Introducing…HOTEL OWNER Sustainability Index in collaboration with Con-Serve by Considerate Hoteliers

Welcome to the Hotel Owner Sustainability Index, in

collaboration with Con-Serve

by Considerate Hoteliers. This new

monthly feature within Hotel Owner

aims to increase the awareness

on the various different types of

environmental and sustainability

data available for and about hotels -

with the aim of making it as easy as

possible for those who care about their

businesses’ impact on the environment

to make positive changes.

Leaning on data collected through

Con-Serve™, the sustainability data

management system developed

by Considerate Hoteliers, the index

will accompany a series of articles

demonstrating how hoteliers can

identify and address problems with

their energy use, water consumption,

laundry and waste disposal practices

and ultimately save money.

For the sustainability index,

Considerate Hoteliers’ expert team

has collated not only data on hotels

gathered through Con-Serve™ but

also data provided through the

following three schemes:

1. TripAdvisor GreenLeaders

Programme

2. The International Tourism

Partnership’s Hotel Carbon

Measurement Initiative (HCMI)

3. CDP (formerly known as Carbon

Disclosure Project)

These schemes were chosen as

they cover three key aspects of the

market. The consumer’s interests

are addressed through Trip Advisor’s

GreenLeaders Programme, HCMI’s

data for RFP processes suits the

corporate traveller, and finally the

investors’ interests are covered by

CDP reporting.

Con-Serve™ is able to deliver

data to feed into each of

these schemes, as

well as complying

with the HCMI

for the

measurement and reporting of

greenhouse gas emissions. By

promoting consistent standards within

the industry, the various frameworks

covered by the sustainability index

are key for understanding the

performance of the hospitality

industry as a whole, as well as

facilitating benchmarking

among industry

players. P

Hotel Owner and sustainability consultants for the hotel industry, Considerate Hoteliers, have teamed up to help hoteliers understand how they can reduce their environmental impact – whilst saving money

SUSTAINABILITY INDEX > Considerate Hoteliers

October 2016 www.hotelowner.co.uk

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SUSTAINABILITY INDEX > Considerate Hoteliers

Energy may only make up between

3-6% of the operational cost base for

hospitality businesses, but reducing

your usage can have a direct and

instantaneous effect on the bottom

line, to the tune of many thousands

of pounds a year. Energy prices are

rising, and there is significant political

uncertainty in the wake of Brexit, so

most sensible businesspeople agree

that there is a certain impetus to batten

down the hatches: keep costs as low

as you can in order that any imminent

storms may be weathered well.

It can be a tough sell in the business

world to convince people of the

importance of sustainability objectives

especially if it may actually cost money

to implement new policies or equipment

to achieve results, but we must not

forget that the number one global risk of

our time as stated by

the World Economic Forum in 2016,

is climate change. At the same

time consumers are also becoming more

aware, and many studies now show

that hotel guests are increasingly more

concerned about environmental issues.

But to start with the easy stuff:

reducing energy consumption makes

business sense. You’ll save money on

bills, enhance your hotel’s reputation

with guests, and you can treat the fact

that it helps conserve the environment

as a bonus. Experts predict that over

the next few years, sustainability

practices will become a pre-requisite

within the hospitality sector - largely

because of the climate goals having

been ratified by governments

worldwide and businesses having to

comply to those. Those hotels which

have already embraced responsible

business practices and integrated

them at all levels will be ahead of the

game, and likely more profitable, when

the auditor as well as the new world of

ethical consumers arrive.

NOT THAT EXPENSIVE!Reducing energy consumption does

not necessarily mean splashing

large amounts of cash. The Carbon

Trust suggests that up to 10% of an

organisations energy consumption can

be reduced through no cost at all or low

cost initiatives . The ‘low hanging fruit’

of energy reduction in hotels includes

lighting controls, optimising room and

water temperatures (and their timings),

and raising energy awareness among

staff so that they use less electricity,

gas and water in the normal routine of

their job.

The case study in the following

pages highlights how easily the

Radisson Blu Edwardian New

Providence Wharf Hotel achieved

major savings, within only a couple

of weeks, without any significant

investments. Through the use of

Con-Serve, Considerate Hoteliers’

data management system, they

were able to easily pin-point savings

opportunities and by identifying their

own low hanging fruit, succeeded

in turning their inefficiencies into a

financial success story in just 40 days.

Low hanging fruit

10,0008%Are you best in class?

Find out how you can save up to £10,000 on your energy bills and reduce per room night energy costs by 8%* in one year, and see how you perform against your industry peers.

The first three hotels to contact us will win a free assessment.

*The reductions stated are based on the results seen by Con-Serve users, and have been averaged to demonstrate potential results for a 100 bedroom independent London-based hotel.

October 2016 www.hotelowner.co.uk

23

User Case StudyRadisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf Hotel

THE CASE:The Edwardian Group decided to

tackle their energy bills, and the first

step was to understand their existing

energy consumption. Approximately

12 months ago they therefore started

using Con-Serve, Considerate Hoteliers’

data management system developed

specifically for the hotel sector, for 12

properties.

The system enables them to track

their energy data, which is being

collected at half hourly intervals

through automated meter readings

(AMRs), as well as water consumption

and room nights data, which is collected

on a monthly basis.

The Con-Serve system offers its

users a six monthly technical report, for

which in-house analysts undertake a

benchmarking exercise to assess the

sustainability performance of each of

the properties against one another.

BENCHMARKING: METHODOLOGY & RESULTSIn figure 1 three variables were taken

into account to assess and benchmark

the energy performance of the 12 hotels

n Total consumption, in kWh –

represented by the size of the circles;

n Consumption per m2 – on the

horizontal axis; and

n Consumption per room night – on the

vertical axis

The circles closest to the origin of

the chart therefore represent those

properties that are more efficient,

as they have lower

energy consumption

per m2 and per room

night, while those

circles that are larger

and furthest from

the origin represent

the laggards in the

group. The following

initiatives were

implemented at the

property at the end of

April 2016 and resulted

in savings of £4,500

in only one month,

as demonstrated by

Figure 2.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?Following the submission of these

findings, the general manager

at Radisson Blu Edwardian New

Providence Wharf Hotel (NPW), one of

the more inefficiently performing hotels

highlighted in Figure 1 with orange,

decided to implement a number of

savings initiatives.

The following initiatives were

implemented at the property at the end

of April 2016:

n Staff training on energy and water

n Boiler set point reduced from 21.5

degrees C to 19 degrees C

n Peak time set point reduced from 82

to 80 degrees

n Chandelier light turned off between

11pm and 5am

n Meeting rooms and unoccupied areas

‘switched off’

n Under-floor heating switched off in

lobby

n Terraced heating controlled during

the day

n Guest room heating turned off from

9am to 6pm

n Trial of low-energy LED lighting in

meeting rooms

WELCOME | TRADE TALK | HOTEL CONCEPT | STATISTICS | SHOW STOPPERS | SUSTAINABILITY | FRONT OF HOUSE | QUALITY IN TOURISM | LAUNCHPAD | Q&A

0

4000

8000

12000

16000

20000

Ener

gy c

onsu

mpt

ion

(kW

h)

Energy Reductions

Gas (kwh)

Electricity (kwh)

29 April

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

60 110 160 210 260

Cons

mpt

ion

(kW

h/RN

)

Consumption (kWh/m2)

2015 Electricity Consumption

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SUSTAINABILITY INDEX > Considerate Hoteliers

THE INDEXCDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project)

Each year, CDP sends out standardised questionnaires encouraging companies to account for and be transparent about climate change related risk. This request for information

goes out to the world’s largest companies on behalf of 822 institutional investor signatories with a combined US$95 trillion in assets. CDP then provides this information to its

investor signatories, as well as distributing it throughout the global market place to increase transparency around climate-related investment risk and commercial opportunity, and

drive investments towards a low carbon economy.

CDP scores companies responding to its climate change program based on a publicly available scoring methodology. The carbon performance scores highlighted in this index

(from A-E) recognizes companies that are taking positive measures on climate change mitigation.

For more information, please visit: www.cdp.net

2015 Performance Scores

A A- B C D E No Band TOTAL number of companies

Global, All sectors 113 79 518 462 406 207 181 1966

UK, All Sectors 8 2 66 68 33 41 14 232

Global, “Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure and Tourism Services” 4 2 8 14 10 6 1 45

UK, “Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure and Tourism Services” 0 1 3 2 2 3 0 11

Trip Advisor - GreenLeaders Programme

The GreenLeaders Programme recognises hotels and B&Bs that engage in environmentally friendly practices, making it easier for travellers to find and book a greener stay. Qualifying

properties are marked with a badge on their TripAdvisor page. The programme is completely voluntary and available to properties with green practices interested in promoting their

activities through TripAdvisor.

There are five tiers of the GreenLeaders programme. All participating hotels and B&Bs must meet a minimum set of requirements to be included in the programme and attain the

level of GreenPartner, including having linen and towel re-use plans; tracking energy usage on a regular basis; recycling; using energy efficient light-bulbs; and educating staff and

guests on green practices. To qualify as a GreenLeader, businesses must also achieve a minimum score on the application survey. GreenLeader properties are eligible for one of the

four badge levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Badge levels are determined by a property’s overall level of participation in environmentally friendly activities.

For more informatio and to apply, please visit: https://green.tripadvisor.co.uk

GreenLeader Accommodations in the UK

GreenPartner Bronze Silver Gold Platinum TOTAL

Number of UK Accommodations 153 175 221 130 71 750

Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)

Together with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and 23 leading hospitality companies, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) developed the HCMI methodology to align

the hotel sector in how it reports carbon emissions. More specifically, the methodology was developed by the hospitality industry to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint

of hotel stays and meetings in a consistent and transparent way.

The methodology is a voluntary approach to measure GHG emissions, and attempts to strike a balance between ease of implementation and accuracy. The methodology requires

hotels to report on all GHG emissions resulting from activities within their premises (Scope 1 & 2 emissions) and, if applicable, from outsourced laundry operations (scope 3 emissions).

For more information, please visit: http://tourismpartnership.org/carbon-emissions

Number of Hotels HCMI Rooms Footprint per Occupied Room

All UK Branded Hotels (kgCO2e/Room night) 132 31.1

UK Branded Economy and Midscale (kgCO2e/Room night) N/A N/A

UK Branded Upper Midscale (kgCO2e/Room night) 69 28.4

UK Branded Upscale and Upperscale (kgCO2e/Room night) 59 32.9

UK Branded Luxury (kgCO2e/Room night) N/A N/A

Con-Serve

Con-Serve is a data management system developed by Considerate Hoteliers, and is a cutting-edge solution to assist independent hotels and hotel groups with filling data

requirements of intitiatives such as CDP, Trip Advisor’s GreenLeaders Programme and the HCMI. Con-Serve helps engrain responsible business practices within organisations, and

has been adopted by forward-thinking hotels globally to increase resource efficiency and consequently reduce emissions. Alongside sophisticated advisory services, this system

is enabled by a dynamic technology platform that has been tailored to capture data that is material to the hospitality industry, including electricity, heat, water, waste, travel and

laundry. Resource use can be analysed on a consumption, cost or CO2 basis, and can be correlated with hotel occupancy.

Data entry into Con-Serve is automated where possible, and is also validated manually by dedicated account managers to ensure accuracy.

For more information, please visit: http://consideratehoteliers.com/con-serve

Electricity Gas Outsourced Laundry Mobile Fuels Refrigerants

TOTAL (Scope 2) (Scope 1) (Scope 3) (Scope 1) (Scope 1)

UK Con-Serve Users - (kgCO2e/Room night) 15.12 6.93 3.31 N/A N/A 25.2

Global Con-Serve Users - (kgCO2e/Room night) 23.94 6.15 3.59 N/A N/A 32.9

*Not all clients outsource their laundry