Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest independent hotel management company in the US, today announced an expansive sustainability initiative that is scalable and inclusive across all of the branded and non-branded hotels in the company’s extensive portfolio. Crestline manages 70 full and select service hotels, resorts and conference centers throughout the U.S.
“EarthPact is a comprehensive green initiative program that uniquely addresses sustainability across multiple disciplines including Administration, Food & Beverage, Facility Management, Conferences & Meetings. Owner Relations, Public Relations and Rooms Operations,” explained Dave Durbin, President & CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts. “In designing EarthPact we looked at other existing green certification programs and determined that we wanted a sustainable initiative that included many of the sound ideas in the existing hospitality programs but cut across many disciplines to provide a comprehensive operations guide for our properties. EarthPact uniquely accomplishes this objective by incorporating a rating scale and enabling hotels to work towards excellence in sustainability throughout the property’s operations,” added Durbin.
EarthPact includes an Energy Management Plan that presents guidelines to improve performance and limit energy usage. It addresses issues such as: interior and exterior lighting; HVAC and domestic hot water systems; central cooling systems & air handlers; building management systems; laundry and kitchen equipment; sauna, pool and exercise areas, as well as ice and vending machines. It also sets criteria for green meetings, sustainable sales logic and guest relations programs.
EarthPact initiatives are being rolled out throughout Crestline properties with 100% participation anticipated during 2009. “Some 20 Crestline managed hotels already have a green or sustainable certification either through their brand, state or a national organization,” said Durbin. “We believe that with the rollout of EarthPact we will see all Crestline hotels at the forefront of sustainable business practices.”
In addition, in 2008 Crestline Hotels & Resorts relocated its corporate headquarters to a new campus at 3950 University Drive in Fairfax, VA. The move helped to fulfill EarthPact’s mission by incorporating several sustainable measures. “First and foremost,” explained Durbin, “the new campus is in a location that has immediate access to public transportation and also provides alternative modes of transportation for employee commuting such as on-site storage locations for bicycles and shower facilities for those who bike or walk to work. And for those who do drive, carpooling is encouraged including priority carpool parking spaces in the garage.”
The new corporate offices also follow sustainable guidelines for water conservation with low flow faucets, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. There is energy efficient lighting and motion sensors to automatically turn off lights in vacant areas. Windows feature automatic shades and film to reduce heat, while light harvesters automatically dim lights when natural light is abundant, and all appliances are Energy Star®.
During the build-out of the office space sustainable construction practices were in place such as an onsite management process to recycle construction waste and an indoor air quality management process to protect HVAC systems from contamination. Materials such as drywall and acoustic ceiling tile were selected for their high content of recycled materials. Decorative materials were chosen from naturally renewable resources such as bamboo, regional materials were used wherever possible, and carpeting, paints and adhesives were selected for their low emissions. These practices help make the Crestline Hotels & Resorts corporate offices a model for the EarthPact initiative.
