2 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS 414 29th Street Sacramento, CA 95816 916-444-5780 www.calodging.com EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR Tom Patton, CHA Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara VICE CHAIR Hee-Won Lim Pacific Palms Hotel IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality SECRETARY/TREASURER Dhruv Patel Ridgemont Hospitality GOVERNMENT & LEGAL RELATIONS CHAIR Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE AUDIT & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristi Allen Ensemble Real Estate Solutions & Investments Bhupen Amin Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE Vipul Dayal Days Inn San Francisco Airport West Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. Jeff Durham Redwood Fortuna Riverwalk Hotel Paul Gibbs, CHA Sonesta Redondo Beach and Marina Ross Gimpel Encore Terri Haack Lowe Enterprises Investors Jon Handlery, CHA Handlery Union Square Hotel Niles Harris InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Wendy Heineke Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts Todd Hersperger Sunstone Hotel Investors Nic Hockman Disney’s Grand Californian Matt Humphreys Hyatt Regency San Francisco Daniel Kuperschmid Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Mark LeBlanc Aimbridge Hospitality Hee-Won Lim Pacific Palms Resort RJ Mayer The Mayer Corporation Michelle Millar University of San Francisco Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality Bimal Patel, CHA Hotel Zico Perry Patel BPR Hotels Pragna Patel-Mueller Samata Management Joe Piantedosi Park Hotels & Resorts Chip Rogers American Hotel and Lodging Association Pam Ryan The Inn at the Mission John Spear Hotel Drisco Jeffrey Thurrell Fisher Phillips Wes Tyler, CHA Chancellor Hotel on Union Square Bobby Walia Marriott International Corporation ADVERTISING & DESIGN LLM Publications 503.445.2220 | 800.647.1511 www.llmpubs.com Design & Layout Sales Representative Stephanie Pendell Grandt Mansfield grandt@llmpubs.com Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved SUSTAINABILITY IS, IF YOU’LL PARDON the phrase, a hot topic for hotel and lodging establishments in California. From recycling mandates to guest expectations, not to mention the continued dry winters and drought, making your property more sustainable has never been more important. That’s why we’re focusing on sustainability in this issue of the magazine, especially on the topic of water conservation. We’re facing yet another year of severe drought across the state as a result of climate change, and both the state and many local governments have begun to institute mandatory water restrictions. As you’ll read, for some properties, traditional water supplies have already run out, necessitating unusual and costly steps. As one of our stories notes, doing water conservation right can have a big impact on the guest experience—and doing it wrong can lead to the kind of reviews you want to avoid. Lack of water also will impact the availability of hydropower in California, as lower reservoir levels mean reduced generating capacity. That’s in addition to the rising cost of energy overall. As the summer gets hotter and air conditioners switch on, costs will go up along with the potential for rolling blackouts— making energy efficiency another key aspect of sustainability. The price of food is rising steeply, too. That brings the issue of food waste into focus, and you can learn more about a program to tackle that problem in this issue as well. I’ve seen most of these issues myself. Sustainability has been a focus at my hotel in Santa Barbara for a long time, in part because the environment is a key feature of the property. We sit on three acres centered on a freshwater lagoon, with koi swimming and turtles basking on the rocks (and the occasional heron wading, looking to poach a fish). Hidden from the outside, the lagoon and its wildlife offer guests an oasis in the middle of the city. We were one of the first hotels in the region to embrace the green movement. Our swimming pool is heated by solar. We were the first in Santa Barbara to have electric vehicle chargers, even before many travelers arrived in EVs. We’ve been big on recycling, and were the first hotel in Santa Barbara County to receive the county’s business certification as a “green” business. We made the switch to LED lighting before it was prevalent, changed concrete walkways to permeable pavers, and instituted water saving measures including drip irrigation, more efficient sprinkler heads and rain sensors. When we first did a lot of those things, there wasn’t an immediate ROI—we did it because it was the right thing to do, and because it aligned with our belief that our community is important and we should contribute to making it more sustainable. But over time, it has paid dividends: As more companies and government agencies make sustainability a criteria for travel, and as more travel guides give prominence to green certifications, being sustainable has played an increasing role in bringing guests through our doors. We are all fortunate that California has been a leader in sustainability, because it means there are usually many local resources that can help your efforts to save water, become energy efficient or implement a robust recycling program. In fact, many other states lack the local recycling resources or availability of “green power” we take for granted. One of those resources, of course, is CHLA. We are here to help our members with their sustainability journey, from tools on our website to trusted vendors, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with your member colleagues to see how they have dealt with these serious issues. We hope this issue will help stimulate your thinking about how to make your property more sustainable, to help your bottom line and to help our state and our industry continue to lead the way. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Tom Patton CHLA Chair
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