PM Hotel Group Commits to 100% Green Energy Portfolio

CHEVY CHASE, MD— PM Hotel Group has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. As of January 2020, PM Hotel Group is exclusively purchasing Green power to meet 100% of the electricity needs for their entire hotel portfolio. PM Hotel Group is the first Top-100 hotel management company in the U.S. to be recognized by the EPA and to take this portfolio-wide pledge.

“PM Hotel Group has always been very focused on sustainability; this isn’t new for us,” Christie Berlin, director of sustainability and facilities of PM Hotel Group, told Hotel Business. “Respect—specifically, respect for the planet—is one of our core values and we are committed to it. The threat that climate change poses is real and requires bold change. This commitment together with our recycling, water reduction and food waste programs amongst other initiatives, is the next step in helping to do our part to protect the planet. We hope others will follow.”

Green power is a subset of renewable energy and includes only the renewable energy sources that provide the greatest environmental benefit. Unlike renewable energy sources, green power sources do not require time to regenerate. Green electricity is produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas or low impact small, hydroelectric sources. By joining the voluntary green power market, PM Hotel Group and other Green Power Partners are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution while concurrently reducing their carbon footprint and supporting future clean power developments.

Berlin added, “We’re proud to be leaders in this area. Our associates and guests are inspired by our collaborative commitment to the environment, driving preference and loyalty with both. In addition to being good for the planet, it has the added benefit of being good for business. Reducing energy use in operations, reducing waste from operations and reducing water also drive profit margins.”

PM Hotel Group’s annual estimated green power usage of 3,561,814 kWh will be powered through a combination of REC purchases, bundled third-party supply agreements and utility green tariffs.

“At PM Hotel Group our commitment to sustainability extends beyond our hotels. The real threat that climate change poses requires bold change,” said Joseph Bojanowski, president of PM Hotel Group. “We are passionate about pushing ourselves to identify new ways to preserve and protect the planet by reducing our carbon footprint, supporting conservation and inspiring our associates to champion these efforts.”

In 2019, PM Hotel Group invested in programs and infrastructure across its portfolio that yielded positive results to the environmental. These included a 15% YOY increase in generated solar energy, a 7.84% YOY reduction in water usage and nearly a quarter of a million plastic water bottles saved through hydration stations in its hotels.

“Sustainability isn’t a marketing buzzword; it is the right thing to do,” Berlin said. “Consumers are increasingly showing their environmental awareness by choosing to do business with responsible companies. Reducing energy use, reducing our carbon footprint, using recyclable or environmentally friendly products and processes, and investing in the planet’s future is being demanded of us by our associates, our guests and our business partners. Additionally, In an environment where operating expenses are rising faster that revenue, we are all looking to areas of potential cost savings.”