Hotel greens up the bottom line, too

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa just became the seventh hotel in Hawaii to get the Energy Star seal of approval, moving its rank in the nationwide list of top 25 percent of environmentally efficient buildings.

OK, so that's good news for environmentally conscious planners, but was it worth the portion of the $60 million Marriott International spent on the property since it bought the hotel five years ago? According to a press release:

After the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa invested over a million dollars in four new chillers and energy efficient lighting fixtures throughout the resort, the resort recorded an annual savings of $350,000 in energy operating costs and reaped more than $150,000 in rebates from the Hawaiian Electric Company.

I'd say that's a pretty positive endorsement for doing the right thing, wouldn't you?

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