Hilton Hotels Sustainability Plan

Hilton Hotels Corporation recently announced its new short and long term goals for building an environmentally sustainable business. Green is the new black, and corporations all over are working to provide a brighter (or just less smoggy) future. These improvements are planned for the next five years, reminiscient of the Old Guy’s Five Year Plan in Big Daddy.

If all goes according to plan, Hilton hotels are to reach the following more goals to provide a more ecofriendly place to rest your noggin:

* Reduce energy consumption from direct operations by 20%
* Reduce Co2 emissions by 20%
* Reduce output of waste by 20% and
* Reduce water consumption by 10%.

“Upon becoming a truly global company with the acquisition of Hilton International and following the acquisition of our company by Blackstone late last year, we are in an ideal position to lay down a framework for sustainability within our global hotels and corporate offices,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, President and CEO.

“Population growth and global industrialization are accelerating the depletion of our natural resources. Around the world, demand for energy continues to grow and fresh water scarcity is becoming a global reality. How we respond to these challenges will determine the sustainability of our future lifestyles, the sustainability of our communities as we know them, and ultimately the sustainability of our planet.

“To meet the growing demand of increased travel around the world, we must be able to do so in a sustainable fashion while still delivering unsurpassed levels of hospitality, including a better night’s sleep, an enhanced dining experience and a more productive meeting,” Nassetta continued. “We must operate our business in ways that provide for our current needs while allowing future generations to meet their own needs. This is the essence of sustainability and the path we must follow. Not only is it the right thing to do as responsible global citizens, it’s the right thing to do for our business.”

At this rate, unless you’re Ed Begley it will be more ecofriendly for you to stay at the Hilton in a few years than to stay in your own home. I’ll give you the rest, hot off the press release.

Long-Term, High-Impact Goals

In addition to the stated measurable short-term targets, the company also has committed to focus on several high-impact areas that offer significant long-term benefits. Sustainable buildings and operations, including the advancement of sustainable design and construction, operations, chemical management and purchasing will be one key area. The company is also committed to the advancement of renewable energy as a source of power for its operations, not only to reduce its carbon footprint but to develop a viable commercial infrastructure for powering hotels and corporate offices.

External Assessment By Leading Consulting Group

In the past year, Hilton Hotels Corporation conducted a thorough assessment of its global operations with the goal of identifying current impacts, and creating a strategy to define, galvanize and build sustainability into the business. To lead this effort, HHC brought in Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting, led by company founder and CEO Jib Ellison. Blu Skye visited a cross-section of Hilton Family hotels, interviewed various business units and analyzed the company’s operating procedures. As a result of these efforts, corporate and brand management teams, together with Blu Skye, were able to identify specific areas of focus to build the company’s sustainability framework focusing on short and long term value creation. “Hilton is building on its strong history of environmental stewardship by launching these ambitious goals,” said Ellison. “Their comprehensive sustainability strategy has put them on a path to leadership in the hospitality industry.”

Support Strategy

Under the direction of a newly appointed vice president – global sustainability Christopher Corpuel, HHC will build out a team to develop and implement its sustainability strategy. This team will support all of HHC’s core businesses and work closely with hotel ownership and management groups to achieve its stated goals.

In addition, Hilton Hotels Corporation is supporting its portfolio of commitments in a number of ways, by:

• Building out educational and engagement programs for all brands and team members, including online learning, centralized web content, and various training modules.
• Measuring and reporting on our progress. The internal environmental management tool used within company-managed hotels will be extended to all properties, allowing us to track and report on our commitments and design processes and programs that identify areas of opportunity to drive innovation and efficiencies.
• Revising brand operational, and design and construction standards for 2009 to ensure both internal and external best practices are shared, adopted and transparent around the globe.
• Evaluating all current and future purchasing policies and practices across the brands to ensure that the range of products placed in hotels not only enhance the guest experience but drive value for owners while supporting the company’s overall sustainability efforts.

Current Practices

Hilton Hotels already has sustainability projects in the works across the pond. In European hotels, energy and water consumption have been reduced by 10% in the last two years. In the U.K. and Ireland, the introduction of carbon-free electricity has reduced Co2 emissions in participating Hilton hotels by more than 64,000 tons, or 56% of our carbon footprint. In the United States, Hilton was the first in the industry to complete the installation of a commercial fuel cell power system, at the Hilton New York, delivering one of the cleanest power generating technologies available today.

Mission Statement

The Hilton Family of Hotels will manage our business through a lens of sustainability to benefit this generation and those that follow. Through action and innovation, we will lead our industry in products and programs that:

* Enhance the guest experience
* Engage our employees
* Improve operational efficiency
* Advance building design
* Strengthen our partnerships
* Serve our communities
* Protect our global environment
* Enrich our Family of Brands

As always, check out our sister site for more information on ecotravel.