One of the current trends in facilities management in hotels is sustainability. Sustainability is increasingly shifting from a non-compulsory luxury to a significant prerequisite in the world. The increased exploitation of resources in the rapidly growing world economy has raised concerns in regards to environmental depletion. Facilities managers and decision-makers in hotels consider energy conservation as the highest long-term priority in the utilization of limited resources. Sustainability has grown more important than development of new technologies. A building of high performance is capable of making significant impact on the operations of facilities in a workplace atmosphere. Such buildings have increased concerns for indoor air quality.
Basically, hotels are focusing on the optimization of operational efficiency in management of waste, water and energy (Goldstein & Primlani, 2012). A typical hotel consumes energy for cooking fuel, lighting, HVAC requirements and miscellaneous power operations. Facility managers place great emphasis on the reduction of energy intensity, which is made possible through a technique called commissioning. Facility managers are employing a variety of strategies for purposes of reducing, reusing and recycling wastes generated from recyclable oil, hazardous materials like fluorescent bulbs and cleaning solutions, construction and refurbishment, durable goods and consumables. Hotels also use a lot of water for facility operations such as cleaning and maintenance, and for domestic consumption such as laundry, F&B and bathrooms. Facility managers adopt water conservation strategies such as plumbing and HVAC system improvements, linen and towel reuse programs, fixture retrofits and recycling of water for irrigation and process uses.
In addition to management of water, energy and waste, emerging areas in sustainability include indoor environmental quality and sustainable procurement (Goldstein & Primlani, 2012). Also, facility managers in many hotels are adopting staff training programs aimed at facilitating the improvement of performance. These strategies are tailored towards the ultimate goal of satisfying and retaining customers.
Hotels have seen a significant shift towards tangible sustainable practices. There is an increasing concern by hotels to expand sustainability efforts beyond traditional procedures such as laundry. Facility managers are able to save money and achieve the goals of environmental responsibility, wellness and market comfort when they utilize facilities, which conserve water and energy. Customers also expect hotel rooms to be installed with top-notch control systems for better experience. The features in such rooms include occupancy sensors, in-room lighting, air conditioning control, ventilation control and heating control for purposes of regulating thermostats when the room is not occupied. This significantly reduces energy consumption. The MGM Grand Hotel based in Las Vegas has installed light machines, which operate complementarily with the circadian rhythms of the customers, HEPA-filtered air purifiers, dawn-simulating alarm clocks and aromatherapy diffusers (Higginbotham, 2014). These healthy and authentic features bring about customer satisfaction, which have significantly increased the growth of the MGM Hotel. Hotels are also making enhancements on the indoor acoustic atmosphere in order to curb noise from building facilities like compressors, boilers and fans, which could have a negative impact on customer experiences.
Most hotels have incorporated sustainability platform as a fashion statement in their brand definition. The annual reports and marketing materials of these hotels indicate initiatives undertaken to enhance sustainability. Current facility managers are also repositioning their hotels for purposes of meeting the needs of the younger generation of customers who tend to be more socially and environmentally-conscious (Goldstein & Primlani, 2012).
In addition to customer satisfaction, sustainability saves costs, attracts investors through the gesture of corporate social responsibility, and plays an important role in the retention of employees and enhancing client experiences. Most sustainability measures can be implemented at almost no cost, while still optimizing the performance of both personnel and equipment. The competitive nature of the hotel business combined with difficulties in revenue increment provide significant incentives for facility managers to invest in environmental technologies and most efficient operational procedures.
References
Goldstein, K. A. & Primlani, R. V. (2012). Current Trends and Opportunities in Hotel Sustainability. 4 Hoteliers. Retrieved from: http://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/6618
Higginbotham, J. S. (2014). 5 important trends shaping today’s hotel construction market. Building Design and Construction Network. Retrieved from: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/5-important-trends-shaping-today%E2%80%99s-hotel-construction-market
