Home News & Features Destination Hotels Launches Green Meetings Platform

Destination Hotels Launches Green Meetings Platform

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ENGLEWOOD, COLO.—Building on its successful Destination Earth environmental sustainability program, Destination Hotels & Resorts has created a new platform for all group and meetings business which is built on green practices to reduce waste, conserve water, better manage energy output and more.

“A ‘green’ meeting will now be standard throughout all group, meeting and conference center properties in the Destination collection,” said Mark Hickey, senior vice president of operations for the company. “Basic principles of waste reduction, water conservation, as well as sustainable food and beverage practices are among the customary meeting offerings. However, there are different shades of green available too if a planner wants to employ even more aggressive sustainability practices. We believe this will allow our corporate clients, meeting planners, wedding planners and others to make informed choices about the environmentally aware options available throughout the collection.”

The Destination program was developed in conjunction with existing clients to address and meet their changing needs for group and meeting programs. Meeting planners who have worked with the company provided input and recommendations as the company developed its green meetings platform.

“We really listened to the meeting planning community,” Hickey said. “We understand how important these offerings can be to a company that practices sustainability, and we kept this in mind as the program offerings evolved.”

Key Sustainability Practices

Meetings, conferences and events at Destination properties now will take into account various sustainability practices in food and beverage operations and sourcing, meeting room setup and supplies, waste management, purchasing, energy efficiency and water conservation. Some of the key principles include:

• Recycling stations and bins will be available in all meeting rooms.
• White boards will be available instead of flip charts. However, if flip charts are used, only post-consumer recycled content paper will be available.
• Leftover conference supplies such as pens and paper will be donated or reused until depleted.
• Condiments such as ketchup, cream and milk will be offered in service vessels instead of individually packaged items.
• Local and in-season regional ingredients from sustainable suppliers and partners will be incorporated into menus.
• Any bottled water that is used will be sourced from within 750 miles of the hotel’s location.
• Digital thermostats will be installed to control meeting room temperatures.

Group and meeting planners also can choose to enhance their function by selecting even more sustainable options. Based on the needs of the planner, budgets and access to various products, properties also will offer:

• Organic food and beverage options along with sustainable meat, fish, pork and chicken.
• Bio-based flatware and recyclable/biodegradable plates and cups instead of plastic items.
• Various options can be selected to create a carbon-neutral event such as alternative fueled airport shuttles, free parking for hybrid vehicles and access to purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates.

Seven IACC-certified Facilities

Destination offers a variety of distinctive settings and experiences for group and meeting planners. From intimate gatherings to seven IACC-certified meeting facilities, there is a destination for any group or incentive program. The selection spans coast-to-coast and from sea level to altitude, with meeting experiences in one-of-a-kind settings. With such a unique array of choices, and valuable input from customers, Destination created a baseline meeting program that supported sustainable practices across the portfolio.

The program was designed in conjunction with Destination Earth, which creates a baseline standard of sustainable practices for the company’s hotels and condominiums while encouraging individual properties to be innovative in their operations. As properties reach various stages in their implementation, new levels of green business practices are identified and outlined for the collection. All properties are encouraged to be resourceful in indentifying and implementing green practices that are relevant to their operation and community.

“The collection’s green meeting standard is just one example of how we’ve created new levels of sustainability throughout the collection,” Hickey said. “Destination Earth is a dynamic program which evolves at each property based on the feedback of guests and associates. We believe our green meetings program will take on the same dynamic evolution as we continue to receive feedback from meeting planners, our suppliers and other key stakeholders.”

Go to Destination.

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