Let's face it, luxury hotels put a lot of strain on our already deteriorating environment. The heat or air is left on continuously, even when the room is unoccupied. Filling pools, hot tubs, laundering sheets daily, you get the idea? The water and energy usage from one establishment can be incredible. Luckily , some luxury hotels have recognized the problem and are taking steps to become more Eco friendly.
The Hotel Metro in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is taking steps to conserve energy without compromising the level of comfort that they offer. Recently the hotel had the Telkonet SmartEnergy management system installed. Upon arrival to their suite guests will see a red arrow on the thermostat that indicates that the heating system can be set to the preference of the guest.
The blue arrow is for cooling. The system will remember the specific settings and detect when the room is unoccupied and allow the setting s to drift within a specific range. Once the guests return to their suite the heating or cooling will return to the setting that had been selected previously within 10 minutes. This helps to decrease energy usage and most guests don't even realize the difference.
Hyatt Regency is another luxury hotel chain that is striving to be more environmentally friendly. Energy efficient light bulbs have replaced ordinary bulbs through out the hotel. Paper recycling bins have been placed in strategic locations with emphasis being placed on the meeting areas. Water preservation is also important to Hyatt Regency. Water conserving shower heads and low flow toilets have decreased the amount of water the establishment is using.
Several other hotels in the industry are also taking steps to conserve our resources, such as encouraging guests to reuse towels, and giving them the option of not having the sheets changed daily. All of these things are helping to ensure that we impacting the environment as little as possible.
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I am extremely delighted that you wrote a post that is an exact fit to what I was looking for this week, answering the question how can a luxury hotel be both eco-friendly and affordable? Thank you so much the the information that you provide. I agree that in the past luxury hotels seem to have taken every initiative to make the guest more comfortable but at the price of compromising the environment. I find the Telkonet SmartEnergy management system interesting because from my experience, I have noticed how people my age rarely consider energy conservation which staying at a luxury hotels. This system that helps to decrease energy usage without guests even realizing a difference is a great way for luxury hotels to conserve energy without compromising the level of comfort that they offer. I love the fact that the "Hyatt Regency is another luxury hotel chain that is striving to be more environmentally friendly." Hyatt Regency hotels offer a vast amount of amenities and are a very enjoyable way to vacation. You wrote that this chain is taking initiatives by using energy efficient light bulbs, strategically placing recycling bins and using water conserving shower heads and toilets. What other ways do you feel hotels can become more eco-friendly? I just spent a weekend in Las Vegas and noticed how they are not reducing lighting the outside of the hotels, do you think that Vegas will ever comply with initiative to decrease impact on the environment? I personally feel that it will take that city the longest to become eco-friendly. I believe that it has to happen eventially because consumers are increasingly creating brand loyalty based on environmentally friendly options. Thank you again for providing information on this subject, and I look forward to reading you posts in the future. If you would like to view my blog about the business of travel you may do so at:
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