The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has partnered with Green Key Global to offer members a significant discounted fee on the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, a graduated rating system designed to recognize hotels, motels, and resorts that are committed to improving their fiscal and environmental performance.

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The program is a voluntary, self-administered audit, coupled with onsite inspections to verify a hotel’s rating, designed to assist a hotel in determining its current environmental footprint.

The audit consists of 150 questions divided into five sections, Corporate Environmental Management, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage Operations, Conference & Meeting Facilities, and Engineering.  The questions relate to nine areas of sustainable hotel operations, including energy conservation, water conservation, solid waste management, hazardous waste management, indoor air quality, community outreach, building infrastructure, land use, and environmental management.

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Each question has a designated specific numeric value based on the environmental and social impacts of a particular action and its associated impact on guests, employees, management, and the local community.  The audit also takes limited-service hotels into consideration.  The final score is not affected for lodging properties that do not offer either food and beverage and/or conference and meeting facilities, as the audit is designed to take this into account.  

Participants are awarded a 1-5 rating and provided a property-performance specific report.  The performance report offers recommendations for improvements to reduce operating costs and environmental impacts through reduced utility consumption, employee training, and supply chain management.  Each hotel also has access to online tools and resources and receives a plaque highlighting the property’s rating.

“Our AH&LA Green Guidelines have been well-received and are the perfect preparation for the Green Key Eco-Rating,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney.  “This program is perfect for the wide-range of properties we have in membership because it provides a graduating rating scale at an affordable price.”

For details, visit AH&LA’s Green Resource Center Website, which also has information on AH&LA’s 11 minimum green guidelines, best practices, and a link to AH&LA’s Green Guru. 

 

 

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Serving the hospitality industry for a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom-line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.