The Carbon Accounting Company officially launched Green Hotels Global, the industry’s only standardized, comprehensive online source of information on the environmental performance of hotels worldwide at the NBTA Show in Houston.

To date, over 40 major corporations have begun to request that their hotel suppliers enroll in the Green Hotels Global program.  “I heard from one of our clients at NBTA that they will be requiring all the hotels in their preferred corporate program to participate in the Green Hotels Global measurement and disclosure program.” Said Frank Schnur of American Express Business Travel on his BusinessTravelConneXion.com blog. Frank continued, “Green Hotel Global’s approach is to measure all hotels using the same metrics and to publish key metrics that travel managers can compare side-by-side and apples-to-apples.”

“Corporate Travel Departments rely on metrics to evaluate performance in all categories of their supply chain.” Said Justin Raymond, President & CEO of The Carbon Accounting Company, “Green Hotels Global room-night carbon footprint, meeting and event carbon footprint and water and waste diversion metrics are calculated for all hotels that register in the system.   These metrics enable hotels to meet the needs of a growing number of corporations around the world.”

Each hotel property receives an online portal to enter monthly data from utility and fuel bills, water usage, waste disposal, air conditioning fugitive gases, employee travel and commute, and supplier purchases.  Using international environmental protocols, the online tool then automatically calculates that hotel’s current environmental metrics on a per-room-night and square foot basis, and provides that data free of charge to travel and meeting industry professionals.

The metrics are normalized for geographical differences so those hotels located in regions with higher energy demands are not penalized.  “The submitted data are monitored for accuracy and completeness,” said Ian Lipton, Chief Operating Officer of The Carbon Accounting Company.  “In addition, we engage a third-party for spot on-the-ground audits.”

Hotels currently participating in Green Hotel Global indicate the monthly cost ($150 to $300) is returned through locking in current business and positioning them well for new business opportunities and RFP’s.  “We reviewed the benefits of the program and immediately understood the importance of these metrics to the business travel and event planner industries.” Said Dean Lake, Director of Sales & Marketing for ARC The Hotel.  “Our participation in Green Hotels Global is bringing immediate benefits to both our hotel property and our clients.”

Researcher: Sulaiman

Source: The Carbon Accounting Company