Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has achieved World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers targets, reducing its operational CO2 emissions by 20 percent below 2006 levels, becoming the first hotel brand to meet this environmental goal.
To meet the Climate Savers agreement, Fairmont undertook a variety of initiatives globally, which included:
Individual Fairmont properties went about reducing their carbon footprints through a range of efforts.
At Fairmont Le Montreux Palace pumping water from Lake Geneva saves more than 60 percent of annual electricity consumption, compared to a standard air-conditioning installation (340,000 kwh/year).
In London, The Savoy, a Fairmont-managed hotel, installed a centralized compressor plant for all kitchen walk-in fridges and freezers. The hotel’s refrigeration plant reclaims waste-heat to preheat domestic hot water by 5 degrees Celsius. Reclaiming waste heat produces an approximate saving of £38,500 ($59,208) over the course of the year, and reduces the loading and firing rate of the boilers, which also extends the expected life of the boiler and reduces maintenance costs.
Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii heats its pool using waste heat from a chiller system at no cost. If the hotel were to heat its pool using conventional heating methods (like propane) it would cost more than $90,000 per year. The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii is now examining the potential to apply solar films on windows and panels on the roof of the hotel to generate more of its power from a more sustainable source.
In the Canadian Rockies, the Fairmont Banff Springs (pictured) began utilizing outdoor ambient temperatures for its chilled water system. It estimates that this will save about 368,750 kWh of energy consumption annually.
In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, hotels' sustainability efforts can also generate revenue. A Cornell University study published last August found LEED-certified hotels make more money in average daily rates and revenue per available room than their non-LEED competitors.
