WestCoast Grand Hotel on Fifth Avenue

Business: n WestCoast Grand Hotel on Fifth Avenue n 297 guestrooms n 13,800 square feet of available meeting
space

Printed on Recycled Paper

Address: Contact:

1415 5th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Dave Mason, Chief Engineer (206) 971-8038

n Includes: meeting and banquet facilities;

restaurant, catering and room service; inroom coffee, hair dryers, irons and bathrobes; aerobic fitness center.

Waste Prevention / Recycling Program n Recycling in Terrace Garden restaurant and

catering kitchen includes aluminum cans and glass. paper and toner and printer cartridges. equipment.

Water Conservation n All toilets and urinals were installed as low-flow

n All showerhead and faucet aerators are being updated gradually. n Guests who occupy a room for two or more nights are given a choice to have bath and/or bed linens changed.

n Recycling in administrative offices includes mixed

n Batteries and fluorescent lighting tubes are recycled whenever necessary. n Leftover meeting materials that are recyclable within the hotels collection program are taken by housekeeping to the appropriate bins. n The hotel uses recycled-content products in its administrative offices. n When the hotel name was changed, the guestroom robes with the former name imprinted on them were given away to employees as souvenirs. n Also, during the name changeover, the hotel donated 20 boxes of soap and shampoo to a homeless shelter. n When uniforms or bedspreads are retired, they are given to employees or donated to non-profit organizations. n Leftover food from the restaurant and catered events is provided for staff meals.

Energy Conservation n Most of the lighting fixtures are energy efficient

already. However, the hotel is working to save more energy through re-lamping fixtures from T12 to T8 technology.

Projects Under Consideration n The hotel is working toward greater energyefficient operation by placing spring-wound timer switches in its linen closets, installing occupancy sensors in its administrative areas and performing lighting retrofits in its alley way.
continued on next page

www.resourceventure.org / (206) 389-7304

Projects Under Consideration ( continued )

Key Program Elements n Support begins with the General Manager and
continues through the department managers. n The hotel took advantage of resources and incentives provided by City government, local utilities and non-profit organizations. n The hotel recognizes the importance an integrated conservation program has on the bottom line as well as its show of goodwill to the public. n The hotel has decreased labor and maintenance costs through more efficient operating procedures.

n An expansion of the recycling program is being

considered to include guestrooms.

n In conjunction with Seattle City Lights pursuit of

certification to become part of the Climate Neutral Network, the hotel is working to attract clientele who desire climate neutral conventions.

Benefits / Cost Savings

n The cost savings the hotel notices from recycling offset the cost of garbage. n In the year and a half that the bath and bed linens program has been in effect, the hotel has noticed 20% savings in linen replacement costs. n Even though the hotel leases their linens, it is estimated that its bed linen reuse program alone may annually save over 400,000 gallons of water and prevent over 2,800 pounds of potentially harmful detergents from entering the waste water system. n Through an evaluation of maintenance and operational issues, the hotel has managed to save about 20% in utilities and equipment-usagerelated costs.

Promotion
n Through two programs, Green Suites International and Project Planet, the hotel acquired signage to promote their bath and bed linens program (see Water Conservation) to guests. n The signage the hotel uses from Green Suites International is customizable and meant to be placed on the bed pillow if the guest wants the bed linens changed. The signage from Project Planet is shaped into a hook at the top so that housekeeping staff can hang it conveniently on the towel rack in the bathroom to inform guests of the bath linens program. n The hotel uses signage and e-mail to educate staff about their integrated conservation program; they use signage, tent cards and brochures to inform guests. n The hotel uses its in-room hotel information channel to educate guests about its integrated conservation program. The hotel can customize messages to its guests on this channel. n The hotel is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Partner and uses that logo on sales materials, for example, to promote their environmental commitment to clients.

Challenges n Anything that requires capital investment

n Overcoming habits of mindset and behavior n Continual re-education n Time can be a challenge when working with recyclers and utilities.

www.resourceventure.org / (206) 389-7304

Comments
n [An integrated conservation program] proves itself out in the numberstheres bottom-line benefit, you save money, help the environment and at the same time get some market share in a highly competitive marketplace. n Were saving money and believe [an integrated conservation program] will help us sell more rooms and be competitive. n Theres lots of responsibilities out there. Getting through the daily fires can make it a challenge to get interested and involved. The hotel gave the recycling program to an assistant as a project. She was very excited about it and its hard to ignore that kind of enthusiasm. A group thats passionate will get others involved.

At Your Service
The Business and Industry Resource Venture provides free information, assistance and referrals to help Seattle businesses improve their environmental performance. We are a partnership of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Seattle Public Utilities.

www.resourceventure.org
(206) 389-7304

www.resourceventure.org / (206) 389-7304