Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - (Page 18) 18 Energy Star Update IN THE details Getting a grip on green Hotels earn Energy Star Recognize values Resources are available H&MM March 3, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Boston hotels make strides in sustainability practices helped its city deliver on a promise to the environment. BGT’s executive director, Dan Ruben, evaluated an array of green certification programs on the market and selected the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star rating system as a core element of BGT’s program because of its focus on energy efficiency and carbon performance. Working with the EPA, BGT developed a series of trainings that focused on Energy Star resources and provided these trainings to its members. According to Ruben, the relationship with Energy Star helped BGT deliver “incredible tools” to its members that are “relevant to a broad set of hotels, not just the largest properties.” Seven BGT properties recently earned the Energy Star, placing them in the top 25 percent of hotels nationwide for energy performance. These hotels represent almost 1.5 million square feet: Comfort Inn & Suites Boston/Airport, Hyatt Harborside Hotel, Hyatt Regency Boston, Irving House at Harvard, Jurys Boston Hotel, Lenox Hotel and Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge. They range in size from the 16,500-squarefoot, 44-room Irving House to the nearly 500,000-square-foot, 500-room Hyatt Regency. Together, these hotels are 28 percent less energy-intensive and emit 5,780 fewer tons of carbon dioxide than the industry average. These avoided carbon emissions equate to the annual electricity use of 695 homes, or to removing almost 1,000 cars from the road for a year. BGT members are quick to recognize the value of this initiative. Stephen Johnston, g.m. at Jurys Boston Hotel, said: “Our initial actions were driven by a desire to cut energy costs at the hotel. But … there was much more to be achieved than mere cost reduction … [Earning the] Energy Star has made a big difference in how people perceive our product.” Rachael Solem, innkeeper at Irving House, said. “Researching new technologies, training staff, and implementing systems throughout the house … takes a lot of time and attention. For a small, independent property … [having] access to [BGT members’] expertise and experience is extremely important.” As the hospitality industry continues to wrestle with the definition of green, BGT leads the way, impressing upon its members the importance of energy efficiency as the first step to environmental excellence. Recognizing BGT’s success, hotels and green hospitality initiatives nationwide should look to Energy Star tools and resources, including Energy Star Guidelines for Superior Energy Management and the Energy Star Challenge. To learn more about Energy Star, visit www.energystar.gov. hmm@questex.com Stuart Brodsky and Anna Stark are national program managers for commercial property markets, Energy Star, United States Environmental Protection Agency. By Stuart Brodsky H&MM Columnist T hese days, it seems like everyone is looking to benefit from the excitement surrounding green. But what does going green really mean for the hospitality industry? One organization, Boston Green Tourism, has started answering that question and has Sale-leasebacks Continued from page 8 by selling a real-estate holding (in this case a hotel) to a thirdparty investor while simultaneously signing a lease to “lease the property back” and maintain usage and occupancy rights to the property. Because the property is being sold and then immediately leased back from the new owner, a good portion of the tax liability can be deferred. In the case of tax write-offs, only the interest portion of a mortgage payment can be written off. With a lease, the entire lease payment is a write-off because it technically is a lease. In most scenarios, the company selling its real-estate in a sale-leaseback transaction is guaranteed full In the case of tax market value for its property, thereby reducing the risk of any write-offs, only the money being lost in equity. interest can be Second, the lease term typwritten off. ically will be from 15 to 25 years. The property no longer must be refinanced every five to 10 years, which eliminates the uncertainty of fluctuating market rates and property values. Some sale-leaseback investors/buyers will require minimum up lifts and periodic lease payment increases. These increases can be set to increase based on an agreed-upon number of years, certain market fluctuations, or even price indices such as the U.S. Consumer Price Index. But there are many sale-leaseback investors that will simply fix the lease payment rate for the entire lease term and give options to renew the lease at the end of the term subject to specified market conditions. hmm@questex.com Bryan J. Clark is president / commercial funding specialist with Lion CFC. Contact him at info@lioncommercial.com or (858) 602-8080. CIRCLE NO. 114 http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.energystar.gov http://www.hotelbrokerone.com http://www.hotelbrokerone.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Contents Embassy Suites Refreshes Look, Service F&B Concept Set to Take Off Conference Promises Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column HSMAI Consultant's Corner On Finance Travel Trends Energy Star Update Trends & Stats Transactions Property Management Systems Carpet: Mixed Media Planting Greener Greens Transportation Vacation-Ownership Update Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 (Page 1) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 (Page 2) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Conference Promises (Page 4) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Conference Promises (Page 5) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Letter to the Editor (Page 6) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Letter to the Editor (Page 7) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Guest Column (Page 8) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Guest Column (Page 9) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - HSMAI (Page 10) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - HSMAI (Page 11) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Consultant's Corner (Page 12) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Consultant's Corner (Page 13) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - On Finance (Page 14) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - On Finance (Page 15) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Travel Trends (Page 16) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Travel Trends (Page 17) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Energy Star Update (Page 18) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Energy Star Update (Page 19) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 20) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 21) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 22) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 23) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 24) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 25) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 26) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 27) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 28) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 29) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 30) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 31) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Carpet: Mixed Media (Page 32) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Carpet: Mixed Media (Page 33) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Planting Greener Greens (Page 34) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Planting Greener Greens (Page 35) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transportation (Page 36) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transportation (Page 37) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 38) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 39) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 40) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 41) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 42) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 43) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 44) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 45) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Ad/Editorial Index (Page 46) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Ad/Editorial Index (Page 47) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Marketplace (Page 48) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 49) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 50) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 51) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 52) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 53) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 54) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 55) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 56)
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