ECO DESIGNhotels gone greenThough airplanes,trucks and gas-guzzlingSUVs are easytargets for environmentalists,buildings areactually the single biggest contributorto greenhouse gasemissions. And hotels – operating24 hours a day, seven daysa week – are among the worstoffenders. Vehicles are beingreplaced every year with more fuel-efficientmodels. But hotels are designed tolast for 50 to 100 years.While hotel buildings contribute heavilyto the problem, the good news is thatarchitects and designers, along with hospitalityconsultants, can have a majorinfluence on improving the situation andreversing global warming.TEAMING UP TO CREATEGREEN GUIDELINESHorwath HTL, the world’s largest hotelindustry consultancy (with 50 offices in30 countries) has some influence with itshospitality clients. They wanted to usethat influence for good by including – inevery feasibility study that they produce– recommendations for developing andoperating hotels sustainably.Robert Hecker, Horwath’s managingdirector, approached WATG to assist inauthoring a set of guidelines for greenhotel development, because of thedesign firm’s experience creating environmentally-sensitivehotels and resorts.Together with WATG, Horwath createda Sustainable Hotel Development chapterthat is now a part of the reports that theyproduce in the course of advising developers,lenders and investors on a wayforward with their hospitality plans.A THIRD PARTNERIn the early 1990s, as founding membersof the International Hotels EnvironmentInitiative (IHEI), in association with PrinceCharles, WATG’s architects helped toraise consciousness about how responsiblehotel design and construction couldbecome the foundation of a sustainablehospitality industry.IHEI later became the InternationalTourism Partnership (ITP), associatedwith the International Business LeadersHorwath HTL and WATG have drafteda set of sustainable hotel developmentguidelines aimed at encouraging theindustry to go green. WATG’s HowardJ Wolff talks about the initiativeForum – “a non-competitive platform forthe sharing of ideas and the adoptionof strategies to benefit the industry as awhole.” Under the stewardship and leadershipof its executive director Lyndall DeMarco, WATG helped the ITP create anarray of tools and publications for hotelowners and developers. One of thoseinitiatives – the creation of a booklet entitledGoing Green – is also included inHorwath’s feasibility reports.THE IMPETUS BEHINDTHE INITIATIVESignificant energy savings can beachieved – at little or no additional cost –through strategies such as proper siting,smart design, careful selection of buildingmaterials and incorporating natural heating,cooling and ventilation. Planning,designing and constructing hotels thatuse less energy not only saves moneybut ultimately saves the planet.The biggest impediment to sustainabledesign has been the owners’ belief they’llhave to pay a premium. Recent researchby the US Green Building Council revealsthe green premium has been shrinkingand is now close to zero. Furthermore,the more people insist on sustainabledesign, the lower the costs will be,as manufacturers rush to offer more –and more affordable – environmentallyfriendly materials and products.GOING GREEN ISGOOD FOR BUSINESSIn the very broadest sense, green isn’tonly good for the planet, it’s good forpeople and for profits. It’s a win-win-win.Anecdotally, there’s evidence to suggestthat green hotels have healthieremployees who feel proud of where theywork. That translates to increased morale,lower turnover and higher productivity. It’salso noticed and appreciated by guests,who, in turn, are more likely to want toreturn for a positive experience.The bottom-line benefits are alsobecoming more obvious. Green hotelsare sought after by meeting planners andleisure travellers alike, which increasesthe properties’ occupancy and roomrates and gives them a competitive edge– even in challenging economies. Notonly are they saving energy, green hotelsthat are less costly to operate havegreater value in the marketplace.As Prince Charles said 15 years ago:“Sustainable development doesn’t haveto be at odds with a reasonable returnon investment.” In fact, WATG designerswould argue, it can enhance one’s returnon investment. As Lyndall De Marco putsit: “Sustainability and profitability canwalk hand in hand.”THE GUIDELINESThe Sustainable Hotel Developmentguidelines are intended to increase awarenessand interest of stakeholders for50 Read <strong>Leisure</strong> Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digitalISSUE 3 <strong>2009</strong> © cybertrek <strong>2009</strong>
undertaking development that respectsthe environment. The guidelines provideimplementable recommendationsthat encourage developers to create andoperate a sustainable hotel.Topics include site evaluation, architecturaland interior design strategies,energy reduction, water conservation,waste management, procurement andguest participation. Also included is a listof resources, publications and organisationsto help steer hotel owners,operators and developers in a more environmentally-consciousdirection.PHOTO: COURTESY OF SAMMY DYESSPRACTICING WHATWE PREACHThe principles of responsive and responsibledesign are fundamental to thesuccess of WATG’s projects. Whereverwe work around the world, we encourageour clients to pursue sustainability.As their operating costs go down andtheir property values go up, WATG clientsrealise considerable return on their greenThe recently opened Bardessonoluxury lodge in California hasbeen designed to achieve LEEDPlantinum certificationbuilding investments and achieve competitiveprominence for their properties,even in a tough economy.One case in point is the recentlyopened Bardessono – an environmentallyfriendly, 62-room boutique luxury lodgein the heart of California’s Napa Valley.Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification,features include 72 geothermalwells to heat and cool guestrooms andprovide hot water, as well as 940 solarpanels on the building’s flat roofs, whichproduce 200 kW of power. Sustainablebuilding materials and organic landscapemanagement practices include rammedearthsculptural walls and 100-year-oldolive trees. Automatically-adjusting exteriorVenetian blinds control the sun andheat. They’re part of an energy managementsystem that turns off everythingelectric in the rooms when a guest leaves.Bardessono connects with the environmentthrough the use of local, recycledmaterials and the integration of outdoorspaces into the design. The guest experienceis enhanced through such featuresas organic gardens, private courtyardsand outdoor showers, in-room massages,and the availability of bicycles andelectric vehicles.According to owner and developer PhilSherburne: “The decision to design andbuild such an environmentally advancedhotel has helped to insulate us in the currenteconomic climate.”THE WAY FORWARD‘Do not disturb’ – we think of thesewords in their broadest sense, as areminder that the sanctity of a place andits people should be preserved in thelarger context of the built environment,just as it is in the microcosm of a singlehotel room. Fundamental to our missionas architects, planners and designers isa commitment to leave a place and itspeople better off by virtue of our work.Creating sustainable hotel guidelinesallows others to do so as well.Wolff is senior vice president of WATG ●ISSUE 3 <strong>2009</strong> © cybertrek <strong>2009</strong>Read <strong>Leisure</strong> Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 51