Hilton Sets Green Goals, Names Sustainability VP

Hilton Hotels Corp. announced four major sustainability goals for its family of hotels that it hopes to attain by 2014:

• Reduce energy consumption from direct operations by 20 percent.
• Reduce Co2 emissions by 20 percent.
• Reduce output of waste by 20 percent.
• Reduce water consumption by 10 percent.

Hilton serves a quarter-billion guests a year in more than 3,000 hotels across 74 countries. “In meeting the growing demand for increased travel around the world, we must be able to do so in a sustainable fashion,” said Hilton President and CEO Christopher Nassett.

The company also has committed to focus on several high-impact areas that offer significant long-term benefits. Sustainable buildings and operations will be one key area, including the advancement of sustainable design and construction, operations, chemical management, and purchasing. The company is also committed to the renewable energy as a source of power for its operations, not only to reduce its carbon footprint, but also to develop a viable commercial infrastructure for powering hotels and corporate offices.

In the past year, in partnership with Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting, Hilton conducted a thorough assessment of its global operations with the goal of identifying current impacts and creating a strategy to build sustainability into the business. 
Under the direction of a newly appointed vice president, global sustainability, Christopher Corpuel, Hilton will build a team to develop and implement its sustainability strategy. This team will work closely with hotel ownership and management groups.

In addition, Hilton will create educational and engagement programs for all brands and team members, including online learning, centralized Web content, and training modules. The company will measure and report on its progress. And its operational, design, and construction standards will be revised for 2009 to ensure internal and external best practices are shared and adopted around the globe.

Finally, Hilton will evaluate all purchasing policies across the brands to ensure that the range of products placed in hotels not only enhance the guest experience but drive value for owners while supporting the company’s overall sustainability efforts.