By Lawrence Hefler
Rising energy and maintenance costs.
Increased environmental awareness.
Concern over toxins in our indoor spaces.
Fractional properties as part of the hospitality industry, by their very nature of transient guests, multiple owners, excess consumption, and housekeeping demands, are inherently an impact on the environment. It’s no wonder that the hospitality industry has embraced green solutions to help them lower operating costs and increase everyone’s health and wellbeing. Recently, one major brand launched their “Make a Green Choice” program that gives guests the option to opt out of linen and towel replacement, along with daily housekeeping. Guests choose to maintain environmental sustainability for up to three nights at a time during their stay. Afterwards they are rewarded for each night they opt out of housekeeping services with a gift card to the hotel’s restaurants or loyalty points. Going Green meets Consumer Marketing.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association has issued the Minimum Guidelines for Going Green – a list of actions properties of any size should take to stake their claim as an ecofriendly establishment.
Why Should Fractional Properties Be Green?
Fractional homes, residences, and Private Residence Clubs, as a form of hospitality, are ideally suited for travelers wanting to have a minimal environmental impact without sacrificing amenities. With increasing awareness about the need to cut down on environmental impact, travelers are increasingly choosing lodging that not only offers a natural experience, but also are “green” in how they’re maintained and operated.
Going green can not only help attract new guests and residents/owners who want to reduce their environmental footprint, but it’s also a way to cut costs significantly. By becoming more energy and water efficient, reducing waste, and taking creative steps to green operations, you can actually cut costs significantly while marketing your efforts to reduce your footprint to your guests, owners, and prospects.
By going green you can benefit by saving money on operations, marketing green benefits to guests, and creating a more eco-friendly business. Moving forward consumers/ buyers will expect more from their “vacation home ownership” purchase and long term commitment than the traditional rational reasons or emotions for fractional ownership. After all, costs savings from reduced energy and water use could positively impact homeowner association dues and annual maintenance fees for years to come.
Fractionals can go green by focusing on areas that would translate into cost savings and areas that can dramatically improve guests’ experience at the property. Some of the key areas to go green include:
1. Energy Efficient Lighting
2. Water Conservation
3. Waste Reduction
4. Toxic-Free Environment
5. Renewable Energy
The time is right for fractional properties to go green. Not only is it good in these economic times to cut costs through savings on energy, water, and waste, but it’s also beneficial to attract new guests who are environmentally conscious and prefer a green home away from home.
First steps are relatively simple. Identify how to save money by: replacing light bulbs to save energy, installing showerheads and aerators to save water and energy, composting wasted food to cut on waste costs, and using green cleaning products to reduce toxins. In fact, many hotels are now implementing green cleaning products and practices to improve indoor air quality, reduce risk to occupants and employees, improve their environmental performance and obtain a marketing advantage.
Green You Can Use Today: Energy Conservation
Energy is perhaps the area that can provide the most benefits. At a time when climate is in danger because of current energy choices, it is even more important to conserve energy today through efficiency and behavioral changes. Below are just some of the steps that can be taken to reduce energy use:
1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to reduce energy bills.
2. Consider occupancy sensors, photocells, or dimmers to reduce energy waste further.
3. Upgrade appliances to EnergyStar models to cut consumption by up to 30%.
4. Use smart power strips to reduce phantom power losses and reduce bills by up to 10%.
5. Maintain refrigerators regularly, keeping them at 41ºF and leaving enough space around them.
6. Cool interior rooms with fans instead of ACs to save money on cooling.
Water Conservation
Water is increasingly becoming an important resource as the world’s freshwater reservoirs become depleted. Saving water not only saves a valuable resource for other uses, but it can also save money because of the energy needed to heat hot water. Here are some steps that can be taken to cut on water usage:
1. Install low-flow showerheads and aerators in bathrooms to save thousands of gallons of water.
2. Place a water displacer in toilet tanks to save up to 1.25 gallons per flush.
3. Fix any leaky faucets in kitchens and bathrooms.
4. Running the laundry machines and dishwashers only when full.
Waste Reduction
Waste carries with it a huge cost. It costs money to create unnecessary items that become waste after their first use. It also costs money to take care of that waste. Reducing waste in shared residences can cut costs significantly and reduce the footprint. Here are a few things to keep in mind to cut overall waste:
1. Reduce the need for printing and packaging.
2. Recycle any consumed items, such as metal cans, plastic bottles, and paper.
3. Compost food waste that is compostable and use the compost in plants and gardens.
4. Purchase products with high recycled content and minimal packaging.
Toxic-Free Environment
Normally unnoticed, toxic substances in products and the indoor environment take a toll on human health. There are literally thousands of substances that are used in products that have not been tested for toxicity. Ensuring that the indoor environment is toxicfree will help customers feel better, and it will contribute to their long-term health:
1. Use toxic-free cleaning products.
2. Helping a septic tank or field using a green septic tank cleaner.
3. Utilize air purifiers to remove toxins from the air.
4. Provide soy candles to avoid benzene fumes common to regular candles.
Renewable Energy
Our energy choices are causing climate change to worsen. Unless we change our energy infrastructure, the planet will warm to dangerous levels. Using renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be cost-effective and attractive to customers.
Consider these options:
1. Install a solar photovoltaic system to utilize solar energy, and/or install solar water heating system.
2. Purchase green energy from the local utility, if available.
3. Purchase Carbon Offsets to become a carbon neutral property.
Food
One of the amenities often found in fractional residences is access to food and snacks, which can have a sizeable carbon footprint because of the transportation required to move it around. Taking the following steps can help reduce that footprint substantially:
1. Purchase organic food grown locally to cut on transportation emissions.
2. Don’t offer bottled or canned drinks, but rather filtered water and stainless steel water bottles.
3. Consider a manual soda machine, which makes sparkling water and soda in reusable containers.
How Much Can Green Behavior and Products Save?
Fractional developments don’t have to focus on major capital improvements to see cost savings and greener buildings. A relatively small commitment in money and resources often produces significant cost savings. Sometimes it’s the unglamorous measures that are beneficial but often overlooked that produce the most immediate and effective results. Actions like insulating steam pipes, sealing leaks around windows, weatherstripping doors, or even making sure lights are not left on all the time, can add up to dramatic savings.
A typical lobby might have up to 30 incandescent light bulbs burning 24 hours a day. Replacing these bulbs with long lasting, energy efficient CFL light bulbs can save thousands of dollars. A water conservation kit for one-bathroom can save up to $3,500 in energy costs over seven years. Multiply this by the number of bathrooms in a building and you can see there’s significant potential cost savings. The energy and water saved from shower, toilet and faucets makes a positive impact on energy bills and the environment.
Greening a property should focus on common areas, where energy and resource use is typically consumed 24 hours a day. They are also the places where energy-efficient practices can help to significantly lower overall costs and keep guests and staff from being exposed to toxic elements in the environment, including cleaning products, paints, and other air pollutants. Typical areas to look at include a building’s facade, lawns, sidewalk areas, vestibules, lobby, offices, hallways, elevators, exercise rooms, play areas, laundry rooms, gardens, and basements. Additional green practices to explore would include green purchasing strategies, including electricity and renewable sources; sustainable travel and transportation options; tax credits, rebates and other financial incentives.
Getting staff (and guests) to get on board with green changes while raising awareness and pride in their eco fractional environment can be a challenge to a management company’s time. Consider an eco-partner for a green fractional makeover and to help create a custom Green Building Campaign including:
- Information about energy and water conservation, recycling, and toxic-free common areas such as spas, lounges, laundry rooms, workout rooms, hallways and lobbies.
- Owner and guest educational packets to learn generally or about specific greening activities of the building.
- Collateral materials that inform and promote green practices in specific common areas of the property. For example, water conservation, recycling, and toxic-free living tips.
- Educational materials designed to help staff members look for ways to be green, including cleaning products, CFL light bulbs, green cleaning and repairs.
- Preparing reports detailing the impact of green activities in the building, making it easy for management to update on specific green activities and their resulting cost savings.
Show your fractional green efforts to the world
Green programs and practices can lead to enhanced perceptions of fractional ownership, private residence clubs, and a developer’s reputation. The opportunity for developers, managers, and owners is to embrace environmental consciousness and some of these green solutions now. An environmentally focused and
sustainable property can only then be marketed (branded) as such and their eco-story shared with owners, guests, employees, prospects, the industry, and the media. Large capital investments aren’t always necessary to have a fractional property go green. On the other hand, more costly green investments (e.g. solar, geothermal, white roofing) have a significant ROI from energy savings in just a few years. Considering that this form of ownership and operations is for many years, green investments are for the long term. Just be sure to find the green changes that make sense for the developer, the owners, and the guests.
As more hospitality and lodging alternatives seriously embrace ‘green’, it may become less of a point of differentiation. The green movement is at somewhat of a crossroads with many green claims in the media and blogs. People need to actually see something being done to have trust in the brand. A hotel, fractional property, or vacation home should first be able to compete on its own brand foundation and greening can only add meaning to the guest experience. For now, the building green and going green for people, places, planet and profitability will continue to define what’s next for the fractional industry.
Lawrence Hefler is principal of BrandShares International (a fractional consultancy) and a certified eco-consultant. He helps hospitality businesses and fractional properties become more sustainable while saving money by reducing the use of energy, water and resources. He can be reached at hefler@cfl.rr.com
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An interview with David Clifton, managing director Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia for Interval International on his extensive worldwide experience in vacation ownership.
Alluvia holds fundraising events at the winery and visitors can buy two “Give Me a Chance” label wines – a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc, the proceeds of which go directly to the Foundation, helping cover important necessities: school and hostel fees, uniforms, books and sports equipment. Thanks to positive mentoring – a network of strong role models who become friends and mentors – the students are given the opportunity to strive towards their academic or athletic training and develop their own leadership skills alongside their personal and professional dreams. While education is key, the freedom to design and develop their own professional and personal futures with the help of mentors is priceless.
Matt began his career in publishing 20 years ago in Philadelphia. He moved to Miami in 1997 to work for Interval International, where he served as Vacation Industry Review editor-in-chief until 2005. While at Interval, Matt was integral to reinvigorating the look and readability of Vacation Industry Review, substantially enhancing its editorial content, and increasing its relevance to readers.
