SUSTAINABILITY

REDUCE

• Guest Services rolled out a program to replace single-use lodging amenities with bulk amenities. Properties have been added to this program on an annual basis, and it should be in place at all our lodging units by the end of 2022.
• We’ve implemented a cleaning system using ionized water that cuts the use of cleaning chemicals by over 25% in the average lodging facility. The system should be installed at all Guest Services managed lodging facilities by the end of 2022.
• Guest Services committed to ending the use of single-use plastic at all properties. We stopped the distribution of single-use plastic bags and drink stirrers at 100% of the units in which we operate, and we continued our “Skip the Straw” initiative to reduce the use of single-use straws across the portfolio.
• We’ve been invested in charging stations at many of our managed properties. In 2021, additional charging stations were added at our managed condo in Naples, Florida—The Marbella at Pelican Bay.
• Guest Services operates five propane-gas-powered vehicles at Mount Rainier National Park. These vehicles cut carbon monoxide emissions by more than 90 percent compared to conventionally powered trucks. Nitrogen oxide emissions and hydrocarbon emissions are reduced by more than 50 percent; these vehicles produce fewer carcinogenic pollutants and almost no particulate matter.
• Guest Services has been replacing conventional light bulbs with LED bulbs wherever possible, saving 70% of electricity comparatively.
• Guest Services buys over 40 percent of its electricity from non-carbon energy sources, substantially reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
• We have instituted various opportunities at our units for use of alternative electricity sources, such as using solar lights and using solar power for hot water.
• Guest Services’ has lowered paper consumption by more than 850,000 sheets a year.
• Our job applications and hiring paperwork are now 100% electronic, saving more than 173,000 sheets a year.
• Our lodging facilities continue to utilize paperless checkout, saving 16,500 sheets a year.
• Corporate and regional accounting have committed to migrating more vendors to ACH and P-Card payments to decrease the use of paper checks.
• Guest Services uses 30 percent recycled content paper whenever possible, saving seven trees per ton of paper compared to virgin paper. In 2021, we used more than 72 million sheets of recycled paper, which also consumes 10 percent less energy and water to produce than virgin paper.
• We continue to increase our use of 100 percent recycled disposable napkins and bathroom paper towels. Production of these materials saves more than 50 percent of the energy used to produce virgin paper products. Packaging is also reduced, saving the equivalent of 517 trees, and 4.1 tons of plastic in a year.
• The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Naples, owned by Guest Services, tracks energy and water consumption to test the efficiency of its sustainability programs. This has reduced water consumption by almost 64 percent over the past five years.
• Purchasing environmentally friendly products reduces demand on the environment. For each category of items to be purchased by Guest Services operating units (for example: uniforms, cleaning supplies, equipment, or food products), we have a managed order guide (MOG), which functions as a catalog. Operating units are encouraged to purchase items identified in the MOGs as environmentally friendly. The MOGs are continually updated to increase the number of environmentally friendly items available. Eighty percent of Guest Services’ units participate in this environmentally friendly purchasing program.
• Included within the MOG practices is Guest Services’ EcoSmartTM This program has reduced total waste, carbon dioxide production, and fossil fuel emissions by 54 percent compared to the amounts generated by using conventional paper and disposable products.
• The MOG for cleaning supplies promotes the use of Ecolab’s Apex cleaning system and products in all units. These products use non-caustic chemicals and 90 percent less packaging material than conventional dishwashing products. Our use of the Apex system and products yielded the following reductions in 2021 (versus the use of conventional cleaning products):
  • 3,135 fewer pounds of plastic waste from cleaning product packaging
  • 786,888 fewer gallons of water consumed
  • 11,111 fewer therms of natural gas consumed
  • 59 fewer tons of carbon dioxide emitted
• Guest Services continued implementing our Sustainable Seafood program. Using the Marine Stewardship Council’s guidelines, we offer our guests quality sustainable seafood.
• Through agreements with our seafood purveyors, we have access to sustainable seafood, and we are able to support their Local Abundance education efforts, as well as their GreenFish Projects that help with the Carbon FishPrint System. In 2021, we served more than 5 tons of sustainable seafood to our guests.
  • We implemented our Dolphin Safe canned tuna program where we utilize only Albacore and Tongol tuna that are harvested in a dolphin-safe manner. We served more than 3.14 tons of eco-friendly packaged sustainable tuna in 2021.
  • We purchased and prepared more than 162.7 tons of locally raised poultry for our customers.
  • We used only trans-fat-free cooking oil—over 71 tons in 2021—of which over 50 percent is recycled after use.
  • We expanded our Go Local program with an emphasis on seasonal, local produce. Through our produce purveyors, we have seasonal access to farms throughout Virginia, New Jersey, New York, California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida.
  • We purchased more than 119.1 tons of growth hormone-free dairy products.
  • We continued to expand our local pork program, with 11.5 tons of pork products purchased locally.
  • We served coffee from the Rainforest Alliance, which assures that coffee is grown and harvested in a manner that is friendly to the ecosystem.
  • We served cage-free eggs, where available, totaling over 87,000 pounds of liquid, over 29,000 dozen shells, and over 7,300 dozen hard-cooked eggs in 2021.
  • We continued to train our cooks and kitchen staff to turn on ranges, ovens, and other equipment on an “as needed” basis to reduce energy usage.
• As part of our commitment to reducing waste, Guest Services began installing hydration stations at various properties in 2019. Our corporate office has multiple stations throughout the building for employees’ use.
• We have three hydration stations at Mount Rainier National Park for staff and visitors. These stations promote the use of personal water bottles and discourage the use and discarding of plastic bottles and cups. In 2021, guests filled 16,477 bottles using the station at Paradise Inn.
• Also in 2021, the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton in Naples, Florida, which is owned and operated by Guest Services, began a program of using refillable glass bottles for water in meetings held at the hotel, instead of providing disposable plastic bottles.

REUSE

• Guest Services’ lodging facilities joined the Clean the World program in June 2010. Clean the World accepts donations of used guestroom items (primarily soap and shampoo) to (after sanitizing) send to people around the world who are unable to afford these basic personal hygiene items. Due to the pandemic, donations were suspended in 2021, but we intend to reignite and expand this initiative in 2022.
• In the past, Guest Services’ lodging operations have donated over 5,000 gently used linens to local homeless shelters, including Tacoma Rescue Mission in Washington State. When sanitation guidelines allow our properties to do so again, we anticipate reinstating this program.

RECYCLE

• Guest Services’ food service operations at Mount Rainier have been separating food waste for composting since The food waste is taken off-site and turned into soil-enhancing material that is sold to area farms. Other Guest Services units have begun their own composting efforts, both on- and off-site.
• Many Guest Services operations have long-standing programs for recycling paper, glass, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. In 2021, total conventional recycling company-wide equaled over 93.3 tons of recycled material.
• Guest Services recycled over 12 tons of cooking oil in 2021. The recycled oil is processed and converted into either biodiesel or animal feed, depending on market demand.
• Guest Services Environmental Policy #302 requires that all electronic equipment waste be recycled at the end of its useful We utilize an organization called WiseTek to recycle electronic equipment waste. In previous years, we have recycled over 2,000 pounds of electronic equipment through this program.
• Since 2011, Guest Services has been utilizing Waste Management’s LampTracker system for tracking the recycling of fluorescent lights, batteries, and disposable items containing potentially hazardous waste. In 2021, we recycled 106 pounds of batteries, light bulbs, and fluorescent light ballasts.
• Guest Services has developed a company-wide program to recycle printer ink cartridges. We recycled 278 pounds of printer cartridges in 2021.