According to Green Key Global, operators of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key), Konover Hotel Corporation is the first management company in the U.S. to attain Green Key certification for its entire portfolio. While several hotel management companies have certified individual properties, Konover is the first with 100% adoption.
Konover certified 17 select-service and economy hotels throughout New England and the Midwest, representing a variety of branded and independent properties.
Several of the properties belong to brands with an existing partnership with Green Key, such as Microtel (via the Wyndham Hotel Group) and Country Inn & Suites (via Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group).
"We are proud of our work to date in registering our portfolio for Green Key and in our status as the first management company with full program participation," said Peter Mason, CHA, executive vice president of Konover Hotel Corp. "But this is just a first step towards our goal of running sustainable properties. The resources made available to Green Key members, in particular the performance report issued to new members, have helped our properties make incremental progress towards this goal."
Green Key, which is currently the largest green hotel certification program in the world, with nearly 3,000 members, provides a variety of educational tools to members to help them reduce their environmental footprint, save money and effectively market themselves to eco-conscious consumers. The Green Key Performance Report is a comprehensive document tailored to each participating property, with recommendations and resources based on how the property responded to the Green Key questions.
"Green Key's original mission was as an educational program, and that remains to this day," said Tony Pollard, managing director of Green Key Global. "It is very gratifying to us when a company fully commits to the program in that spirit, rolls up its sleeves and gets started, and Konover has embraced the process.»
Green Key membership begins with each property taking a comprehensive 160-question self assessment that evaluates its performance in all facets of sustainable hotel operations; once the self-assessment is completed, its answers are tabulated and the property is awarded a ranking of 1 to 5 Keys and a corresponding display plaque. The program then generates the aforementioned performance report that includes recommendations, best practices and potential areas for improvement and savings. Participating properties are listed on the www.greenkeyglobal.com website, a valuable resource for environmentally conscious travelers and meeting planners, and also are recognized through Green Key Global's network of marketing partners including AAA, Travelocity and Expedia, among others. The Green Key process also includes random, on-site verification inspections of audit results.