Hotels and B&Bs
Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
Such initiatives at the Hotel include:
- Installing occupancy sensors in guestrooms, which communicate to an energy management system to reduce power consumption in unoccupied rooms
- Installing Phillips 42-inch LCD Energy Star-rated TVs in guestrooms
- Installing window insulation in guestrooms for decreased heat transfer and weather striping on all doors to provide more efficient climate control in the corridors
Those at the Club include:
- Replacing older boilers with more energy-efficient boilers
- Providing all employees a polycarbonate water bottle to help reduce the number of cups made of other materials
At Trellis the Spa:
- Donating all used and damaged towels, robes, linens, massage cradle covers and mitts, among other items
- Replacing small, single-use bottles in showers with large, multi-use bottles, which will reduce the cost of purchasing large, concentrated bulk orders of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, as well as reduce waste through elimination of discards of small, single-use bottles
- Continuing and expanding available selection of green-friendly retail products and clothing
On our Grounds:
- Treating pests only when their presence is deemed a nuisance or threat thereby reducing the introduction of toxins into the ground (IPM)
- Using a rain-sensing irrigation system that prohibits watering during periods of rain
- Filtering run-off water from the loading dock and construction areas through hydrocarbon
- Supplementing the fertility program with eco-compatible products, such as discarded egg shells and coffee grounds from the kitchen
Throughout the Campus:
- Using low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint for all paint projects
- Installing high-efficiency lighting
- Adding film to all exterior windows, which offers greater energy efficiency
- Constructing a central laundry plant with water reclamation and lower energy consumption systems
- Replacing Styrofoam cups with Biodegradable corn-product cups
- Donating equipment to other organizations, or to scrap metal locations to be melted down and reused
- Water conservation - change bed sheets every other day for guests staying more than one night
- Water conservation - launder towels on request only; program listed by signage in the rooms
- Recycled drinking cups in all fitness centers
- Company provides an eco-pass (bus pass) for all employees
- Newspaper recycling program at each hotel
- Installed compact fluorescents and looking at L.E.D options as they become available in 2007 and 2008
- Participating/usage of the chilled water plant in Houston with Entergy District Cooling. System is highly energy efficient and eliminated the need for a building plant within the hotel
- 2007 - installing energy efficient automated guest room temperature control system
- Use all eco and environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals, laundry detergents and building systems treatment chemicals throughout all properties
- Upgrading building systems at other properties with highly efficient systems as replacement is warranted
- Auto shut-off lights in public restrooms. Dimming system throughout property to dim lights for both aesthetic decor and to minimize consumption of electricity when natural light is present during the daylight hours
- Bathroom fixtures are energy efficient high pressure, low volume to minimize water consumption throughout
- The reservations department has gone paperless using dry erase boards, flash drives and new computer technology
- Donates newspapers to local animal shelters
- All documents requiring copying are done double-sided
- Property only purchases paper products with a minimum of 30 percent post consumer use
- Energy efficient lighting is utilized in all public areas
- All back of house storage spaces have lighting on timers
- The first hotel in Texas to achieve Green Seal certification.
- Installed energy saving light bulbs in all of the guestrooms that will last 3-5 years; these light bulbs have low wattage and high intensity. They save on heat because they don’t get hot and also save on electricity
- Replacing light bulbs in all public places with bulbs that will last 3-5 years
- Have placed dimmer switches in the meeting rooms which can be controlled from the energy management computer in the engineering office. This saves on wattage and electricity
- Energy-saving thermostats have been placed in all guest rooms. They automatically turn off as soon as a guest checks out of their room and do not turn on again until another guest checks in
- When possible, use eco and environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals, laundry detergents and building systems treatment chemicals
- Water conservation - in-room program gives guests the option to use bed sheets and towels for multiple nights
- Replacing food service items with reusable and biodegradable items.
- Using many materials from post-consumer recycled materials.
- Recycles kitchen oil, comingled plastic, paper and metal cans, cardboard, fluorescent bulbs, paper, toner cartridges
- Donating partially used amenities to local shelters
- Using environmentally responsible suppliers and following an environmental purchasing policy, when possible
Doubletree Guest Suites-Houston by The Galleria
- Nationally, Doubletree Hotels partner with National Arbor Day Foundation. Doubletree has created a message to THINK TREES by providing lesson plans and supplies to local schools. The students discuss human effects on the environment and play games that help them understand the 6 key elements for a tree's survival.
- The hotel also conserves water on an ongoing basis by changing bed sheets every other day for guests staying for more than one night. The hotel launders towels on request only.
- Hotel staff uses recycled paper.
- Uses sun shading and a solar thermal chimney, which moves hot air between the western sun screen and the building, pushing the hot air away from the building.
- Landscaping is a vegetable and herb garden, and these ingredients are used in the food prepared at the B&B
- Empty shopping bags used by guests are donated to the women's shelter resale shop
- Serves organic food whenever possible
- Line dry sheets to reduce electricity consumption
- Recycles newspapers, paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass and plastic
- All sheets and towels are dried on a clothes line, which cuts down on electricity
- Appropriate food scraps are recycled for the organic garden
- Lights are no longer left on 24 hours a day
All four Candlewood Suites in Houston do housekeeping weekly rather than daily. This drastically reduces water usage as well as emissions and fumes from cleaning products. Of course, the properties were designed primarily as extended stay hotels so this fits into the model.
The Hilton Garden Inn has partnered with the National Gardening Association and is working to implement a program to bring gardens to local school children or nursing homes. Click here for more information
- First major hotel brand to commit to LEED certification.
- Energy efficient stainless steel appliances and lighting, water-efficient faucets and fixtures.
- Bins for paper, plastic and glass which make recycling easy.
- Filtered water in guest rooms and amenity dispensers in the showers reduce plastic bottle waste.
- Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints.
- Carpets with up to 100% recycled content and anti-microbial carpet pads which improve indoor air quality for guests and staff.
- Guests driving hybrid cars are rewarded with priority parking.
- "Do Not Disturb" sign gets a green makeover, replacing the traditional paper tag with the environmentally-friendly magnet.
- Each property is infused with natural light, featuring a 16-foot window wall in the lobby and oversized windows in each guest room providing sightlines to the outdoors.
South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center
- Recycles paper goods, and the limited proceeds are donated to Interfaith Caring Ministries.
- In the process of converting much of their lighting to fluorescent bulbs which is a great energy savings.
- Provides the facility for Galveston Island recycling
- Utilizes natural pest control
- Conserves energy with the use of a fuel cell
- Uses auxiliary power at night
Green Houston 
