WHAT IS THE HOTEL INDUSTRY'S IMPLICATION OF LEED CERTIFICATION?

 We as LEED certification companies, Concerns about LEED certification is developing among customers, hotel brands, architects, and developers. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Facility Rating System, created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), considers environmental and human health concerns when evaluating an environmentally friendly hotel or other facility. A building must receive points for meeting specific green standards in six categories—sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design—to become certified LEED. The building is then categorized as Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum based on the total number of points it has achieved.


 

Being LEED certification companies, building a LEED-certified hotel was always thought to come with a price tag, but it's debatable if this cost difference still exists in the current construction market. According to the USGBC, as of 2007, the cost difference between developing a green hotel and a regular hotel is roughly one to two percent. Costs can be reduced when developers start building or remodeling a hotel utilizing LEED designs and materials immediately. A significant portion of the initial cost premium for labor and materials can be recovered through incentive payments from the local government and higher room rates for the completed product. Customers who value environmental sustainability are frequently willing to pay more for goods that align with their values.

As LEED certification companies, LEED-certified buildings can sell more hotel nights at better prices and save 30–50% on energy consumption, 35–50% on carbon emissions, 40–50% on water emissions, and 70–80% on solid waste. Comparable non-green buildings frequently have lower resale values than LEED-certified buildings. Some advantages of LEED buildings are more challenging to quantify; for example, improved indoor air quality may boost staff output and make hotel guests happier. Hotels can obtain a competitive edge over other lodging establishments by providing eco-friendly amenities such as low-emission wallpaper, recycling, energy-saving measures, and charging a premium for rooms. Though more than 100 hotels have expressed their desire to get LEED-certified, there are currently just eight LEED-certified hotels in the United States.

We believe as LEED certification companies, there has been a deliberate effort made in hotels to become more environmentally friendly, even if many needed to be constructed in compliance with LEED guidelines. In addition to recycling alternatives, energy-saving lighting, water-efficient toilets and faucets, and recycled paper products, many green hotels have started using non-toxic cleaners to clean their public areas and guestrooms. Is this, however, essential to a hotel's success? Is building a LEED-certified, or at the very least environmentally "green," hotel necessary to have a competitive advantage in today's accommodation market? Being green is a trend in the hotel business that is here to stay once visitors and developers realize it won't sacrifice comfort or design.

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