Ithaca, NY -- The second annual industry study of sustainability performance benchmarking is now open for participation. Entities that own, operate, or franchise hotels and timeshares are invited to participate in this industrywide collaboration to produce credible benchmarks using hotel-specific parameters and metrics. This year"s study seeks to publish eight benchmarks across 50 markets covering energy, water, and carbon emissions, including the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI).

Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) 2015 is a collaborative effort among the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), the Cornell Center for Real Estate and Finance (CREF), Greenview, and an industry advisory group. Nine hotel companies supported the inaugural study by providing data from over 4,600 hotels globally. This study, published in May 2014, is freely available for download on the CHR website.

This year"s call for participation is open through August 31, 2014. The second study will cover a wider range of global markets and segments, add water to the benchmarking results, and further analyze the drivers of energy usage. Howard Chong, Assistant Professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, will continue leading the data analysis and authoring this year"s study. "We are pleased to build upon the momentum from last year"s study and produce valuable insight for the industry on these topics as they increasingly come to the forefront of industry discussions," said Chong. "Our goal this year is that hotel companies of all sizes will find meaningful value in contributing data, and that on a whole we can move the industry forward on improving performance."

Participants will receive a confidential performance report for their respective portfolio that includes comparative benchmarking by market, a data validity test, and a carbon footprint generated through a unified calculation method. Data will be aggregated and analyzed in the industry study, slated for publication in the spring of 2015. Interested parties may contact Eric Ricaurte, the study"s project manager, at [email protected] for further details.

Eric Ricaurte
CHR