Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt Among 23 Hotels Launching Carbon Measurement Standard

by | Jun 18, 2012

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Fairmont, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental and 19 other international hotel companies have agreed on a standard to calculate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings.

The International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) formed the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative Working Group in early 2011 to create a unified methodology of measuring and reporting carbon emissions.

Current approaches vary widely, according to the working group. This can lead to confusion among consumers, particularly corporate clients, looking to understand their own carbon footprint and meet their own targets in this area. In addition, the number of methodologies and tools in use make transparency of reporting within the hotel industry difficult to achieve.

The methodology, named HCMI 1.0, was first developed in 2011 and is informed by the GHG Protocol Standards. Diverse properties around the world, from boutique hotels to resorts, casinos and major conference hotels, tested HCMI 1.0 over the past year, and received input from consultants KPMG before launching the standards. The World Resources Institute also reviewed the methodology.

Hotels in the working group include: Accor, Beijing Tourism Group, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Diamond Resorts International, Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, Jumeirah Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott International Inc, Meliá Hotels International, MGM Resorts International, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd, Pan Pacific Hotel Group, Premier Inn – Whitbread Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, TUI AG and Wyndham Worldwide.

The working group says it will fine-tune HCMI 1.0 over the next year, and encourage wide industry buy-in and use over the next two years.

Last month, Accor, the European hotel group that owns the Sofitel and Adagio brands, launched an interactive tool designed to help seminar organizers determine the carbon footprint of an upcoming event.

Photo Credit: The Fairmont San Francisco

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