Name: Molly Ray
Title: Manager, Sustainable Partnerships and Senior Sales Manager
Company: Kimpton Hotels Seattle
Years with Kimpton: Two years
My primary responsibilities: “I wear a lot of hats. I manage our corporate accounts. I am on the advisory committee for Kimpton’s EarthCare program. I work with engineering in particular. We are hoping to get the Alexis Hotel, Hotel Monaco Seattle and Hotel Vintage Park Green Seal certified in the next year.”
Hotel Group’s most significant environmental accomplishment so far: “For Kimpton, the biggest accomplishment is the longevity of the EarthCare program. It is baked into our DNA.”
Our biggest environmental challenge: “Sustainability is an emerging field and we are always learning. To stay on top of the latest advancements in sustainability.”
What I like most about what I do: “I love working in hotels. It is very much my personality. Each of our hotels is so different. It is a very exciting industry.”
What advice I would give to a general manager considering starting an environmental program: “Always start with an assessment of where you are. Figure out what your goals are. What is your budget? Are you really invested in this for five or 10 years? Or, just one year? This is the future. It is going to cost you a lot more the longer you wait.”
SEATTLE—When one thinks of sustainability and hotels, it is certainly not the sales department that first comes to mind. Molly Ray, manager, sustainable partnerships and senior sales manager for Kimpton Hotels Seattle, is proving, however, that by making a commitment to sustainability, one can not only sustain sales volume but grow it as well.
Ray is the architect of Kimpton’s Sustainable Partnership Program (KSP). Its mission is to recognize members of the community that are working towards a sustainable future by offering a significant discount at Kimpton Hotels. The KSP discount is up to 20 percent off of Kimpton’s best available rate at properties across the United States and Canada.
Companies can qualify for KSP by completing a questionnaire that asks questions that ensure that their environmental values and actions align with those of Kimpton as demonstrated in its EarthCare program. Ray started KSP in the Seattle area but it has since gone company-wide.
“People want to do business with those with similar values,” Ray says. “We want to make sure they know we are the best people to stay with. The program has been very successful. I created the program to widen the net of companies with which we work. A lot of guests stay with us because of EarthCare.”
EarthCare Initiative Examples
The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group’s EarthCare initiative became mandatory for all Kimpton hotels and restaurants more than four years ago. Here are some examples of steps Kimpton takes on an ongoing basis to minimize its environmental footprint and keep guests and staff safe and healthy:
• When possible, Kimpton restores and revitalizes historic buildings when developing “new” properties.
• Guestrooms are cleaned with non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaners.
• In-room recycling containers are provided for guest use.
• All leftover shampoo and conditioner bottles are donated to charity.
• Food and oil waste are recycled at most hotels.
• Guests who drive hybrid vehicles are given a parking discount.
• Hotel key cards are made with 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.
• All new fitness flooring is made from recycled rubber.
• Water-efficient faucets, showerheads and toilets are used.
• Motion sensors turn off lighting in low-use areas.
• Organic food products are offered in every honor bar.
• Organic wine is available by the bottle or by the glass.
• Kimpton supports efforts by organizations such as the Trust for Public Land, Nature Conservancy, Dress for Success, and the Red Ribbon Campaign.
Green Teams & Eco-champions
As a company, Kimpton does not currently have a director of sustainability. What it does have at each hotel is an eco-champion and green teams. An EarthCare advisory board, of which Ray is a part, meets by conference call once a month to review progress and discuss future initiatives.
Prior to working at Kimpton, Ray worked for the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia as corporate sales manager. There, she participated on the green team and helped establish programs such as recycling and composting.
“We saved the company money,” Ray says. “When ownership saw the cost savings, they got on board even more.”
Ray grew up in Pittsburgh and later studied communications and public relations at a local college, worked outside of the lodging industry, stayed home to raise her family, and then started working as a concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. She worked her way up to corporate sales manager before taking the job with Kimpton. She has since completed her Certificate in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
While her career path has taken several turns, Ray has quickly established herself as one of the lodging industry’s leading champions of sustainability—all the while proving that sales growth and profitability need not be sacrificed when carrying out a green commitment.
Go to the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
