Hotel & Motel Management - June 16, 2008 - (Page 34) 34 Hotel Operations LAUNDRY H&MM June 16, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition BY ALLIE JOHNSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR load According to a survey on hotel green practices just released by the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., towel and linen reuse programs now are the most popular ecofriendly practice used by hotel owners and operators. The survey shows that 88 percent of hotels that responded have a linen reuse program for guests who stay multiple nights, and just more than 83 percent have a towel reuse program. “In the last two years, [the number of hotels offering towel and linen reuse] has jumped tremendously, and in the last six months, it’s taken off like wildfire,” said John Stanley, president and owner of Project Planet Corp., which provides towel and linen reuse programs for hotels. In fact, some cities and government agencies—such as Denver, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District—have purchased programs for hotels in their areas to use. KIMPTON HOTELS MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL Savings by the check IN Boutique property Chamberlain West Hollywood signed on as the official partner of Wicked LA, the Broadway production based on The Wizard of Oz. The hotel’s two-person Wicked package starts at $899 for two nights and includes a gift bag filled with Wicked merchandise and orchestra seating for the show. The package runs through December. Through Sept. 30, Mohegan Sun Country Club at Pautipaug, Uncasville, Conn., is offering two golf packages starting at $449 for one night, double occupancy. Homewood Suites by Hilton’s new promotional contest, “The Next Great Idea,” challenges guests to come up with a great innovation for small business. The contest is cosponsored by Fast Company and Inc. magazines. Online voting in June and July will determine the winner, who will receive $5,000 and a profile in the magazines. Holiday Inn Express Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco added hot breakfast options to its complimentary Express Start Breakfast Bar, including scrambled eggs, cheese omelets, bacon, sausage and biscuits with gravy. Such programs save money, help conserve resources and create goodwill with guests who care about the environment—a figure of 75 percent of all guests, according to a survey done last year by A Closer Look, an Atlanta-based market research company that focuses on hospitality. In fact, guests have begun to demand reuse programs. Partly in response to a growing number of guest requests, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which has long offered a reuse program at its resorts, this spring will roll out a mandatory program at its citycenter hotels. And Marriott, which made its linen reuse program official in 2005, is looking at doing the same for towel reuse, which is now optional for its hotels. “We have a number of hotels starting to chase down green certification, and you have to have a [towel reuse] program for that,” said Marriott International v.p. of rooms operations Steve Samson. “It’s not going to be very long before we are going to have it in all of our hotels.” Quotable “ People who travel, whether eco-friendly or not, don’t have problems with not having their sheets changed every day. Towel reuse seems to be a behavior more associated with eco-friendly guests.” By offering a towel and linen reuse program, during one year, a 150-room hotel with 60 percent occupancy can save: $30,057 in operating expenses 98,181 gallons of water 654 gallons of detergent Source: Project Planet’s online calculator For more info Company Circle No. Project Planet Corp. . . . . . . . 278 Green Suites International . . . 279 Pineapple Hospitality. . . . . . . 280 STEVE PINETTI, senior v.p. of sales and marketing, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Through July, guests are invited to share their family photos and videos in Homewood Suites by Hilton’s Simple Moments contest. Last year, the contest drew 1,225 entries. Visitors to www. homewoodmoments.com will chose three winning photos to be used in the brand’s fall advertising campaign. Compiled by Emily Hanna, ehanna@questex.com http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.homewoodmoments.com http://www.homewoodmoments.com
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