Pay attention to several stories posted on the Green Lodging News website this past week. First, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) shared news of the tragic murder of Hemant Mistry (59), a respected AAHOA Member and veteran hotel owner/operator from Oklahoma City, Okla.
According to police reports, a 41-year-old suspect was arrested and is now in custody following an altercation on Saturday, June 22, during which he punched Mistry, who died Sunday, June 23 from the impact. Local sources indicate that Mistry had asked the suspect to leave the property. This incident bears a heartbreaking resemblance to the murder of Pravin R. Patel, owner of the Hillcrest Motel in Sheffield, Alabama, who was killed under similar circumstances in February.
AAHOA urges hoteliers to prioritize safety protocols and consider the risks of handling confrontational situations independently. Hotel staff should engage law enforcement when faced with potentially volatile encounters to mitigate risks to personal safety. This recommendation is further underscored by the Surgeon General’s recent report on the escalating public health crisis of gun violence, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance and professional intervention to prevent the unnecessary loss of innocent lives. AAHOA is expediting the development of educational resources to help hotel owners minimize conflict and prevent violent incidents by understanding how to de-escalate unstable situations. Be sure to follow AAHOA for additional updates.
Green Key Global & Choice Hotels International
This past week Green Key Global, a leading sustainable certification program for hotels in North America, powered by the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) and the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), announced it has signed an agreement with Choice Hotels International, Inc. to offer its franchisees preferred services as properties seek its sought-after sustainability certification. The Choice Hotels announcement is another in a string of announcements in support of the Green Key Global certification program. The program has picked up serious momentum since the September 2023 announcement of the formation of a joint venture company consisting of AHLA and HAC that now owns and operates the Green Key Global certification program in the U.S. and Canada. Choice Hotels International is one of many hotel companies that are now Green Key Global partners.
PM Hotel Group and Ryan Butler
Ryan Butler, Corporate Director, Sustainability + Energy for PM Hotel Group, is the latest sustainability leader to be profiled here on Green Lodging News. One of the biggest trends in hospitality in recent years has been the appointment of executives like Ryan to C-level spots. In Ryan’s case, he oversees sustainability initiatives at a company with 70 hotels and 58 brands. PM Hotel Group is a great example of a hotel management company that has embraced the green programs of the brands that it manages while helping to escalate those programs to new levels.
One all-star property managed by PM Hotel Group is the LEED Platinum Home2 Suites by Hilton Silver Spring in Maryland. Compared to a standard hotel, that property offers a water savings of 42 percent and energy savings of 35 percent. A rooftop solar array provides 9 percent of the hotel’s electricity needs.
Be sure to read the article based on my interview with Ryan. It may be the first time you ever read about magnet fishing. At its 2023 Leadership Conference, over 250 leaders across PM Hotel Group gathered at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to participate in that type of fishing—the casting of magnets into the water to catch metal trash. “It was a fun activity that became a sustainable education activity,” Ryan told me.
Green Lodging News Adds Commercial Green Solutions Case Study to Website
Green Lodging News has added new case studies to the Vendor Case Studies section of its website. The Commercial Green Solutions (CGS) case studies focus on projects completed in 2022/23 in Pennsylvania and Virginia, highlighting how hotel operators and owners are benefiting from utility programs. Westfield Marriott of Dulles wanted to better understand the condition of their mechanical systems and identify ways to improve energy efficiency. Partnering with CGS allowed the client to leverage Dominion Energy’s (utility paid) building tune up program and ASHRAE Level 1 energy audit. Projects ranged from PTAC cleaning to chiller tune-ups. The estimated annual savings was $33,354.
In the second case study, Hamco, an owner/operator of multiple flags was interested in utility programs but didn’t have bandwidth to pursue all the opportunities. By partnering with CGS, they took advantage of the SBDI efficiency program offered by First Energy PA for 11 of their properties across central and western Pennsylvania. The client received PTAC cleanings, smart tstats and PTHP replacements all covered by the utility program. The estimated annual savings was $135,934.
To view the case studies, click here.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in our Green Supplier Spotlights!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes the Wednesday Green Supplier Spotlight and Thursday Green Suppliers Spotlight. Green Supplier Spotlight features just one vendor and Green Suppliers Spotlight features multiple vendors. Click here for a Green Supplier Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Both e-blasts that reach 19,840 subscribers have been built to generate quick leads. A report is sent a week after each e-blast that includes the number of e-mails sent, number of opens, and number of click-throughs. Contact Glenn Hasek at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com for more information.
Planning Advertising for 2024?
In addition to the Spotlight ads described above, Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for other advertising spots for 2024. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. The Green Lodging News website just set a traffic record last month with 63,531 different visitors. Interested in receiving a 2024 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlights currently stands at 19,840. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,719 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has more than 1,300 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
