those partners who can help their businesses grow.
There are so many things that come into play when establishing a business relationship with someone. It truly is just like a dating relationship. There are the loyal types, the players, etc. The challenge is separating the two. Those who are good at doing that will weather this recession the best. What are your thoughts?
This recession has certainly created some interesting dynamics between businesses and their clients. Here at Green Lodging News I have been fortunate to have so many loyal customers who have met their financial obligations promptly. Still, I get the occasional company that will commit to purchasing an ad and then totally disappear. No returned phone calls. No returned e-mails. Nothing. How do you handle this type of situation? When a customer makes a commitment to buy but then goes "poof" into the darkness? I am still trying to figure out how to handle it. All of us will always get that type of customer—the type of person who is truly not serious about a business relationship. What these people don't realize is that they are killing their own businesses by destroying the bridges to those partners who can help their businesses grow.
There are so many things that come into play when establishing a business relationship with someone. It truly is just like a dating relationship. There are the loyal types, the players, etc. The challenge is separating the two. Those who are good at doing that will weather this recession the best. What are your thoughts?
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