Sheraton Seattle Hotel
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Sheraton Seattle Recognized By AH&LA For Environmental CommitmentNov 9, 2009www.ahla.com/stars SEATTLE (June 24, 2009) – The Sheraton Seattle was honored with the 2009 Good Earthkeeping Stars of the Industry Award by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), recognizing their commitment to the environment. The Sheraton Seattle received the award during the annual AH&LA Summer Summit’s Stars of the Industry Luncheon in Chicago, Ill. on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The Sheraton Seattle is the large property winner and the only hotel of its size to receive this award. “At Sheraton Seattle, we have spent the last few years remodeling our hotel to ensure that it’s structurally a leader in environmental stewardship. During this time we have also created a Green Team to promote green programming within the hotel to encourage our staff and guests to join us in protecting the environment,” said Matthieu Van Der Peet, general manager of the Sheraton Seattle. “We are honored to be the largest hotel to receive this esteemed award from AH&LA and look forward to continuing our efforts to protect our environment.” Building upon a long-standing history of supporting environmentally friendly initiatives, the Sheraton Seattle was an early adopter of a voluntary recycling program in 1993 and over the years has implemented a number of programs and enhancements that have furthered their environmental conservation. In 2008, the Sheraton Seattle created a comprehensive Green Strategy, which focused on three major areas: building infrastructure and physical enhancements; increasing associate awareness and involvement; and guest participation. Through these initiatives the Sheraton Seattle has been able to reduce their energy index by more than 20% in 2008. They have also been able to recycle over 24,000 pounds, or 12 tons, of materials per month. The Sheraton Seattle’s Green Team promotes and advocates green practices through: · Giving guests the option to go green through the “You Tidy We Treat Program where guests can opt out of daily linen and towel replacement and be rewarded for their green efforts with a $5 gift certificate or 500 Starwood points for each day they opt-out. In the first two months of this program, over 3,000 guests participated and the Sheraton was able to increase bookings at the hotel specifically because of this program. · Educating their associates on ways to be green at work and home. The Green Team invites all associates to participate in environmentally-focused charitable organizations and community events that promote cleaning up the Puget Sound. The Green Team is also in the final steps of creating a “compost-only” associate cafeteria where all food waste and debris from meals are 100% compostable. · Green cleaning in guest rooms. All Sheraton Seattle guest rooms are cleaned with approved green chemicals which are dispensed through a bag to reduce packaging, shipping and storing of the products. · Presenting meeting planners with green options such as utilizing water bubblers instead of bottled water or providing attendees with logo’d water bottles to encourage them to participate in the green movement. Sustainably-grown food is also available for banquet menus, emphasizing local and regional farming. · Providing a 25% public transportation subsidy to help defray the cost of public transportation for associates. · Energy and water conservation including the installation of the latest hot water heating technology, the modular advance concept (MAC) system, which saves over 4,800 Kwh of electricity annually. All light bulbs have also been changed to energy efficient bulbs, and motion-sensor lights were added to meeting spaces. Low flow toilets, showerheads and sink aerators have also been added to guest rooms. Throughout the past year, the Sheraton Seattle has participated in such green efforts as joining tens of millions of citizens throughout the world in the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour and cleaning up the local Puget Sound waterways. This annual award is one in six categories recognizing outstanding hotel programs throughout the country. Stars of the Industry awards also honor stand-out hospitality employees in four categories. The Stars of the Industry awards have been designated annually to AH&LA members for more than 40 years; this year’s judges are Bob Craycraft, vice president of industry relations for the American Resort Development Association; Phil Hayward, former editor of Lodging magazine; and Pat Maher, owner of The Maher Group, LLC, and AH&LA’s Green Consultant. For more information on the AH&LA Stars of the Industry program, along with a complete list of 2009 winners, please visit www.ahla.com/stars. Media Contacts: Kim Jones Richmond Public Relations (206) 682-6979 kimj@richmondpr.com |
