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Responsible Business Practices
 In April 2008, Holiday Inn San Juan celebrated Earth Day for the first time by taking stock of its practices as the starting point for a sustained effort to improve its performance step by step.
From the beginning, it was clear that green-washing the hotel for image purposes is not acceptable; on the other hand, presuming to become ‘green’ overnight is not realistic. Our answer is a pledge that calls for a sustained effort over time to improve its performance step by step.
Our environment
An initial assessment of hotel operations revealed a solid foundation on which to build a comprehensive sustainability program.
- Through preventive maintenance and the replacement of light bulbs, showerheads and sink faucets with more efficient technologies, the hotel’s engineering department realized a reduction of 30% in its water and energy consumption over the course of one year (January 2007 to January 2008). The reductions were achieved despite the addition to the property of a laundry room and a water spray park.
- Light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures are currently being installed. LEDs have an exceptionally longer life span (seven years powered 24/7) and lower energy usage (90% more efficient) than traditional lighting. At the current energy rates, LED lights would further reduce consumption in the hotel equivalent to a savings of an additional $3,000 a month, approximately.
- Window treatments in guest rooms are kept closed during the day to help maintain guestrooms pleasant and cut down on the energy used to cool them during the warmer daytime hours.
- All electronic equipment is unplugged in unoccupied rooms. (TVs, DVD players, stereos, alarm clocks and other electronics with transformers continue to draw power, even when they're off or not charging anything, as long as they're plugged in.)
- Two water tanks collect rainwater, which filtered then supplies the water for the Spray Park. This is an effective and low-cost way of reducing demand on our local water supplies. A second system to harvest rainwater will be installed shortly to water the property’s grounds.
Waste Management
- The hotel kitchen houses a 250-gallon holding tank for used vegetable oil, which is recovered by a local company and repurposed as bio-diesel. This means thousands of gallons of used fats are prevented from contaminating landfills or polluting Puerto Rico’s waterways.
- Two adjustments in the kitchen and the housekeeping department also make a difference in the volume of garbage destined for landfills – plastic dishes and cutlery used in the pool area were replaced by glass tableware and utensils, while paper towels were substituted with micro-fiber cloths.
- Empty toner cartridges are no longer thrown away. They are collected by a re-manufacturer who cleans them, inspects them for quality, and refills them with ink to be reused.
An important component in the success of our efforts is the involvement of our guests. Through Holiday Inn’s “Save the Planet” corporate program, we encourage guests to reuse bed linens and towels. Likewise, guests are asked to return their plastic keycards upon checkout, so that they may be reprogrammed and reused rather than discarded.
More recently, the hotel took part in “Earth Hour” to foster guest awareness. On March 29, 2008 the hotel joined millions of people, as well as governments, companies and communities around the world turning off the lights in all common areas for a period of one hour to show concern over climate change.
Our people, our community
 We take pride in serving only premium coffee grown locally in Puerto Rico’s Central Mountain Range, where the tropical climate tempered by trade winds and generous rain makes it one of the great natural coffee growing regions of the world. Formerly an important economic activity, the Puerto Rican coffee industry is making a comeback, employing more than a quarter of a million inhabitants in 21 towns across the island. By serving Puerto Rican coffee, our guests can experience the distinctive taste and aroma of our island brew.
Nothing reflects a country’s cultural heritage better than art, whether by artists formally trained in art schools or self-taught amateurs. At Holiday Inn San Juan’s Inn-Shop, we feature the handcrafted work of local artisans. The offerings range from modern jewelry made with recovered sea glass, to stylish leather goods, to striking contemporary acrylics and watercolors. By supporting the work of local artists we also give our guests the chance to acquire and enjoy at home genuine craftsmanship made by Puerto Rican hands.
Of all the efforts we make to be a responsible member of our community, one initiative is especially gratifying. Holiday Inn San Juan is proud to be part of the partnership of hotels and restaurants in the San Juan area that deliver warm, freshly-made meals year-round to the relatives of cancer patients in the Hospital Oncológico – many of whom stay in the cold hospital room, day and night, by the side of their ill relatives.
 If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. By definition, the foundation to support the competitiveness of Puerto Rico’s tourism industry rests largely on the training and professional development of its most important asset, the people. The hotel collaborates with culinary and tourism schools on the island by offering internship opportunities. The internships provide on-the-job experience for the students preparing to join the island’s hospitality workforce.
Further, the hotel is also a committed patron of the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Scholarship Foundation which offers financial aid to employees in the tourism industry who wish to pursue additional professional studies in Hotel Management or Culinary Arts. The services of this non-profit organization are supported largely by Puerto Rico’s hospitality industry and are accessible to Holiday Inn San Juan employees.
May 2008
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