Hotel Management — February 2012
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Technology
Energy management
Focus on sustainability
Energy management is becoming a hot-button issue for hotel brands as owners look to reinvest in their properties and transform sustainability from a mere buzzword into a differentiator in their market.
“We believe that building in automation is key to our success in our properties and delivering a great guest experience,” said Doug Rath, energy director of the Americas for Marriott International. “They very accurately control spaces as well as identify issues proactively before a guest is impacted, We have 250 full-service hotels in my region, and probably 65 percent of those now have automation systems.”
Marriott has signed a number of deals with the vendors of energy-management systems, including a recent collaboration with Constellation Energy, to ensure property owners have a wide variety of certified vendors to choose from.
“The Constellation deal is a small piece of automation picture for Marriott,” said Rath. “The key is to shed load without impacting our customers.”
Rath says training is necessary for managers and engineers to get the most out of networked systems, especially the crucial knowledge to manage peak energy consumption.
“You can put a brand-new automation system into a building but if you don’t follow up on it and have right staff in place, adjustment by adjustment you’ve lost the fine-tuned edge of the system,” said Rath. “There’s a huge relationship between whoever is overseeing the system on a daily basis and the persistence of the commissioning of the system; a direct relationship between owner/operator and efficiency.”
Likewise, InterContinental Hotels Group has a program aimed at helping hoteliers gradually lead their property down a more sustainable path.
“In 2011 we launched the second version of our Green Engage software,” said Paul Snyder, VP of corporate responsibility in the Americas for IHG. “There are over 170 discrete items in the program you can do to make your property more sustainable, on differing tiers of investment so hoteliers can pick and choose what’s relevant to them.”
More EMS choices than ever before
While there are many aspects of energy management that hoteliers can control like equipment, staffing and strategy, the cost of energy is a concern especially during periods of peak demand.
“[Brands have] got their problem with the properties they own versus franchise groups,” said Karl Williams, VP of energy solutions for Rexell. “The ability to know what the power rate will be early in an area and know what you can and can’t switch off is the direction of today’s energy- management technology.”
Sensors and other networked components can let an engineer know when a room is vacant or wasting energy, but without an up-to-date knowledge of energy prices, hotels can still lose money.
From a brand perspective, identifying areas where costs can be cut without diminishing service is essential and peak demand issues can lead to wasteful spending.
“It’s the owner’s business and what’s maturing in the minds of our owners is an understanding how being sustainable is not zero sum to business results,” said Paul Snyder, VP of corporate responsibility in the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group. “They’re starting to understand with increased intensity more broadly that it helps them drive top-line revenue because customers care about this. Investing in sustainable strategies helps save on costs, with energy being second highest in PNL besides labor.”
Focus on sustainability
Energy management is becoming a hot-button issue for hotel brands as owners look to reinvest in their properties and transform sustainability from a mere buzzword into a differentiator in their market.
“We believe that building in automation is key to our success in our properties and delivering a great guest experience,” said Doug Rath, energy director of the Americas for Marriott International. “They very accurately control spaces as well as identify issues proactively before a guest is impacted, We have 250 full-service hotels in my region, and probably 65 percent of those now have automation systems.”
Marriott has signed a number of deals with the vendors of energy-management systems, including a recent collaboration with Constellation Energy, to ensure property owners have a wide variety of certified vendors to choose from.
“The Constellation deal is a small piece of automation picture for Marriott,” said Rath. “The key is to shed load without impacting our customers.”
Rath says training is necessary for managers and engineers to get the most out of networked systems, especially the crucial knowledge to manage peak energy consumption.
“You can put a brand-new automation system into a building but if you don’t follow up on it and have right staff in place, adjustment by adjustment you’ve lost the fine-tuned edge of the system,” said Rath. “There’s a huge relationship between whoever is overseeing the system on a daily basis and the persistence of the commissioning of the system; a direct relationship between owner/operator and efficiency.”
Likewise, InterContinental Hotels Group has a program aimed at helping hoteliers gradually lead their property down a more sustainable path.
“In 2011 we launched the second version of our Green Engage software,” said Paul Snyder, VP of corporate responsibility in the Americas for IHG. “There are over 170 discrete items in the program you can do to make your property more sustainable, on differing tiers of investment so hoteliers can pick and choose what’s relevant to them.”
More EMS choices than ever before
While there are many aspects of energy management that hoteliers can control like equipment, staffing and strategy, the cost of energy is a concern especially during periods of peak demand.
“[Brands have] got their problem with the properties they own versus franchise groups,” said Karl Williams, VP of energy solutions for Rexell. “The ability to know what the power rate will be early in an area and know what you can and can’t switch off is the direction of today’s energy- management technology.”
Sensors and other networked components can let an engineer know when a room is vacant or wasting energy, but without an up-to-date knowledge of energy prices, hotels can still lose money.
From a brand perspective, identifying areas where costs can be cut without diminishing service is essential and peak demand issues can lead to wasteful spending.
“It’s the owner’s business and what’s maturing in the minds of our owners is an understanding how being sustainable is not zero sum to business results,” said Paul Snyder, VP of corporate responsibility in the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group. “They’re starting to understand with increased intensity more broadly that it helps them drive top-line revenue because customers care about this. Investing in sustainable strategies helps save on costs, with energy being second highest in PNL besides labor.”
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