Hotel Chains Grapple With Meaning of Green
Marriott, Starwood Face Confusing Products, Standards In Bids to Make Lodging Environmentally FriendlyBy Tamara Audi
As director of Element, a brand of environmentally conscious hotels being developed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts World Wide Inc., Nicholas Lakas picks his way across a landscape of so-called green products each time he steps into his office.
Among the items: salt and pepper shakers billed as 100% recyclable; piles of towels and sheets made with organically grown fibers; boxes of organic snacks; and a countertop slab made from recycled materials.
"We get so many products, so many phone calls," Mr. Lakas says. "I have nowhere to put it, and we are always looking at it and evaluating it." He is shopping for environmentally friendly products -- from plates and light bulbs to heating and air-conditioning systems -- to be used in the first hotel in the planned chain of 90. Starwood announced the brand a year ago, pitching it as an environmentally and socially conscious hotel room at a reasonable price.
As more hotels try to become more environmentally friendly, in part to satisfy customers they say are increasingly demanding it, they find themselves in unfamiliar territory cluttered with "green" products and hype -- but without many reliable guideposts for what's effective.
Major corporations including Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp. are studying options as they make decisions on far-reaching environmental initiatives intended to appeal to consumers with a conscience -- and at the same time save on water, energy and waste, without downgrading the quality of service.
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