Staying on the Cutting Edge in Silicon Valley

2011-09-27

Send

Text Size:

Pineapple Hospitality Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale earns EcoRooms & EcoSuites certification.

When you work in Silicon Valley, it’s always important to be thinking ahead. Because if you don’t, you’ll quickly find yourself falling behind.

At Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale in Sunnyvale, California; thinking ahead means implementing dozens of unique green initiatives to cater to the growing number of socially responsible travelers .

“Being located in the heart of Silicon Valley, our typical guest is a business traveler,” says Denia Phillips, General Manager for Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale. “We also negotiate a lot of corporate accounts and host corporate meetings. We’re seeing that as companies green up, they are becoming more selective about the companies they partner with.”

“Being a part of Silicon Valley, we have to make sure we’re forward thinking too. This is where business travel is heading.”

Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale’s environmental initiatives include water conservation, recycling, energy efficiency, choosing green products and reducing waste.

For these comprehensive and thorough efforts, Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale has achieved EcoRooms & EcoSuites Certification.

EcoRooms & EcoSuites is an online directory of the greenest hotels in the United States. To become certified, EcoRooms & EcoSuites hotels must meet the most rigorous set of standards for ecologically responsible hotel products, practices, and principles in the industry.

EcoRooms & EcoSuites certified hotels use more sustainable cleaning, paper, and amenity products, empower guests to make a difference with recycling and linen re-use programs, and increase efficiency with better lighting, plumbing, and planning. Plus, certification requires an on-site audit from the experts at EcoGreenHotel.com.

“The Corporate Inn has demonstrated a real commitment to sustainable travel and we are proud to certify them as the latest member of EcoRooms & EcoSuites,” says Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality and Founder of EcoRooms & EcoSuites. “We’re truly impressed with many of the unique and cutting green initiatives at the hotel. They are demonstrating how green travel can make a difference for the environment and for their business partners.”

Corporate Initiatives

Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale opened in 1999. The hotel includes 73 studio suites, each with kitchenettes, modern furnishings, separate living space, a spacious and well-lit work area, free high speed Internet access, and a balcony or patio. The hotel has been 100% non-smoking from the start, which is one of the eight key standards to become EcoRooms Certified.

Also from the start, the hotel worked with project planners and guests to reduce its carbon footprint.

Because of our location, we want our guests to feel like they are a part of the community,” says Phillips. “We’re just a few minute walk away from grocery stores, dry cleaners, and only 10 minutes away from downtown San Jose. Because we are a part of the community, we felt we should be doing everything we can to protect it.”

The hotel utilizes a central HVAC system rather than individual room air conditioners to improve energy efficiency. There are sensors in the doors and windows designed to turn off the system when a door or window are opened. Phillips jokes, “We love the city, but we don’t want to air condition the whole thing.”

Instead of individual dishwashers in every suite, Phillips has implemented a unique dishwashing system utilizing a central commercial dishwasher. This saves countless gallons of water, electricity and eliminates harsh detergents.

CFL light bulbs are used throughout the hotel, though Phillips says they are working on upgrading to LED lights. “We are always working with our local utility PG&E on whatever they are offering incentives on that will reduce energy use,” she adds. “We always reevaluate all of our purchases to see what we can do to be more energy efficient.”

All the products used in the cleaning of the rooms and doing the laundry have been switched over to environmentally friendly cleaners. All the paper towels, tissue and toilet paper are made from recycled paper. There is a hotel wide recycling program from the offices to the guest rooms.

Guest rooms use amenity dispensers, along with environmentally friendly soap and shampoo products, so that hundreds of little plastic bottles don’t have to be disposed of at the end of each day. There has been a linen reuse program in place since the property opened. Plus, each room has its own recycling container.

The hotel has partnered with a local homeless shelter to donate blankets, linens, furniture, soap and shampoo. Clothing that has been left behind and unclaimed is also donated.

Corporate Inn // Sunnyvale uses linens from Marquis Green. The towels are recycled from scrap cotton, and restored to an original, luxurious state. The entire process is energy efficient, using no harsh chemicals, wasted water and keep the cloth out of landfills.

The greening process never stops either. Even now, Phillips says they are always talking to their peers to get new ideas. For instance, right now they are planning a guest room renovation, and looking at options for sustainable carpet, other types of flooring and recycled material for countertops.

“We as a company we feel we should do the responsible thing for the planet,” says Phillips. “If we can save money too, that's great. It's not always about finding tremendous savings. It's doing the little things that add up to make a big difference. At a hotel where there is so much energy used, and so much waste that can happen, we feel we need to take the initiative to cut down on what we use each day.”

“It’s like sending millions of little amenity bottles worldwide to landfills each day – somebody has to look at that and realize there is a better way to do things. We need to make better decisions, and that starts with us.”

What Travelers

According to a study from the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, the most influential single “green” attribute for hotel room preference was green hotel certification.

The study’s respondents were also supportive of rooms with a refillable shampoo dispenser, energy-efficient light bulbs, and towel and linen reuse policies. Guests also appreciated the idea of a key card that would control all energy use in the room.

The study found few differences between the preferences of the 284 business travelers and the 287 leisure travelers, though neither group demonstrated a willingness to pay more for green accommodations.

This study demonstrates the power of green certification, and an increasingly likeliness of guests to appreciate the environmental initiatives being undertaken at hotels.

And this movement continues to grow. Between 2009 and 2010, there was a 7.5% increase in guests who said they “researched and booked green accommodations.” Plus, the phrase “green hotel” averages half a million searches each month on Google.

“Being certified by EcoRooms & EcoSuites is a great benefit for us,” says Phillips. “It is easy to say you are trying to be green. But with certification, guests know that we are truly taking steps to protect the Earth. There’s no reason not to do it.”

“Not only is EcoRooms & EcoSuites a great program – much more in-depth than some other programs out there – but it is also very affordably priced. For many small hotels like us, some of the green certification programs out there are too expensive, and you don’t get the value you do here.”

“At EcoRooms & EcoSuites, we try to be a resource for all of our members,” says Burger. “Our Board of Advisors is made up of many of the brightest minds in green travel, and they are constantly looking to keep our standards high and push the boundaries forward. We not only offer certification, but we can be a great resource for hotels looking to improve their environmental performance.”

Eco-Criteria

The eight EcoRooms & EcoSuites criteria for membership and certification include:

Green Seal certified or equivalent cleaning products are used in guestrooms.
Green Seal certified or equivalent paper products (facial and bathroom tissue) are used in guestrooms.
Bathrooms feature amenity dispensers or small, practical amenity sizes with guests encouraged to take the remainder of their bathroom amenities home or donate them to homeless shelters.
The hotel has implemented a Linen and Towel Reuse Program
Guests are provided separate and easily identified receptacles and/or bags in which to deposit recyclables.
Energy-efficient lighting is in place in every applicable area.
High efficiency plumbing – 1. 6 or less gallons-per-flush for toilets and 1.5 gallons per minute or less for sinks with water-efficient aerators.
100% Smoke-Free Hotel

For more information on all EcoRooms & EcoSuites properties, please visit www.EcoRooms.com.

About Pineapple Hospitality

Headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, Pineapple Hospitality™ brings fresh ideas to hospitality guests’ doors and owner/operators’ bottom lines — including FreshStay^® (www.freshstay.com), EcoRooms & EcoSuites (www.EcoRooms.com) Environmentally Sensitive Amenities™, EO^®, Tommy Bahama, Eco.Fresh, ecossential elements and greenSPA™ amenities, AVIVA and WAVE dispensers, Energy Efficient Lighting and Controls, Custom Linen & Towel Re-Use Programs, , Green Earth Key Cards, Energy Management Systems and Controls, High Performance showerheads, Zero Odor, and dozens of other products and programs. For more information, please visit www.pineapplehospitality.net, or call us at 636-922-2285.

Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.