IHG, the world's largest hotel company by number of rooms, has been awarded the Travel Supplier Award by The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) at their first Green Travel Summit in California, USA. The NBTA, who represent corporate travel managers and travel service providers, recognised IHG's commitment to improving local communities and reducing the environmental impact of their hotels through a number of initiatives including:
Green Engage: IHG have undertaken extensive research to understand what being a green hotel means. To enable hotels to achieve this status IHG have developed a new on-line system to help hotel general managers manage their energy, water and waste consumption more effectively. Early trials have shown potential energy savings of up to 25% and it's estimated that savings for hotel owners across the IHG estate could be as much as $200 million (£140 million) in the first year.
Innovation Hotel: In 2008 IHG launched Innovation Hotel, an online showcase of what a green hotel might look like in the future. Guests give feed back on the elements they see as most important and IHG then consider how they can be implemented as part of the Green Engage programme.
Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report: IHG's Corporate Responsibility strategy goes beyond meeting government regulations and is focused on creating value for the business and guests. IHG's extensive online report details the company's approach to CR and the actions it is taking to deliver that strategy.
David Jerome, IHG's Senior Vice President for Corporate Responsibility said "IHG's philosophy is to innovate to find new solutions to the environmental, social and economic effects of the travel industry. And our people demonstrate this everyday.
When our guests book a place to stay they now take into account a hotel's environmental credentials, alongside location and price, so we're always looking for ways to stay ahead and deliver what our guests are asking for. We're delighted that the team's achievements have been recognised by the NBTA as making a real difference to business travellers around the world."
