HEI Hotels & Resorts Named 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year (United States)
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HEI Hotels & Resorts Named 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year (United States)
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States - Exclusive experiences
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This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-03-18
Marks Second Consecutive Year for HEI
HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation’s fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today announced that it has been named a 2011 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This marks the second consecutive year the company has earned the designation.
“While sustainability is the latest ‘in’ thing for some companies, HEI truly believes in the importance of this issue, from both an environmental and business perspective,” said Gary Mendell, HEI’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Not only do we believe that it is our responsibility to conserve energy as caretakers for tomorrow’s generations, it also makes good business sense. By reducing our carbon footprint, we become both better neighbors and better business partners.”
The Partner of the Year Awards recognize efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy. Award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
“As a 2010 Partner of the Year, HEI challenged itself to take an already successful program and further our position as an industry leader by improving and extending the program,” said Bob Holesko, HEI’s vice president, facilities. “On an “apples to apples” basis, in 2010, our company-wide energy consumption has decreased by 6.2 percent compared to the same period in 2009.”
The company built upon a number of programs in place since 2005. In 2010, HEI began a new, internal awareness program for all of its chief engineers, executive chefs, executive housekeepers and banquet managers. Since those four departments are responsible for an estimated 90 percent of hotel energy consumption, HEI challenged its 128 managers to find new ways to conserve energy. This kind of top down support has helped drive home the importance of energy conservation at HEI. HEI also launched a new manager orientation program that focuses entirely on the company’s energy conservation initiative and how it relates to each property. Furthermore, the company has set additional benchmarks for further energy and waste reduction for 2011; with an additional targeted 3.5% in energy savings and a 10% reduction in waste.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 17,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses.
About HEI Hotels & Resorts
HEI Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., is a leading hospitality investment firm that acquires, develops, owns and operates full-service, upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States under such well-known brand names as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Embassy Suites, and Hilton.
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