Up until now, a hotel being green certified (or not) was mostly about personal convictions and PR benefits. But now the impact is about to get very real. Effective Sept 30, 2010, federal travelers have been instructed to stay in properties that are green certified.

Source:GSA.gov

The circular sent to the heads of all federal agencies says “travelers should look for properties that are LEED certified, have earned EPA’s Energy Star rating or participate in EPA’s Waste Wise and WaterSense programs, and that have made a stated commitment to practicing environmentally preferable purchasing in the products and services used by the property.”

The circular also suggests that travelers should consider hotels within walking distance of the event site, and hold meetings in places offering green conference/meeting facilities and lodging for attendees.

CVBs likely to be most impacted – such as Maryland’s Anne Arundel County which comes under the DC Metro area, have already started pushing hoteliers to go green in anticipation of the implementation of this policy over the next 18 months.

According to comments made by Marriott’s Anne Sorenson and USGBC’s Chris Smith, this change in federal travel policy is likely to be followed by similar changes in the business travel policies of large corporations dealing with federal contracts, such as Northrop Grumman and other defense contractors.

Marriott International’s corporate HQ in Bethesda, MD got LEED gold certifed (existing building) earlier this year. The company has around 30 hotels that are LEED certified or registered, and plans to have an LEED portfolio of 300 properties by 2015.

Marriott has also come up with a pre-certified LEED prototype for its Courtyard brand, which automatically qualifies new hotels under the brand to go for LEED certification. The new prototype is expected to save owners roughly $100,000, six months in design time and up to 25% energy and water savings.

Starwood has done the same with a pre-certified LEED prototype for its Elements hotel brand. Starwood, which currently has over 1000 hotels, expects an overall 30% reduction in energy use per available room and a 20% decrease in water consumption by 2020.

Paul Sacco, Senior VP Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., says “Building from a prototype that’s already LEED pre-approved means that Starwood helps our partners substantially reduce consulting fees, spend less on applications and certifications, and minimize documentation requirements wherever possible.”

With USGBC’s Portfolio Program making it easier for hotels to get entire brands certified, and federal employees flocking towards green hotels and meetings facilities, you can expect to see a lot more hotel companies and event venues start going all out to get green certification in the next two years.

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