Name: Naomi Mirsky
Title: Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation
Company: Denihan Hospitality Group
Years in position: Almost one year
Primary responsibilities: “Focusing on enhancing the financial performance and efficiency of the company’s portfolio, as well as the health and wellness of Denihan’s associates and customers. Developing a cohesive strategy so Denihan can get full value from what it does in the area of sustainability. Understanding where the industry and technology is going and bringing that back to Denihan to develop best practices.”
Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment so far: “Getting utility data into a format so that we can start using the information to make a positive impact. We started with our own portfolio. I am also proud of our donation strategy. If we replace 60 coffee tables, we find an organization we can donate the items to.”
Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge: “Our challenge is that we can do initiatives here and there but at the end of the day we need to change mindsets. That is the ultimate challenge. This year we will be focused on training. We never formalized it. It will not happen quickly.”
NEW YORK—It is becoming a common story in the lodging industry: Executive passionate about sustainability convinces higher ups to create a full-time position dedicated to implementing best, green practices. Naomi Mirsky, Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation for New York based Denihan Hospitality Group, did just that in her company. She joined Denihan in 2011 but in 2013 she pitched the idea of Denihan moving her into a full-time sustainability position. A year later, the middle of last year, Denihan gave her the title and responsibilities she wanted.
Now, a little more than half-way into her first year as Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation, Mirsky is helping to formalize Denihan’s commitment to efficiency and corporate social responsibility. Denihan, a nationally recognized, independent owner and operator of boutique hotels, currently has 14 total properties open with one under development. Two hotels are fully owned, six are majority owned, and six are managed.
“Denihan is a family company,” Mirsky says. “They like to take a pragmatic approach. Prior to my coming on board as Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation, there were individual things being done at the property level. Some partners were involved in energy projects but efforts were never looked at holistically.”
“Last year, when I started, I was focused on auditing our portfolio—making sure we have the best analytics,” Mirsky adds. “What are we doing well at? A lot of my day has to do with coming up with a plan and moving forward. How will we roll this out internally and externally? Part of my day is getting the data working. We set up a monthly reporting system. I am working on annual reporting so we can start looking at overall trends and setting targets.”
Older Buildings Create Unique Challenges
Owning and operating what are typically older buildings creates unique challenges for Denihan but it is already making some progress in energy efficiency.
“We are not usually working with new-builds,” Mirsky says. “Our first challenge is maintaining what we have and coming up with the preventive maintenance that keeps buildings running most efficiently. The second challenge is finding the new technologies we can implement in older buildings. Working with talented engineers is critical to achieving this goal.”
“We have already implemented thermostat controls and low-flow showerheads,” Mirsky adds. “We are working on lighting. We are replacing garage lighting at the Manhattan NYC hotel. This will produce $16,000 a year in savings. We are looking at our boilers to see if there are alternate energy sources we can look at. We are looking at cogeneration and different types of water systems that recycle water.”
Mirsky, who previously had the title of Capital Projects Finance Director with Denihan, says she loves the challenge of her current job. “It is a start-up within an existing company,” she says. “We have some great partners who have a good approach to sustainability. I love the new technology research.”
Cornell Experience Influenced Her
Mirsky holds an MBA degree from the Johnson Business School at Cornell University. She graduated from Cornell in May 2013. It was there, she says, that her interest in sustainability grew. “Cornell has a big focus on sustainable business practices,” Mirsky says. “Sustainability was very much in the language of what I was learning.”
Mirsky also earned a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. from the University of London.
Prior to joining Denihan, Mirsky was the Senior Director of Development for DLJ/Credit Suisse and Morgan’s Hotel Group, where she led the project and cost management team to develop the 1.6 million square foot renovation and expansion of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas (HRH). The project was successfully completed under the $800 million budget and ahead of schedule. Before her tenure at HRH, Mirsky was the Director, Architecture and Construction at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. There, she was responsible for overseeing new-build and renovation projects for the W, St. Regis and Luxury Collection brands.
Go to Denihan Hospitality Group.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
