2009 Go Green Charleston Hotel Scorecard
Posted by Chad Norman March 25th, 2009 .A few times a year I travel to far off cities and speak with nonprofits about how social media can help their cause. While on the road, I always keep my green eyes peeled for interesting, innovative, and clever sustainability ideas.
When I visit places like San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, and Montreal, I always notice how progressive the airports and hotels seem (I’ve blogged about this here and here). The hotels I stay in always have programs promoting the reuse of towels, recycling bins rooms, and CFLs in all the lights.
That got me thinking about Charleston’s hotels, and what sustainable practices they are using. I decided to call around and ask the major Charleston hotels five simple questions - the results are in the Hotel Scorecard below.
I asked the hotels if they were doing these five simple things…things that cost relatively little money. Sure it would be nice if hotels were using solar energy, collecting rainwater, and composting, but those things are difficult and expensive to implement. I wanted to see if Charleston hotels were doing any of these simple things, because I see other hotels doing them when I travel.
As you can see, the Charleston hotels aren’t doing much at all. I gotta hand it to the Francis Marion Hotel and Embassy Suites for at least using CFLs and encouraging the reuse of towels, but there’s room for improvement across the board. I mean, two of these hotel chains have web pages bragging about their sustainability efforts (see below). I’d like to see the rest of the hotels adopt a couple of these practices, even if it’s just to save money instead of the planet - I’ll take it.
I’d also like to note that the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn refused to participate in my survey, citing corporate regulations on discussing these things (OK?) If you have connections at any of these hotels, please pass along this information and ask that they green up their hotels. Look for this report to come out again in one year with updated scores.
What do you all think about this? Should hotels green up their practices, or is it our responsibility when we travel to do it ourselves?
Let the Hotels Know What You Think
Help us tell these hotels that Charleston deserves greener digs, and that they should be doing a better job as hosts to thousands of tourists each year. Two of these hotels have sustainability sections on their websites talking about all the amazing things they are doing - we call that greenwashing, and it’s not enough. Let them know what you think:
Embassy Suites: phone | email | website | sustainability
Charleston Marriott: phone | email | website | sustainability
Charleston Place Hotel: phone | email | website
Francis Marion Hotel: phone | email | website
The Mills House: phone | email | website
The Market Pavilion: phone | email | website
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oof.
we have such a long way to go.
i hope we get there.
OK, let’s circulate this scorecard broadly so that these hotels will get the idea: their not-so-sustainable practices are being watched.
This is incredibly disappointing (not even blue recycling bins.) I mean, I’ve stayed in dives off I-75 with signs saying that linens are only washed upon request for guests staying more than one night.
I love our little city, and we receive so much from tourism. There needs to be change.
Any readers with connections and thoughts concerning local hotels’ disregard of their responsibility is needed at this point. This should be an issue that is known.
(Every time Chad reported to me after a phone call to a hotel, I felt a little nauseous. Reading it all together makes me feel worse. ug.)
Very disappointing, but not surprising either. Hopefully your post will prompt readers to start calling these hotels and others to request changes. You should pass this post on to some of the media on Twitter so the news spreads wider.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I would love to see the word get out about this, especially to the hotels themselves. I’ve added contact info for all 6 participating hotels at the bottom of the post, so let ‘em know what you think.
I also can’t believe that two of these hotel chains actually have sustainability pages on their web sites. Greenwashing at its finest!
I’m the Green Team Leader at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina across of Downtown Charleston. I like that traveling guests are taking notice of hotels not meeting green standards. There are very green hotels on Outer Banks of Downtown like my resort for instance. We have establish a environmental policy and are now working to become a green certified hotel in the Charleston with Green Seal. On the Scorecard above we would be 4 out of 5, we do not have recycling bins in each room. We have establish a recycling center on each floor of our hotel. Wild Dunes Resort and Starwood hotels is other large hotel businesses in the local area that have establish a green program. I think it is a great idea to inform the general hotels in your area to establish a green program. It will help us know that public is ready for a change.
Environmental Policy
Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina is committed to minimizing the impact it has on the environment. These policies are established to improve the hotel’s environmental performance through reduction of pollutants, emissions and waste. We believe that everyone has a duty to care for our environment and to conserve natural resources.
In order to accomplish this goal, we have implemented the following changes/policies:
• Bath Amenities are purchased from a company that pursues eco-friendly practices in all aspects of the products creation from ingredients and packaging to sourcing and manufacture. All products are 100% biodegradable and natural.
• All guest’s room have blackout curtains installed for saving energy and reducing heat & cooling costs.
• To conserve energy, all deluxe rooms are installed with an automatic air conditioning sensor in the A/C Panel that will shut off while detecting no movement in the room.
• All deluxe rooms have Energy Star plasma televisions that help conserve energy by using 30% less energy than standard units.
• A recycling center is available on each floor next to the ice machine and is accepting paper products, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass containers.
• Towel/ Linen policy: If a guest would like to not have their linens and towels changed during their stay, to please call the front desk. This will help conserve water and lowering gray water waste into the environment.
• All housekeeping products used throughout the resort are made of chemicals that are 100% environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
• We have established a relationship with a local company to remove all recyclable waste: glass, aluminum, cardboard, paper and plastic.
• The resort’s administrative offices have developed a recycle program to make sure all recyclable items are properly disposed of.
• All light bulbs in first floor public areas and ballrooms have been updated with energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs.
• All first floor public restrooms have had liquid soap dispensers replaced with automatic foam soap dispensers reducing waste and water use.
• We receive over 150 telephone books each year, so we make sure that each one of the old phone books are properly collected and recycled.
• To minimize our carbon footprint by purchasing most of our food products locally.
• All unused furniture and appliances are donated to either Goodwill or Habitant for Humanity.
• Any paper towel products used throughout the hotel is 100% biodegradable.
• We offer a bike rental service, so that you can stretch your legs enjoying the beautiful scenery that Charleston has to offer without polluting the air with tailpipe emissions.
• Ensure that all employees at all levels are aware of the potential environmental effect of their activities.
• Communicate this policy and promoting the environmental awareness amongst the employees and guests.
Hi Chad - and to Magen who responded previously. We would like to feature this topic at the May Green Drinks gathering. How do I get in touch with you Magen?
Chad - do you want to get this out there via Green Drinks? It might be some good crossover stuff seeing that the meeting is right before Spoleto. Let’s catch up soon!
Great work to you both!
Thank you so much Magen for writing about your program with the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.
Receiving the Green Seal will hopefully bring your resort more guests and further your success. The tourism market is so competitive in Charleston, we forget about friends right here in Mt. Pleasant. Let’s hope more hotels want to compete in this manner and form a ‘green team’ to strive for conservation.
Thank you so much for writing, I do feel a little better knowing which hotel I will now recommend!
I do have to say that in recent business trips to both NYC and San Francisco, I have found that there are great ways of greening hotels, and they are VERY comfortable, and modern. Specifically “The Good Hotel” in San Francisco was an amazing place that was almost all recycled, refurbished, reused. I expect to see this here in Charleston soon. Many tourists who visit here will expect it, and any hotel that offers it will reap the benefits!
Way to go Charleston Harbor Resort!!!! Have you seen an increase in business due to these implementations?
We started “greening up” the King Charles Inn over a year ago. I wish we were included in your poll as we have made terrific strides at our Hotel. Like Magan at the Charleston Harbor Hotel, we are starting a Green Team and have many of the same initiatives in place. We have not only promoted ourselves at the Charleston Green Fair as a sponsor, we have joined the Green Hotels Association and also offer a GREEN PACKAGE at our hotel that includes a room for two, cloth bag upon checkin,(for shopping), a walking tour for two and dinner for dinner at FIG. This has been very popular!
I am very excited to attend your next meeting and get more involved! Thank you.
Maureen Sheridan
General Manager
On Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30PM our May Green Drinks gathering will focus on numerous hotels and inns citywide and will focus on steps they are taking towards becoming more sustainable.
The gathering is at Yo Burrito, 77 Wentworth Street in Downtown Charleston. Interestingly enough, a LEED-certified hotel is being built next door by Neil Stevenson Architects and was recently featured in local media…
Please join us for this timely topic at Green Drinks in May!
Thanks for all the great feedback everyone! The good news is that there are a few local hotels that ARE making a difference. Cheers to Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, King Charles Inn, Wild Dunes Resort, etc for doing the right thing.
I also got a (private) response from Marriott on Twitter. It said, “Interesting since CFLs are standard in guest rooms. Thanks for letting me know.” Well, maybe the Charleston hotel didn’t get the memo.
I’ll try to get a followup post together regarding the other hotels, comments, emails, etc. Keep letting us know if there are local hotels doing it right!!!
I will strongly recommend that anyone who is visiting Charleston ( and I know of two couples coming this spring) stay at King Charles Inn or the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.
Congrads to them!
Dave R
Sadly, I’m not surprised by this. Charleston has a long ways to go to be “green.” This is clear on trash day when you see those 96 toters overflowing, and the same ones that way every week. I couldn’t fill one of those in a months time! Not to mention how many restaurants and bars don’t recycle. (It’d be interesting to compile a list of the ones that do.) Not to mention other businesses that don’t, such as offices, retailers, malls, etc.
Upon a recent trip out of town, I saw that both the Minneapolis and Charlotte airports have recycling bins in place alongside trash cans, unlike at our own airport. I even saw a recycling bin at a gas station in MN! What a great idea!
Eek! That’s discouraging. I actually write the Green Office Blog about how companies can be more green. I write a lot about San Diego and am always amazed at how far ahead California is in its green efforts. It’s probably at least two to three years ahead of Charleston. It’s a shame because there are so many simple and inexpensive things businesses can do to be more green.
“Corporate Regulations” are not a cop-out for giving you an interview. The Big Dawgs at any corporate facility have strict, firm guidelines for continuity in what goes out in the press.
* We should all do our part, no matter where we travel or where we stay, to make sure that we are personally being as “green” as we can be.
Do we re-use towels at home? Of course we do. Why should it be any different at a hotel simply because we are on a vacation?
We should never take a vacation from doing what is right for the Earth as long as it is at all possible.
(BTW, this is a great blog!)
I would like to take this opportunity to further comment on the King Charles Inn.
I was brought in as a consultant by their corporate office to help assist in making their hotel more green.
It was a pleasant surprise when I first got a tour of the King Charles Inn by Maureen and she should me all the great green changes that had already occurred and the ones that were currently being incorporated.
They have recently renovated some of their hotel rooms there where they integrated water and energy saving fixtures. They also painted the newly renovated rooms with Sherwin Williams’Low VOC “Duration” paint.
I was also given a behind the scene tour and saw how they were conserving energy by insulating their hot water supply lines, practicing “safe maintenance” with green cleaning products and integrated a rain water catch system to help water their garden.
Needless to say when I left their property I felt that they were well on their way to walking the walk of being a green hotel in Charleston.
Everybody should try to promote the King Charles Inn and reward Maureen and her staff for their efforts.
Drew
Занятная заметка. Добавил в закладки. Не в каждом блоге сейчас встретишь столько ценных и полезных мыслей, которые можно применить на деле. Но понадобится еще время, чтобы осмыслить информацию. Даже сейчас, когда после прочтения текста Вашего поста, в тот момент, когда пишу комментарий, я думаю, о тех вещах, смысл которых мне теперь практически по другому видится. Эх, что за день сегодня – полезный день.