Sandals Negril Gets Green Recognition

The Sandals Negril Resort recently received Green Globe's Platinum certification for its achievements in sustainable tourism. Platinum is the highest of four certifications, outranking, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The recognition comes just more than 10 years after the resort received its first Green Globe certification. In the three years following their initial recognition, every Sandals property was revamped and retrofitted to reduce environmental impact, subsequently earning Green Globe certifications.

Green Globe director Claire Hendrie presented the award to Sandals' CEO Adam Stewart on February 5th.

"Looking to the future, we are changing the way we run our hotels to suit Mother Nature," Stewart said. "We created a division called Earthguard, composed of personnel with expertise in operations, design, engineering and the environment."

Any design project at the resorts must first pass muster by Earthguard to ensure that environmental preservation and protection are top of mind, according to Stewart.

"Anything we are designing from the onset has to be designed with environmental standards in mind," Stewart said.

Besides "greening" the resorts themselves, Sandals is trying to incorporate sustainable practices into all aspects of their business. For example, a new biodiesel refinery is being built to support the three Sandals properties on St. Lucia. If the initial efforts are successful, more "green" programs are expected to follow.

Get Paid for Not Making the Bed?

Ramsey Qubein is Travelin' Light's on-the-road correspondent.

Slobs everywhere rejoice! Or at least book a room at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers. The Starwood-affiliated property has recently rolled out a program entitled “Help the Earth—You Tidy, We Treat,” providing $5 gift card in the hotel’s restaurants or 500 Starwood Preferred Guest Points for guests who are willing to turndown housekeeping services. And this reward is offered each day the Do Not Disturb sign graces the doorknob. Yes, it finally pays to not make your bed. Who would have thought this day would have come to pass?

Certainly not the housekeeping staff! This new program is in its infancy stages so it is unclear if this measure will save money from staff reductions or simply from less water and detergent usage. The big question comes from potential wear and tear in rooms that may repeatedly go days without being cleaned.

“We want to increase our environmental conservation efforts by providing an optional incentive program for our guests,” says General Manager Matthieu Van Der Peet. “The beauty of this program is that the decision to participate can be made on a daily basis and doesn’t require you to contact anyone in the hotel.”

The Sheraton in Kauai was the first hotel to begin a similar program, and the Seattle Sheraton and Towers agreed to be the second pilot test. Management will surely be keeping a watchful eye on the development of this program and how effective it is at controlling costs. And, guests are thrilled at the chance to earn big points and food discounts. Talk about a win-win that has led to a successful rollout at other Starwood properties in 2009.

Many hotels make it clear that linens will not be changed each day until a guest checks out anyway. And getting your towels changed? Well, with enough points for a free hotel stay after just a few days without housekeeping, the choice becomes quite clear.

Marriott Goes Green... Slightly

Marriott recently announced that it plans to begin using key cards made, at least partially, from recycled plastics. The decision, while undoubtedly made with public perception in mind, does have positive environmental consequences and sets a good example in the hospitality industry.

Marriott International has begun replacing the 24 million plastic key cards that it purchases annually in the U.S. with those made of 50% recycled material.

The company said the policy change will save 66 tons of plastic from being dumped in landfills.

Sure, considering the amount of solid waste piling up in landfills every year, 66 tons is basically dryer lint. Nevertheless, Marriott deserves a nod for the effort. It's always nice to see large-scale corporations making environmentally conscious decisions, even if those decisions are minor.

It would be wonderful to see more large hotel chains manifest these considerations with sustainable building materials, passive heating and water-saving fixtures... but for now, we'll take what we can get. You've got to start somewhere, even it's half-recycled key cards.