DENVER Touting it as an environmentally friendly option, Denver-based Sage Hospitality has begun offering an opt-in housekeeping program at 18 hotels across the United States, including The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel and The Nines in Portland, Oregon.
Under the program, known as Green Choice, hotels in the Sage portfolio put their own “spin” on the opt-in initiative. At The Blackstone, for instance, guests are encouraged to opt in with a US$5 food and beverage credit or 500 Marriott Rewards points. Management reports an average of 100 guestrooms participating weekly, reducing the hotel’s water use by four to five gallons per room and overall linen load by 200 pounds per week. Green Choice has further reduced The Blackstone’s transportation and chemical needs while increasing satisfaction among green-conscious Platinum Elite members who stay at the landmark hotel on a weekly or monthly basis. Taken together, The Blackstone expects Green Choice to save 350 gallons of water weekly and 13 gallons of chemicals a year.
“Saving money and protecting the environment should always be priorities in the travel industry, especially in the current economic climate,” says Bryan Boyce, director of energy operations for Sage Hospitality. “Our new Green Choice program benefits member hotels, guests and our planet alike.”