Benchmarking Tool Identifies £ 400m Potential Environmental Cost Savings for Hotels

A new Internet based environmental benchmarking tool www.benchmarkhotel.com will be launched in London on 12th September 2001 to help hotels around the world make substantial cost savings, while improving environmental performance.

Hotels can use benchmarkhotel.com to monitor their energy management, fresh water consumption, waste management, waste water quality, purchasing programmes, community relations and bio-diversity improvements. Hotel management can compare their environmental performance with that of hotels with similar facilities in three major climate zones and design a programme to reduce their costs and environmental impact. All individual hotel data remains confidential.

Karen Fletcher, Director of the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) remarks, "IHEI member hotels alone could save up to GB£400 million by using benchmarkhotel.com, so we expect this to become a very valuable global hotel industry service."

For hotels, looking after the environment makes business sense. Reiner Boehme, VP of Engineering for Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts recently retired says, "There are clear savings to be made by using resources more efficiently, reducing waste and cutting costs. The net reductions for Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts have been US$26 million in water and energy over 10 years. Energy, waste and water bills are a major part of a hotel's operating costs, so hotel managers will find the Environmental Benchmarking Tool invaluable."

The model was developed by the International Hotels Environment Initiative and WWF-UK with funding from Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.

IHEI member hotel groups - including Six Continents Hotels, Hilton International, Scandic Hotels AB brand and Marriott International - were involved in developing the tool by testing and data provision to ensure that it is useful for small, medium and large independent hotels as well as major brands.

Says Anthony Harris, Chief Executive, Hilton International, "This is terrific. I can see it being of real benefit to my general managers as they look to make regular savings in these key areas."

According to Joss Tantram, Business Education Manager of WWF-UK, "This Environmental Benchmarking Tool is about providing tangible solutions to environmental problems. Hotels do have a major environmental impact but, in many cases, it is in the financial interest of the hotel to deal with that impact. Energy, water and waste initiatives can save money, improve customer and staff satisfaction, help hotels comply with legislation, enhance the local environment and play a part in minimising global problems such as climate change."

The benchmarking tool is available at www.benchmarkhotel.com. Access to the private part of the site is available at an annual fee of GB£120.

For further information, please contact:

Sophie Hooper, on behalf of WWF-UK on 01225 337500 or [email protected]

Joss Tantram, WWF-UK on 01483 412487 or [email protected]

Annabel Gaywood, IHEI on 020 7467 3622 or [email protected]

Editor's notes

• IHEI is a global environmental programme, set up in 1992 by international hotel industry leaders, promoting environmental progress in small, medium and large hotels world-wide. Their Council represents over 11,000 hotels, in 110 countries, on six continents. IHEI is a programme of The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, an educational charity with its headquarters in London, UK. The IHEI International Council comprises of: Accor, Carlson Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Hilton International, Marco Polo Hotels, Marriott International, Inc, Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, Six Continent Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, The Taj Group of Hotels, TUI Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH.
• WWF, the global environment network, takes action to conserve endangered species, protect endangered spaces and address global environmental threats, by seeking long-term solutions. WWF is progressively working with business audiences to find creative and practical solutions to help them transform their organisations to become ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Web site:
• In December 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. The fund is currently worth more than £10 million a year and supports many worthwhile environmental projects.

Note: Savings of GB£400m are calculated on a basis of electricity savings of £25k, gas savings of £15k and water savings of £4k (totalling £44k). Multiplied by 11,000 members would give £440m. This figure makes no allowance for reductions in waste cost and therefore estimates are conservative.

Annabel Gaywood, Co-ordinator, IHEI

[email protected]

Tel: + 44 207 467 3622

Fax: + 44 207 467 3610

The International Hotels Environment Initiative, IHEI, is a programme of the International Business Leaders Forum, IBLF, which promotes international leadership in responsible business