Best Practices in Sustainability by Amy Watkins 18 <strong>InnFocus</strong>
Small changes can make a big difference when it comes to adopting sustainable best practices. From switching out soap for dispensers and providing electric vehicle charging stations, to creating an entire geothermal heating system, here’s how local hoteliers have successfully gone green. Going Green with Housekeeping Sustainable housekeeping practices are a relatively straightforward way to show guests that you care. Switching to environmentally friendly and chemical-free cleaning products and offering incentives to skip housekeeping services, are two simple ways to cut down on using resources such as water and also save money. At Best Western Plus Kamloops, the housekeeping team has been using ozone water instead of chemicals to clean the rooms for nine years, with only COVID regulations temporarily changing that. Ozone water is tap water that is ozonated and is 99.999% effective against killing harmful bacteria (more so than bleach) and is Health Canada approved. In larger properties, it’s cost effective to offer financial or points-based incentives, such as the Go Green program at Prestige Hotels and Resorts. “Our Go Green program is a program that started several years ago offering an incentive for guests to choose to forgo housekeeping services during their overnight stay,” says Robyn Yenney, Director of Guest Experience at Kelowna-based Prestige Hotels & Resorts. When guests choose to Go Green they can choose between receiving a $10 voucher to the on-site restaurant or 1,000 Prestige Reward points. “By offering the Go Green Program we are allowing our guests to contribute to our sustainability efforts of lessening our impact on the environment,” says Yenney. “To Go Green helps offset our daily water, power, and detergent usage, reducing our environmental impact. We believe that every small action to help the environment adds up to great impact.” To Go Green helps offset our daily water, power, and detergent usage, reducing our environmental impact. Turning Corporate Responsibility Green Sustainability is a key element of corporate responsibility. Prestige Hotels and Resorts’ corporate sustainability program (Prestige in Balance) recently launched a Sustainability Committee that meets once a month to discuss sustainability efforts and ideas. “Their purpose is to keep sustainability efforts front of mind at their respective properties in order to improve existing efforts and bring any new ideas to management,” says Yenney. “So far through these committees we have seen important initiatives such as outdoor recycling bins and donating partially used amenities. We’re excited to see the positive impacts of our front-line sustainability committee!” Sustainable Building Practices Best Western Plus Kamloops is a prime example of a hotel designed with sustainability in mind. Communal spaces are heated using geothermal heating year-round. In 2010 the Hampel family took over an old motel and dug down 10 ft. to put in a 30,000 ft. geothermal field under the car park. “There was an initial $500,000 investment with a seven year pay back,” says Best Western Plus Kamloops’ GM, Tim Rodgers. “We’re now in year 11 and saving around $5- 7,000 a year on utilities. We should have a $3-4,000 gas bill, but we pay under $1,000, Hydro should be $7- 8,000, but we pay $4-5,000. We pay around 50% less than the average hotel thanks to energy efficiency.” Sustainable best practices extend to suppliers and vendors too. At Best Western Plus Kamloops, the team chose shower curtains made of recycled rubber, and opted for compostable cutlery rather than use chemicals to clean them as waste water goes into the river. The hotel won TOTA’s 2020 Sustainable Project of the Year Award for the refurbishment of their 4th floor. Their goal was to repurpose, resell, or recycle 90% of the materials, but they managed to achieve 95%. Beds and desks were sold to local motels and other buyers, or repurposed in other ways. “We believe in doing the work and making sure that anything we replace doesn’t <strong>InnFocus</strong> 19