Tell us about Outrigger Hotels & Resorts.

Outrigger Resorts & Hotels is a “toes-in-the-sand brand” with a bold mission to be the premier beach resort company in the world. We currently have 33 properties in Hawai‘i, Fiji, Mauritius, Thailand, and Maldives. Each of our resorts have five iconic elements, or brand pillars including: a renowned beach location, a must-see beach bar, an authentic live-music experience, signature experiences rooted in local culture, and a commitment to conservation.

Our corporate culture stems from a platform called The Outrigger Way – founded 30 years ago – it’s a tripod of authentically caring for host, guest, and place with our values as our guide. It serves as a compass for key business decisions and helps to ensure that we celebrate the host culture in every destination we reside.

What does sustainability mean to Outrigger?

As a premier beach resort company, Outrigger’s link to the ocean is unbreakable. Because healthy oceans make for healthy communities, many of our sustainability ESG (environment, social, governance) and sustainability initiatives as well as our partnerships are connected to ocean conservation. We recently presented a new plan with baseline metrics for ESG goals across all Outrigger Resorts & Hotels with programmatic approaches and specific KPIs connected to 23 initiatives. 2023 will be a year of executing this plan.

What innovation or accomplishment are you most proud of from a sustainability standpoint?

Since 2014, Outrigger has had a global conservation initiative called Outrigger ZONE (OZONE) that is dedicated to increasing coral health and resiliency in the waters surrounding our iconic beach destinations. The inspiration for this came from our Castaway Island, Fiji property where the Mamanuca Environment Society was one of the first to propagate coral from broken pieces. Today, Outrigger ZONE is activated through coral planting with guests, hands-on educational opportunities including our Coral Kids Clubs, beach cleanups, and more. Since this platform launched, we have preserved and protected more than 100 football fields of coral. Outrigger is also the pioneer Hawai‘i hospitality company to promote reef-safe sunscreen to its guests.

Outrigger ZONE continues to thrive today and has expanded to incorporate additional environmental initiatives including reducing energy, water, and waste.

Do your guests value your commitment to sustainability?

Outrigger has a number of ways that we involve guests with our green initiatives, depending on the unique attributes of the property and location. For example, at our newly transformed Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, guests are welcomed with a re-usable beach bag and metal water bottle to refill during their stay to reduce plastic waste. The impressive artwork at the hotel entrance is made of plastic fishing rope that was discarded in the ocean and washed up on the Hawai‘i shores. This piece, created by artist and marine biologist, Ethan Estess, helps to ignite dialogue about the importance of sustainability and plastic reduction. At the A‘o Cultural Center, guests learn how sustainability was a way of life for Native Hawaiians and at our pool deck, complimentary reef-safe sunscreen is provided to help ensure that harmful chemicals don’t end up in the ocean.

Data shows that the share of eco-conscious travelers has risen consistently over the past decade and increasingly these consumers want to stay in sustainable accommodations. In post-stay reviews, TripAdvisor, and social media comments, we have seen an appreciation for Outrigger’s conservation efforts and that this is a factor in the high rate of return guests.

How about your staff?

Outrigger hosts are at the heart of our sustainability initiatives. Each property has Outrigger ZONE ambassadors that help to localize activities and programming for guests. Hosts participate in OutriggerCARES Volunteer opportunities each quarter that are connected with ocean health – this ranges from beach cleanups to the removal of invasive vegetation and re-planting native species. Our Fiji property has an environment officer, and our Maldives property has a marine biologist on staff at all times.

What do you value in your partnership with Green Seal?

Outrigger is proud to be the first in the State of Hawai‘i to earn the prestigious Green Seal sustainability certification for its properties, as well as the first hospitality brand to pursue the certification outside of the United States in Fiji and Mauritius. The Green Seal designation further solidifies Outrigger’s allegiance to meeting the highest standards of protecting the health and environment for its guests and hosts. It’s helpful to have a third-party review and validate the efforts that Outrigger is taking – especially in connection with reducing energy, water, and waste.

Additionally, our Green Seal certified properties show up as “Eco-Certified” in Google Travel hotel search results, making it easier for consumers to find and book a certified Outrigger property.

Outrigger is also part of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) – a collection of 40 brands with 800 hotels spread across 100 countries; the GHA DISCOVERY loyalty program is now launching a “Green Collection” inclusive of only green-certified resorts. Green Seal is one of only a dozen global certification programs that meet the standards required to be listed in the Green Collection.

What’s next for Outrigger?

Celebrating our 75th Anniversary this year, Outrigger is looking at implementing science-based standards that raise the bar on sustainability. With thousands of people coming through our resorts and hotels each day, we have an incredible opportunity to help educate our guests and make a positive difference. We’re committed to growing our barefoot luxury brand and investing in our people and the planet along the way.

While travelers consistently report a preference for green accommodations (a 2022 global traveler survey found 72% of respondents intend to stay in a green accommodation at least once during the year), there is often a disconnect between what people say and what they do. Researchers revealed how to narrow this so-called “intention-behavior gap” for sustainability minded travelers.

People are more likely to book nights at green-certified hotels when the properties advertise their rates alongside rates for comparable hotels, according to the study. Providing information on how green certification reduces energy and water use also increased bookings.

Researchers found that taking these steps counteracts two of the main barriers to converting eco-certifications into sales: the misconception that green hotels are more expensive, and confusion about what eco-certification means and whether it’s a marketing ploy.

“Our research demonstrates that it is possible to convert customers’ intentions to “become green” into actual sales,” said Christina Chi, professor of hospitality business management at Washington State University’s Carson College of Business and the study’s lead author. 

Green Seal-certified hotels are well positioned to capitalize on this research by communicating the features of their certification. Certified properties are verified to meet leadership standards for recycling, energy use, water use, HVAC maintenance, and sustainable purchasing, among other criteria. A snapshot of the many sustainability attributes of Green Seal-certified hotels is here.

In addition, Green Seal-certified properties are now highlighted for eco-conscious travelers on hotel booking sites like Booking.com and Google Travel, making it easy for travelers to compare prices between comparable certified and un-certified properties.

Green Seal-certified hotels earn their credentials. With interest in wellness tourism and eco-conscious travel at record highs, communicating to travelers what those credentials mean can bring well-deserved financial benefits.

Google’s new environmentally preferable hotel designation makes it easier for travelers to choose safer, healthier, and certified green hotels. To be added to the tool, hotels must update their Google My Business account with their sustainability practices and maintain an ecolabel certification from a participating third-party organization.

Now more than ever, guests are looking for proven-green properties. In 2019, 70% of global travelers said they were more likely to book a green accommodation, and 62% preferred one with an ecolabel. Today, spurred by what a recent report calls the “pandemic effect,” consumers are continuing to turn toward sustainable travel, with 83% agreeing that sustainable travel is vital and 61% citing the pandemic as a reason they want to travel more sustainably moving forward.

Green Seal’s Environmental Leadership Standard for Hotels is a thorough, multi-attribute guide for hotel operations that addresses many of the areas sustainably minded travelers care about. The standard targets significant impacts, including healthier indoor air; pollution prevention; waste minimization; green purchasing policies, and energy and water efficiency. Hotels certified to Green Seal’s standard automatically qualify for inclusion in Google’s “Eco-Certified” tool, demonstrating to prospective guests that they provide the healthiest, greenest spaces.

When USC rebranded our university-owned hotel as USC Hotel a year ago, we made it a goal to be an example of sustainability practices in the hospitality industry.  Traditional hospitality practices use significant resources and materials and generate substantial waste. We aim to serve our hotel guests and the Trojan Family responsibly and strive for a more sustainable future for the next generation of Trojans.

In a major step toward sustainability, USC Hotel has now achieved certification from Green Seal, a national leader in setting environmental standards. To earn this premier certification, the hotel underwent an in-depth audit of purchasing records, practices and on-site operations to meet Green Seal’s GS-33 green lodging standard.

A Sustainable Stay

USC Hotel’s sustainability efforts, aligned with Green Seal’s guiding principles, have produced impressive results. Since January 2019, the hotel has kept 250,000 plastic bottles out of landfills and composted 5,000 pounds of food waste. By switching to glassware in guest rooms, the hotel is saving 36,000 paper cups a year.

USC Hotel has transitioned to environmentally conscious vendors, including those that incorporate recyclables into their packaging and accept the packaging back after it’s been used. Linen, blankets and pillows that are being replaced are donated to local homeless and animal shelters. Thanks to waste diversion and composting, the hotel has kept over 30 tons of materials out of landfills. A property-wide conversion to LED lighting is nearly complete, which will cut electricity use by up to 75%.

Silver-Level Certification

USC Hotel is certified at the advanced silver level, which requires facility-wide measures to reduce waste, water and energy use, along with products that contribute to pollution. Single-use plastics are being reduced or eliminated under a “less is best” policy. Drought resistant landscaping and plumbing fixtures are cutting water use, and the hotel has switched to nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning products. Other sustainable steps include:

• Durable equipment and furniture that can be reupholstered, refinished or recycled.
• Shower curtains made of recycled plastic water bottles.
• New, energy-efficient washers and dryers.
• Extensive staff training in waste reduction, water conservation and energy savings.

USC could not have achieved this rigorous certification without the enthusiastic support from our people. Our team members are partners in sustainability and have us their full support in learning and following better practices.

USC Hotel’s Green Seal certification is a milestone in the hotel’s commitment to a sustainable urban future and lines up with the university’s forthcoming 2028 sustainability plan. We look forward to partnering with Green Seal as we continually seek new measures to reduce USC Hotel’s impact on the environment. 

“It’s a generational shift, in my opinion,” said Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News. “Gone are the days when you had travelers who grew up smoking cigarettes and breathing smog in dirty cities. Travelers are increasingly interested in experiencing a healthy stay and being offered health and wellness options, from spa experiences at high-end hotels to something as simple as a bike sharing program that offers the opportunity to see the city on wheels instead of with a carbon-emitting vehicle.”

For the lodging industry, this shift means guests increasingly treat travel as a chance to demonstrate their commitment to health and sustainability, rather than escape from it. Figures from the Global Wellness Institute show wellness tourism growing twice as fast as tourism overall, reaching a $639 billion market in 2017. And contrary to popular belief, relatively few wellness trips are to destination spas or meditation retreats. Nearly 90 percent are regular leisure or business trips where travelers choose to participate in wellness experiences.

“Having green-friendly practices and wellness services and amenities are no longer a ‘nice to have,’ they are an expectation, particularly from the luxury traveler,” said Dant Hirsh, general manager of the Dominick Hotel, an independent luxury hotel located in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. The company underscored its commitment to health and sustainability by earning a Green Seal Bronze certification in 2018, meeting rigorous benchmarks in areas including minimizing waste, preventing pollution, conserving energy, managing water resources and purchasing greener products. For wellness travelers, the Dominick offers partnerships with several local fitness boutiques and an on-site fitness center with Peloton bikes, and it is revamping its spa with updated suites and custom amenities that appeal to the fitness and wellness traveler.

However, hotels don’t need to offer expensive spa services to facilitate wellness for their guests, Hasek said. Simple steps like providing maps of local trails and eco-conscious soaps and amenities also contribute to a healthier stay.

Several health-related features already are mainstream at hotels worldwide. According to Greenview’s 2018 Green Lodging Trends Report, the majority of hotels now use low-VOC or VOC-free paints in renovations and additions, provide eco-conscious amenities for guests, and conduct annual carbon monoxide and radon testing. A growing number of hotels also are evaluating suppliers in human rights areas, providing portable air purifiers, and designating more than 90% of guestrooms as non-smoking.

Hasek said hotels increasingly are embedding health and wellness programs in their overall sustainability strategies, as they go hand in hand with initiatives already underway on the properties. At the Dominick Hotel, for example, equipping rooms with iPads cuts down on paper use and also allows the company to offer guests custom digital workouts.

The most successful health and sustainability programs often have staff-wide buy-in, and hotels that involve associates in their green and wellness initiatives report positive culture shifts and happier employees. At the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, a Green Seal Silver certified property in Los Angeles, associates formed a “green team” comprising representatives from each department who champion specific sustainability initiatives. Some were so inspired by the mission that they began implementing the practices at home as well, said Claudia Lambaren, the hotel’s senior sales and marketing coordinator.

Today, Westin Bonaventure associates are integral to projects including targeting zero-waste in the cafeteria, implementing a water reclamation system in the laundry facility, installing trash sorting and recycling bins throughout the property, purchasing from sustainable local vendors, recycling unused amenities through the Clean the World program, and offering business customers Westin Clutter-Free Meetings with socially conscious amenities and green features including energy efficient light bulbs, double-sided meeting pads and water pitchers instead of bottled water.

Hotel executives stress that their sustainability and wellness programs reach both to the front and the back of the house. At the Dominick, employees enjoy discounts with neighborhood fitness partners and healthy meal options at the staff cafeteria. “The employees are the heart of the house, so we strive to ensure that any benefit we launch at the hotel benefits both guests and associates.”

The Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, a Green Seal Silver certified hotel, offers a wellness food section in their cafeteria and a free charging station for employees who drive electric vehicles. The hotel also hosts awareness campaigns employees to participate in throughout the year and celebrates Earth Hour, Earth Day, World Food Day and other national days.

“We emphasize the fact that our daily gestures have a real impact on our community, and that going green also involves a social responsibility,” said Cecile Sandral-Lasbordes, the hotel’s marketing and public relations manager. The hotel’s “green team” is dedicated to using sustainable, recyclable, energy efficient and non-toxic items throughout every aspect of the hotel’s day-to-day operations, and ensures a minimum of 50 percent of the hotel’s food purchases are from local or regional vendors. The hotel also implements a WATCH program that trains employees to recognize signs of child sexual exploitation and coordinate with local partners and law enforcement to respond.

With their Green Seal certifications, all of the hotels committed to using cleaning products that are free of harmful chemicals that can exacerbate asthma and other health conditions, a measure that is especially beneficial to cleaning associates. In fact, employers that prioritize employee health often find they are rewarded with more productive associates who take fewer sick days and cost less to insure.

“Healthier employees cost less in the long run,” said Hasek. He pointed to the innovate, self-insured employee healthcare model developed by Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Florida. The company’s health offering includes its own medical center for employees and their dependents, same-day appointments, low premiums and a strong focus on preventative health and wellness (a mandatory stretching program for housekeeping staff and other employees prone to musculoskeletal problems reduced injuries by 25 percent). The plan has already saved the company $340 million and contributed to a low annual employee turnover rate of less than 15 percent, compared to the industry-wide average of 60 percent.

Hotels are also seeing sales and marketing benefits from their health and sustainability investments as both leisure and business guests make green a requirement. “Questions regarding our green practices and wellness benefits are standard from decision-makers at companies that are looking to hold a group program here or assign a corporate account,” said the Dominick Hotel. “Having a strong stake in these initiatives gives us a competitive advantage.”

At the Westin Bonaventure, Lambaren said many of the hotel’s customers include green recycling requirements in their proposal requests. “We have seen an increase with requests for information, and we have had several groups stay with us because of our green efforts,” she said.

At the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, the hotel’s green and wellness standards align the property with the meetings criteria of prime businesses, Sandral-Lasbordes said. “Big corporations and technology pioneers like Google or Microsoft have substantial environmental charters in place and want their partners to be the same.”

But the ultimate business benefit of the hotel’s health and sustainability initiatives, says Sandral-Lasbordes, is the engagement of employees. “The excitement and satisfaction they portray when helping the community and the planet is beyond rewarding.”

Editors Note: This article was reprinted with permission from the Hotel Business

Green Seal recently collaborated with the Bren School of Environmental Sciences and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a year-long study to quantify the environmental benefits (in terms of greenhouse gas [GHG] reductions) for hotels in the City of Los Angeles that are certified under Green Seal’s hotel standard (GS-33).

Let’s go back a few years to get the full picture…. in 2008, the City of Los Angeles recognized the role hotels can play in reducing the city’s overall GHG emissions, and created the Los Angeles Green Lodging Program (LAGLP) to meet its Climate Action Plan goals.  Green Seal was selected as the official certifier for the LAGLP, which now has 7 certified participating hotels including: JW Marriott Los Angeles LIVE, Hilton Universal City, Hilton Los Angeles Airport, Sheraton Gateway, Crowne Plaza, Westin Bonaventure, and Westin Los Angeles Airport. Los Angeles now has more Green Seal-certified hotels than any city in the nation (over 6 million square feet certified), with a number of additional hotels in the process of getting certified.  Until the recent Bren Study, however, neither the City nor Green Seal had a quantitative metric of the environmental benefits of the LAGLP.

The Bren team used electricity consumption data from 6 certified hotels in Los Angeles, and found that on average:

• entering at Bronze level saw 2.8% reduction in GHG emissions,
• those progressing to Silver saw an added reduction of 8.8% (hotels entering directly at Silver would see a 2.8% + 8.8% = 11.6% reduction)
• those progressing to Gold saw a further reduction of 18.2% (hotels entering directly at Gold would see a 11.6% + 18.2% = 29.8% reduction)

The Bren team took this study one step further to see how Green Seal certification benefits a hotel itself. They conducted surveys of over 1000 participants and found that consumers were willing to pay $6.50 more per night for hotels with demonstrated sustainability measures.

A case study by the Bren team showed that meeting the most basic requirement in the GS-33 standard of upgrading lighting (mandated by the Bronze level), can reduce a hotel’s emissions by a total of 1,066 MT CO2 annually, which is equivalent to emissions from 225 passenger vehicles driven for a year. Furthermore, these replacements reaped financial benefits as well: over a 20-year project cash flow period, the hotel would see $1,562,157 in cumulative savings from avoided utility costs.  Hotels can target lighting upgrades as “low-hanging fruit” thatyield higher benefits than costs. 

Finally, the Bren team also created a user-friendly Excel-based tool that can be used by an individual hotel to calculate its GHG reductions and financial savings from different energy and electricity reduction projects undertaken because of Green Seal certification. This tool can be used by hotel managers and engineers to calculate their GHG and long-term financial savings.

As hotels across the globe increasingly embrace green practices, it is important for the lodging industry to pursue practices with real environmental benefits. Hotels can be one of the most energy and GHG intensive buildings, as they tend to keep lights on throughout hallways at night or run thermostats even when there are no occupants in the room. Green Seal’s GS-33 Hotels and Lodging Properties standard requires hotels to upgrade their energy intensive equipment and to integrate sustainability practices in their daily operations.

The Bren study strengthens the findings of an independent study by Washington State University, which stated that:  “The single most important thing is to become certified by an independent and credible agency such as Green Seal and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), the major certification programs in the lodging industry.”