NORWALK, Conn. – HEI Hotels & Resorts is being recognized for its environmental stewardship and industry-leading energy conservation efforts. HEI Chairman Gary Mendell has made energy conservation efforts a top priority for their resorts culminating in a reduction of power usage by five percent each year since the inception of the program. A Department of Energy spokesperson cited the company’s practice of using dashboards, called the “Energy Looking Glass,” to post energy use in the buildings as an example of an energy solution in practice.

This practice allowed HEI Hotels & Resorts to reduce carbon, waste, and water usage across all properties as well as its corporate office. Across HEI Hotels & Resorts’ 42 properties, they continue to invest in energy conservation technology, with $2 million spent in 2012 on chiller replacements, wireless programmable thermostats, LED lighting, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and Energy Management Systems (EMSs) at select hotels. HEI also encourages energy conservation efforts with programs such as manager energy conservation orientation, energy conservation committees at each hotel, and an incentive program for their Chief Engineers.

Through Gary Mendell's leadership HEI Hotels & Resorts continues to be committed to environmental stewardship and sustainability across their portfolio of hotels, and they are consistently recognized for their efforts. Last year, HEI Hotels & Resorts was selected as a founding member by President Obama to participate in the prestigious Better Buildings Challenge, an effort to reduce businesses’ energy costs by $40 billion over the next decade. And recently, for the third year in a row, HEI Hotels and Resorts was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are very proud of their efforts, but their work is not done. They are passionate about reducing energy consumption because they feel it is wonderful for our environment and the future of global commerce. For more information about HEI, visit their website, . You can learn more about Gary Mendell on Twitter: @gary_mendell and at .

Nigel Hurst
SVP of Human Relations
203-849-2229
HEI Hotels