Energy Management in Hospitality - Sponsored Whitepaper

Like any other commercial enterprise, the hospitality industry is largely driven by operating margins. While hotels can be largely categorized as a function of the services (and levels of services) they provide to their guests, the fact remains that the successful hotelier is focused on achieving the critical balance between guest comfort, offered services, operating margins, and brand awareness, and on maintaining this balance in the long-term.

In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the hotel industry spent over $5 billion on energy in 2004, and that number continues to increase – especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War’s impact on oil prices.

Because of the intense focus on guest comfort, the steps that a hotelier can take in minimizing costs are often limited, if only by the guests’ perception of the effect those cost-cutting measures have on the “image” of the property.

One area where significant advances can be made is in energy management – and over the past decade, evidence of this trend may be seen at just about every hotel. The most common sign is “re-lamping” – replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with low-energy fluorescents. Another common approach is identifying thermal leakage points, such as windows and doors, and sealing them appropriately.