Starwood Hotels and Resorts has taken a leaf out of the recent G8 Summit by implementing an awareness programme which focuses on climate change and carbon management across its 400 hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In recent years, the hotel group, whose brands include Sheraton, Westin, St Regis and Luxury Collection, has been committed to becoming a “green” operator at all levels.
In the UK, Starwood is part of the Hospitality Energy Consortium (HEC), a group of hotel companies who work together in the procurement of energy. Led by chairperson, Angela Tomlinson, director of purchasing UK and Ireland, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the consortium has joined with the Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by the government to help the UK meet its climate change obligations.
In partnership with the Carbon Trust, Starwood has recently taken part in a study by environmental consultants Enviros. The initial results will enable Starwood and the other consortium members to review their energy consumption/carbon footprint, and provide better ways of working to achieve a reduction in the volumes used.
In addition to this, as a huge element of energy-management is dependent on buy-in from the associates in the hotels, a comprehensive energy tool kit and training programme has been distributed to every head of department in every Starwood hotel in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. This is part of a wider awareness programme with a focus on protecting the environment.
Senior vice-president and director of operations, North West Europe Michael Wale said: “The tool kit is a simple but informative and practical guide for our associates at all levels to become conscious of energy use and aware of the damage energy waste does to the environment for future generations. The tool kit includes posters, provided by the Carbon Trust, which can be put up in hotel offices, reminding people to conserve energy and be disciplined, for example switching off air conditioning and their computers at the end of the day. This is something that we are committed to doing and is for the good of us all.”
Carbon Trust director of Business Delivery and External Relations Garry Felgate welcomed Starwood’s initiative and said: “Climate change is the biggest environmental threat faced by the UK, and action is needed now. Businesses need to take action now and Starwood is leading the way in its commitment to cutting its carbon emissions and is implementing energy efficiency measures throughout its organisation.”
As well as associate and corporate activity, Starwood has been active with guest energy conservation initiatives for a number of years already. In 1999 the company was the first in the hotel industry to introduce a Green Room Programme, to reduce water and electricity use for laundering guest towels and linen. Guests place a card on their bed each day if they wish to have their bed linen and towels changed. If guests do not put this card on their bed, their bed will be made without changing the linen and their towels will be hung up but not changed.
A green card would be left for the guest as a thank-you for “going green”. Since then, the Green Room Programme has been fully incorporated into the ABCs of House-keeping in the Sheraton, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton EAME Brand Standards.
As a result of this ongoing focus on energy, Starwood has also created a North West Europe Energy Champions team, a group of associates who are responsible for driving support for this project. Starwood’s change management process, Six Sigma, is being used to drive this commitment, and the implementation of the Energy Conservation Tool kit is now a required best practice at all hotels, owned and managed, throughout EAME. This project is the result of Six Sigma methodol-ogy delivering tools that will in turn deliver energy and carbon reduction, to the benefit of future generations but also the associates and hotel guests of today.