Please read the following case study on the New Manager Takes the Hotel in a Green Direction:

Nick Saltmarsh is the new general manager at a very nice boutique hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, called the HarbourView Inn. With the recent push to go green in South Carolina, Nick was aware that, as a new general manager coming in, he would have to get the ball rolling on this going green issue and really push the subject. When Nick first started managing the HarbourView Inn there was next to nothing being done in the way of going green. When Nick chose to hold a staff meeting he informed the employees that this was going to have to be a team effort and everyone would have to be on board to make the necessary changes to be certified as a green property.

During the staff meeting Nick held a discussion and everyone brainstormed what their departments could do to put a stop to waste. The housekeeping, front desk, and restaurant were the main culprits for significant waste. The front desk needed to stop the ridiculously excessive waste of paper, and start shredding and recycling it. The restaurant had always thrown containers, cardboard boxes, and packaging straight into the trashcan, and they were now going to recycle all of that. The housekeeping staff was going to attempt to reuse untouched items, and the front desk agents made recycling cards for each room that explained that if guests hung their towels up it would be a sign that they do not need new towels to preserve water. They also posted something similar for the bedding.

As far as the meeting rooms go, everything mentioned previous played a part on the meeting space, because the restaurant caters the meetings and the housekeepers clean the rooms. The paper wall hangings ended up being transferred into dry erase boards so that less paper would be wasted and the lights were changed to LED lights to conserve energy. Most of the guests that hold meetings at their property would be staying in the hotel too so this created going green awareness.

Nick realized that at first the Harbourview Inn may take a hit financially, but in the long run the property will gain the respect of its clients and save money on energy preservation. The HarbourView Inn just received their certification from the South Carolina Green Hospitality Alliance, which put them one step ahead of most properties with meetings competition in Charleston.

The HarbourView Inn has been implementing the greening of their property for about a year now, but they still have a long way to go. There is so much that can be done to help the environment, and, yet, in our industry it is very hard not to waste, because it is the nature of the business.