IHG paints a virtual picture of the world's first totally 'green' hotel.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has devised a formula for what it claims could be the world's first 100 per cent ecologically friendly hotel whose green credentials could set a new benchmark for the global hospitality sector.
The solar-powered, futuristic "Innovation Hotel" will incorporate the latest technology in energy and water conservation and recycling. Its features and services would include:
The forwarding of all unused non-perishable food to charities or food banks
Solar panels on the roof to heat water
A rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets
A roof garden rich in shrubbery to provide extra insulation
Wind power to generate electricity for the hotel
Recycled glass windows
Furniture and fittings made entirely from recycled materials
Household waste to provide heat and power.
An IHG executive says the Innovation Hotel's features could be earmarked as standard across all its brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn within the next few years.
David Jerome, senior VP of corporate responsibility which also claims to be the first hotel chain to introduce a set of green guidelines for hotels in 1991 said: "People who do their bit for the environment when they're at home are likely to be interested in doing the same when they're staying in a hotel.
"Responsible tourism is about growing in a way that makes sense for business while managing our impact on the environment and community. We want to know what green features are important to guests before making them part of brand standards. This gives them a chance to weigh in with their ideas."
The first indication of the Innovation Hotel's green attributes is the green roof - planted with low-maintenance plants which improves the thermal performance of the hotel by keeping it cool in the summer and insulating it in the winter. The plants and thin layer of soil work like a sound barrier, reducing noise pollution.
Other environmental benefits include improvements to air quality, biodiversity and storm water runoff.
Natural lava stone signage at the entrance and on the lawns replaces traditional plastic and metal signs. All the furniture in the reception is made from recycled material and all the paper used by the receptionists will be recycled.
The decor is low-emission paint and the artwork is produced by local artists to ensure a low carbon-footprint. There are recycling bins for guests. All unused food from the kitchens is packaged and delivered to local charities or food banks to cut wastage while leftover scraps are composted to create a rich fertiliser for use on hotel plants and lawns.
In the bedroom all furniture and fittings including towels are made from recycled materials, mattresses consist of natural fibre such as horsehair, as do the carpets. Bathrooms feature low-flow showerheads and dual flush toilets.
On the roof there will be up to four large solar panels drawing energy from the sun to heat water and help cut back on energy use. Harvesting systems collect rainwater in tanks sited either on the roof or underground. In regions where there's plenty of regular rain, harvesting is an effective and low-cost way to reduce demand on local water supplies. The hotel uses the rainwater to flush toilets and water the grounds, as well as for dishwashers and washing machines.
Oil produced from household waste can be used as bio-fuel instead of fossil fuels to generate heat and power.
Jerome added: "Now we're looking at setting company-wide goals for our business to deliver real benefits to the environment, based on a clear understanding of where we can make a difference and on guests' needs."
Green innovation is already under way at many IGH properties around the world including 200 new build Holiday Inn prototypes under consideration or under construction - which use 30 per cent fewer materials to build and require 20 per cent less energy to run. The InterContinental Thalasso Spa, Bora Bora, meanwhile, has the world's deepest underwater pipeline, feeding cold sea water to an eco-friendly air conditioning system and the InterContinental Willard Washington is entirely powered by energy from wind farms.
IHG claims it will be the first hotel group to roll out its green credentials company-wide, says the company. Guests, meanwhile, can check out the virtual property on the hotel's website.
Model features: Hotel innovation's 'green' rooms
Innovation is key to sustainable growth within the hospitality sector, according to a recent report.
A survey commissioned by Leaders Presents, the organisers of last month's Management Innovation Forum in Dubai, has found that 100 per cent of the GCC's hospitality businesses and 80 per cent of its health care companies said that innovation is very important to their growth.
The research canvassed more than 200 executives from the GCC, Egypt and the Levant.
The survey also found that the 80 per cent of the hospitality sector and the 60 per cent of health care companies that rank innovation as important have an innovation officer or department, and have implemented an innovation solution or programme during the last two years.
Conversely, training agencies (20 per cent), financial services (13 per cent), IT (10 per cent) and manufacturing companies (14 per cent) were almost equally agreed that innovation was not as important for their growth as other factors.
According to a recent study, the region is investing around $30 billion in more than 120 new multiple hotel projects across the GCC and Egypt. The study shows the UAE clearly ahead, with 66 hotel projects, followed by Saudi Arabia (17), Oman (13), Qatar (10), Egypt (7) and Bahrain (7), says Leaders.
Interestingly, the survey also discovered that allocating an R&D budget is more likely to produce innovation than allocating time for employees to generate ideas.
The respondents, however, believe the reverse. More than half (58 per cent) said they encourage a culture of innovation by allocating employee time for informal idea generation, while 53 per cent said their company allocated a budget to research fledgling ideas.
© Gulf Marketing Review 2008
