The Green Room

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THE

GREEN ROOM

IT’S FASHIONABLE TO BE SUSTAINABLE. IN QATAR, IT’S DOWNRIGHT COOL. WE WANT “ENVIRONMENT-CONSCIOUS” INGRAINED IN EVERYTHING WE DO – FROM THE STADIUMS WE BUILD TO THE RESEARCH WE CARRY OUT. BUT HAS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY CAUGHT UP? WHERE DOES IT STAND, WHAT DOES THE ROAD AHEAD LOOK LIKE AND WHAT ARE THE PITFALLS? QATAR TODAY CHECKS IN ON THIS ENVIRONMENTALUNFRIENDLY SECTOR.

BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

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coverstory > The Green Room

hotel stay has an element of suspended reality to it. The chaos of the real world is left behind at the lobby.

Inside your private cocoon everything is where it should be, all the time. The towels disappear from your bathroom floor and dry fluffy ones magically take their place. You turn your back for a second and your whole room gets a cleansing rinse. The temperature is always right, the lights always work, the laundry is always done, food is always warm.

It might as well be the work of thousands of elves. And we gladly pay the price for this bubble of efficiency and perfection.

But it’s not until we read a sign urging us to turn the taps all the way off, or reuse our towels, or refuse a daily turndown service, that we really think about the price the hotel is paying – environmentally – to keep this bubble intact for thousands of guests throughout the year.

Qatar’s position is quite unique in the global effort to go green. Energy is abundant and cheap, which subverts any financial motivation to embrace green technology. Far from resulting in savings, the payback from investing in sustainable practices is so distant that it could in fact be considered a waste of money. On the other hand, Qatar loudly and insistently champions the green culture globally, more so since hosting the COP18 climate conference in 2012 and pledging to conduct the first carbon-neutral World Cup in history. “It’d be so shortsighted to look at the financials alone, especially considering how Qatar as a nation is taking bold steps to become a global leader in conservation,” says Holley Chant, Executive Director of Corporate Sustainability at KEO 40 > QATAR TODAY > FEBRUARY 2014

International Consultants.

Whether prompted by the need to follow a rating system or because of a government mandate, Chant says a lot of institutions, not just hotels, are embarking on a road to sustainability. “Qatar is driving a lot of the interest in the region; everyone is reconsidering what they are doing,” she says.

In this vein, hotels in Doha will play a significant role in the carbon footprint of the World Cup 2022. Whether they will add to it or help offset it is something that will become clear in the coming years. “Although a significant amount of future hotel capacity in Qatar may be developed through temporary solutions (for example through the provision of rooms through cruise ships), there is likely to be significant development in Qatar’s hotel industry over the next five years,” says Grant Salter, Director, Real Estate and Hospitality at Deloitte Middle East. (That’s putting it mildly. The number of new rooms under construction almost equals the ones that already exist.)

“The adoption of environmental sustainability programmes can be used to minimise the environmental impact of the construction and operation of planned hotel developments in Qatar,” he says.

Anthony Williams, Tourism Development Consultant at the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), who co-chairs the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC)’s Green Hotels Interest Group (GHIG), says the carbon tab for the 2022 World Cup is already running. “What we need to do is to motivate cutting down the 2022 World Cup carbon offsetting bill as a high-level goal,” he says. Is the hospitality industry prepared for the challenge?

Among the Doha megaprojects that Chant is consulting for, like the Al Wakrah stadium, Doha Zoo and Doha Grand Park, a few hospitality clients also feature. Though she isn’t allowed to divulge names, she tells us about how a hotel would start to shape its green goals. “Usually there is an effort to follow the criteria established in a particular system, like the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is what’s

widely used in Qatar, also since it was developed in the country keeping in mind the specific climatic conditions of the region.

Apart from this they often have their own goals and broad objectives associated with the hotel brand. For example, if a certain brand wants to be known as a leader in water conservation there is a major push in this direction, as it is an important part of the branding.” An example of this is Starwood Hotels and Resort’s goals for all its hotels across different portfolios. “Part of an overall global strategy by Starwood Resorts to reduce electricity by 30% and water consumption by 20% across all properties by 2020,” says John Davi, Director of Operational Innovation at W Hotel Doha.

Consequently everything being done at W Hotel is geared to help it meet this target.

But what does sustainability look like from the inside?

Keeping an eye on the meter We reached out to the hotels in Doha to see what their most environmentally-expensive operations were, and it was no surprise to hear a chorus of voices saying it was the energy needed to cool the building. Salter concurs. “Among the number of key challenges for green building practices in the Middle East, what stands out is the high ambient temperatures in the region, which lead to substantial air conditioning, and subsequently power, requirements,” he says.

“The principal consumer of energy in any hotel is the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system; an extensive amount of work is done to ensure that each system is running at maximum efficiency to cater to all the needs – for example, setting guest room thermostats to 24 degrees and increased servicing of chillers.

It’s also the most expensive to maintain, requiring the daily cleaning of filters,” says Jamey Ford, Director of Engineering at Crowne Plaza Doha.

There are a couple of things that can be done to maintain the temperature at your hotel. However, these require to be done

at the initial stages of design and construction, or else the energy consumed for this purpose can’t be influenced in a meaningful way by the hotel (see “Building the basics” on page 44). Sasi Gopalan, Doha Marriott Hotel’s Director of Engineering, says they maximise the utilisation of fresh air in the air conditioned area to reduce the cooling load on chillers. “Additionally, we have also carried out 950 sq. m of thermal insulation at our All’Aperto restaurant, Corniche restaurant and Restaurant Gallery,” he says.

Or, as at the Renaissance Doha, a building management system (BMS) can be used to control the airconditioning systems in the hotel.

"WHAT THE HOTELS NEED IS A COMMERCIALLY VIABLE OUTLET FOR RECYCLING THEIR WASTES, OR A GOVERNMENTSPONSORED PROGRAMME THAT HELPS THEM DO SO." HOLLEY CHANT

Executive Director, Corporate Sustainability, KEO International Consultants

SWIMMING POOL BACKWASH WASTEWATER IS USED FOR IRRIGATION AND LANDSCAPE PURPOSES INTERCONTINENTAL DOHA THE CITY

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100

%

"THERE ARE A NUMBER OF GREEN PRACTICES THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON WITHIN THE HOTEL, AND AS A RESULT WE ARE THE FIRST HOTEL IN DOHA TO BE AWARDED THE INTERNATIONALLYRECOGNISED GREEN KEY CERTIFICATE, WHICH WE ARE TRULY VERY PROUD OF." JOHN DAVI

Director of Operational Innovation, W Hotel Doha

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Whether you are a luxury hotel or not, “the culinary department is always in particular environmentally expensive, as there is a high consumption of electricity in all of the outlets ranging from the ovens, refrigerators, freezers to the air conditioners,” according to Davi.

Since in Qatar the water used is highly expensive desalinated water from the sea that has an energy component, water conservation becomes doubly important. While closely monitoring water usage in the Marriott's Marina and kitchen (“and repairing leaks immediately”), Gopalan says they also ensure proper maintenance of a steam heat pump in order to maximise the recovery of condensate water in the laundry.

In fact the laundry is somewhere a little common sense can save a lot of energy and water. Prakash Viswanathan, Director of Engineering at Oryx Rotana, says they always ensure that the laundry's washing machines and dryers are running at their maximum load capacity. “All the pipelines in the hotel, both cold and hot water, are insulated to save more energy,” he adds.

Cluster General Manager of Ritz-Carlton Doha Hoss Vetry says: “In the Ritz-Carlton Spa we aim at increasing the water pressure efficiently [so as to] use a reduced quantity of water.” Taps with sensors is the way the Grand Hyatt has chosen to go.

Among the other avenues where savings in energy are possible, replacing all incandescent and halogen lamps with energy-efficient LED ones seems to be a popular choice with hotels like the Doha Marriott, Grand Hyatt Doha, the Renaissance Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton. After Radisson Blu’s

INCREASE IN PLASTIC, PAPER AND CANS BEING RECYCLED FROM AUGUST TO DECEMBER 2013 W HOTEL DOHA

QR80 million ($22 million) refurbishment of its West Wing, the new rooms were fitted with the latest energy saving devices, LED lighting and water saving devices in the bathrooms, says the hotel’s Executive Assistant Manager Simon Ramsay. “Our hotel’s engineering department, along with the technical department within the Radisson Blu Hotel Group and our lighting partners, has done a lighting audit on the whole property with a view to introducing LED lighting throughout, and this is still in the consultation process,” he says. The Renaissance Hotel has meanwhile installed timers to control usage of lighting in public areas.

When it comes to front-end operations, the Ritz-Carlton's Vetry says the brand is “looking into options and alternatives that would make sense both for our performance but most importantly for our guests at both our properties – the Ritz-Carlton Doha and Sharq Village & Spa. One perspective is the installation of power switch/control inside our guest rooms, suites and villas that is activated with the use of the room keycard.”

While Chant notes that a few hotels are starting to install these and motion sensors that ramp up and down the lighting and air conditioning accordingly, not enough of them are doing this, in her opinion. “In the West almost all properties have this technology; it’s very basic, not terribly costly to

upgrade, and return on investment doesn’t have to be that long.”

The oldest mantra Waste is another bone of contention among hoteliers; inappropriate waste disposal has an insidious effect on the environment but alternative methods are scarce and expensive. Chant says she doesn’t see quite enough of recycling practices, but doesn’t fault the hotels for that. “The recycling industry is only just maturing and beginning to get a foothold in Qatar. What the hotels need is a commercially viable outlet for recycling their wastes, or a government-sponsored programme that helps them do so.”

Once this is in place, recycling is one of the areas that could potentially see a lot of improvement.

Nevertheless, it is still getting its fair share of attention in Doha’s hotels. Ramsay says that at Radisson Blu waste is segregated (into paper, cardboard, newspapers, plastic water bottles) in different rubbish bins. “This is then given to a third party who takes it to be recycled. There is an initial outlay of expenses, in purchasing the rubbish bins, for example. Also, our partner whom we use for certain waste removal and recycling is now looking to introduce a cost for this. This will in turn cost the hotel, as before this was done gratis, or the municipality would collect all waste for a much smaller cost. (“Doha Municipality recycles plastic and aluminium cans for an annual fee of QR3,000,” says Gopalan). Despite this we hope to, over the years, see a return in the amount of waste we are sending to the municipality refuse centre and the amount of trips reduced.” The W Doha has achieved a 100% increase in plastic, paper and cans being recycled from August to December 2013, according to Davi, thanks to its work with Averda Environmental Services with regards to recycling and recycling projects in the hotel and staff accommodation.

It’s not just solid waste that is being given the green treatment. The Grand Hyatt Doha collects the used oil from its kitchens and sends it back to the company that supplies it with fresh oil, obtained from recycling the used oil. Hygiene Manager Mohamed Shaban, part of the Green Team at the hotel, says. “Probably our most important green practice is the in-house water recycling system, which we use for watering our large garden/green area.” This

is one of those expensive investments that make people think twice. In fact, Vishwanathan says, that the initial investment for reusing greywater from the laundry and kitchen is so high that a hotel can’t expect to see any return on investment for at least 14-15 years.

James Muriithi, Chief Engineer at the Renaissance Doha, Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center, says the hotel recycles and treats greywater to reuse for irrigation and, in some cases, for flushing water in washrooms. “This is one of the most expensive practices to make sustainable, mainly because of the amount of chemicals used to treat the water during the recycling process,” he says.

The price of luxury “Luxury hotels have a distinct level of service which makes it more expensive,” says Vetry. The task of balancing sustainable operations with customer expectations is a delicate balancing act that requires a large dose of innovation. But that innovation has yet to be seen, according to Chant. “I have noticed that at many of the five-star hotels in the US and Europe all the amenities have been given a green makeover. You still get your soap and shampoo and your other little things but there is very less packaging.

This doesn’t seem to have been embraced here yet. But guests here in a Middle East hotel love and expect all the little luxurious frills. I was staying at a hotel in Doha recently, I won’t name which, but it was one of the top brands, and discovered in my room water bottles from Fiji! Why?” she

"TO BE EFFECTIVE, THE GREEN HOTELS INTEREST GROUP HAS TO EVOLVE AND EXPAND TO INCLUDE DEVELOPERS, OWNERS, ARCHITECTS AND EVEN THE 2022 COMMITTEE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY CAN DO TO SUPPORT THE LEGACY OF THE PROGRAMME." (left) STEVEN HUMPHREY Director, AECOM and ANTHONY WILLIAMS

Tourism Development Consultant, Qatar Tourism Authority

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“AS A GLOBAL HOTEL CHAIN WE HAVE PLEDGED, IN 2012, TO REDUCE OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY 25% IN FIVE YEARS, AND WE ARE ON TARGET TO REACH THIS IMPORTANT GOAL.”

exclaims. “Does that make it a better hotel?

The hotel needs to initiate and be part of a cultural change.”

Muriithi is aware of the problem. “Some of the most environmentally-expensive offerings at luxury hotels are the bathroom amenities like shampoo, lotion, shower gel, etc. that are designed for one-time use (compared with a wall dispenser at more budget hotels) and that are presented in branded packaging,” he says. Other ancillary activities like “limousine services, replacement of water bottles during each break in meetings/events and the heating and cooling involved in swimming pool, Jacuzzi, spa operations, etc” are all precious carbon points sacrificed on the altar of luxury, according to Vishwanathan.

Does this make the shift to sustainability easier in smaller hotels? Not at all, Davi opines. “Smaller hotels will have less carbon footprint, sure. However implementing green practices does not have anything to do with a hotel’s size or cost.

Furthermore, in many cases luxury hotels have invested in BMS that allow for better sustainable practices than smaller hotels, who do not have investment capacity to do so.” Crowne Plaza's Jamey Ford meanwhile believes that the size of the hotel “does not

SIMON RAMSAY

Executive Assistant Manager, Radisson Blu

AFTER THE HOTEL’S $22 MILLION REFURBISHMENT, THE NEW ROOMS WERE FITTED WITH THE LATEST ENERGY AND WATER SAVING DEVICES. RADISSON BLU

44 > QATAR TODAY > FEBRUARY 2014

always make for a cheaper green solution, but the return on investment can be realised far quicker in a larger operation.”

The little things that matter Not every green practice has to take a huge bite out of your wallet. Every little innovation and thoughtful detour from the usual is a carbon offset earned. According to Vetry, at both the Ritz-Carlton properties the focus is on “sustainable sourcing, prioritising purchased products that are made of recycled material or products that can be recycled, as well as food that is locally or organically grown in the region”. Davi says the W would like to purchase a food processor that reduces their food waste volume to only 20%. “We are currently working with the Qatar National Food Security Programme for organic food delivery from a local farm,” he says.

At Crowne Plaza, for example, they only use products that do not contain VOC (volatile organic compounds) such as paints, adhesives etc. “Also, our housekeeping department uses non-toxic cleaning products where possible. The hotel has implemented parent company InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG)’s sustainable purchasing policy, which advises the suppliers on best practices,” says Ford.

While Intercontinental Doha The City is striving to achieve third-party certifications and participate in the Green Restaurant Certification Programme, Oryx Rotana encourages the use of projectors in meetings instead of distributing meeting minutes, and carpooling and use of a shuttle bus among staff. Amjad Ali, Environment, Health & Safety Manager at Oryx Rotana, also says that ozone, and not chemicals, is used for food and vegetable sanitation at the hotel, despite it not translating into savings.

And speaking of ozone, after the scare a few years ago everyone seems to have forgotten about chlorofluoro carbons, but Muriithi hasn’t. “The discharge of CFC from refrigeration has a very negative environmental impact, which is why we have a refrigerator management programme whereby we monitor and control the use and disposal of CFCs,” he says.

Creating green champions Even if you are unable to do a major upgrade, the least that can be done is to take the initiative of training your staff to

conserve and optimise, says Chant. “Create incentives that will convert them into green champions. This is a significant socially responsible contribution as well.”

In our discussions with the hotels, it’s heartening to learn that training in sustainability practices forms a good chunk of the induction and orientation for new staff at many of the hotels. This is key to ensuring successful green operations, Davi feels, as “environment and sustainability are perceived differently amongst various nationalities”.

Ramsay says: “Through our Responsible Business programme, a mandatory fourhour training, we train all our team members in our strategy. We talk and educate on why to recycle and watch our consumption with electricity and water, and the consequences of what will happen if we do not monitor and try to reduce this.”

Grand Hyatt has a “Green Team” consisting of two representatives from each department who monitor savings, says Training Manager Mohamed Hebeshy.

“Additionally, the training department conducts the Hyatt Thrive trainings and workshops focused on raising environmental awareness, waste reduction and energy and water conservation, led by the Human Resources and Green Team,” he says. “We have created a special “Green Wall” in front of the employee restaurant, where all the associates can follow the latest trainings and practices of saving the environment.”

Crowne Plaza Doha also has a Green Team that “discusses specific challenges and solutions, issuing green projects, taken from IHG’s very own Green Engage programme, to each member,” says Ford. “Green Engage is a software-based, LEED-recognised system that helps the hotel track, measure and reduce energy, water and waste, and each colleague is trained to understand how the hotel implements and runs the programme.” The hotel also encourages its more proactive employees by recognising them and offering incentives for green ideas and suggestions that are successfully implemented.

Guests and partners Creating a partnership with your guests and getting them involved in your green efforts is the best way to make sustainability an inseparable part your of brand identity. And this is something that hotels in Doha are

USING PRODUCTS THAT DO NOT CONTAIN VOC (VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS) CROWNE PLAZA

doing really well, according to Chant. “I am happy to see that in a lot of the hotels there is signage about reusing the towels and saving water. It is consistent with international best practice.” Intercontinental Doha The City encourages its guests to be part of the solution with “educational signage and literature explaining the hotel’s features and conservation tips”. The Renaissance Doha, like many others in the city, gives its guests the option to change their bed linen less frequently through the "Sustainability Card" available in the rooms. W’s ‘Make a Green Choice’ programme rewards guests with loyalty points for the same.

At the Crowne Plaza there are several guest-facing green systems like toilet and wash basin sensors, high-efficiency TVs, low energy-use refrigerators and low-e glazing.

At the Ritz-Carlton, they catch them young with the new Ritz Kids programme targeted at children staying in the hotel, "edutaining" (educating and entertaining) them to become more environment-conscious and -friendly.

"WE MEASURE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CREDITS VIA AN AUDIT PROCESS AND THE RESULTS FORM PART OF AN ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW THAT IS MONITORED BY IHG CORPORATE OFFICE WHEN COMPARING HOTELS WITHIN THE REGION." JAMEY FORD

Director of Engineering, Crowne Plaza Doha

The Green Group “Are we an association? Are we a lobby?

What are we?” The question is posed.

It’s been more than a year since the Qatar Green Building Council established its Green Hotels Interest Group, and in trying to get all the stakeholders in the QATAR TODAY > FEBRUARY 2014 > 45

coverstory > The Green Room

THE BACK OF HOUSE AREA HAS POWER SAVING LIGHTS THAT CAN SAVE UP TO 40% OF THE ELECTRICITY. GRAND HYATT DOHA

"GRAND HYATT HAS A GREEN TEAM CONSISTING OF TWO REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH DEPARTMENT WHO MONITOR SAVINGS." MOHAMED HEBESHY

Training Manager, Grand Hyatt

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hospitality sector to see eye to eye on the green issue, they seemed to have underestimated the problems at hand. “About 15-20 hotels in Doha have expressed interest in being part of what we do here, and about five of the hotels make up the core group who try to meet once a month. It has fallen off the table in the past few months, mainly because though we are aware of the big issues that affect each and every one of us – waste, water, electricity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), asset management – we are unable to find a way to move forward due to the sheer size of those problems,” says Steven Humphrey, Director of AECOM and Co-Chair of the GHIG. “We have worked out what the mission is and what we want to achieve, but so much of it is beyond the hotel operators' control. To be effective we have to evolve and expand the group to include developers, owners, architects and even the 2022 Committee to find out what the hospitality industry can do to support the legacy of the programme.”

Some of the participating hotels are thrilled with the work that is already being done in the group. Radisson Blu’s Executive Assistant Manager Simon Ramsay says it is one the founding hotels of the group and participates every month. During the course of several meetings, Ramsay says, it has helped chair smaller gatherings with similar interest groups at the QGBC (like

the Solid Waste Interest Group, the Water Interest Group and the Green Infrastructure Interest Group), where they have been introduced to other industries and the expertise they can provide to hotels. Davi says the Solid Waste Interest Group meeting was particularly productive.

Ford says: “The Council is trying to pioneer standards for Qatar and have regular guests who discuss all manner of subjects, from air handling and quality to renewable energies. It is an honour to be involved at this early stage and be able to question the application of technology and standards.

“We had a workshop with all our members and collected feedback around the major issues in order to develop an agenda on how to move forward,” Humphrey says.

“We’d like to get the QGBC, Qatar foundation (QF) and QTA to join hands and create a platform to bring all the stakeholders together. We want to create a vehicle to implement change or at least demonstrate projects; we have a good mix of hotels to be able to show the impact of a certain practice across all tiers and types. For example, instead of getting the flowers for the hotels air freighted in from Holland, they can be sourced from local farmers producing them in greenhouses. This will not only cut down the carbon footprint but also help the agriculture sector. Other recommended practices included operating a central nursery for the landscaping needs of all the hotels, central waste collection, smaller hotels utilising under-used laundries in big hotels etc. Hotels, irrespective of their different brands, can work and learn together, to back sustainability and the country.

These are not issues where they are head to head, and if they work together they can come up with a solution that’s better for the economy, the country and for them.”

A matter of metrics As recently as last year the International Tourism Partnership, along with the World Travel & Tourism Council, released Version 1.1 of the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). “Developed in partnership with 23 global hotel companies, this provides a consistent way of measuring and reporting on the carbon footprint of a hotel stay or meeting,” says Fran Hughes, Head of Programmes at the International Tourism Partnership. “To date over 17,000 hotels globally are using this voluntary

methodology, and the figure continues to rise.”

Curiously, none of the hotels we spoke to mentioned this system of keeping tabs on their carbon output, so we quizzed the GHIG as to whether the HCMI has found its way into the appraisal and audit practices of hotels here. What Humphrey says is worrisome, to say the least is that right now there is no reliable way to even measure what many individual hotels use in terms of energy and other utilities. With water and electricity available at relatively low prices, or in the case of some government-owned properties entirely free, most hotels don’t keep a close enough eye on their usage, says Humphrey. “The utilities are not always metered and/or monitored, and often they don’t know how it is distributed within the hotel – what part goes to the rooms, meeting rooms, public areas and towards back of house operations.” In this scenario, the point of reporting through recently-established standards like the HCMI becomes moot. Though QTA's Anthony Williams is sceptical that the HCMI is a robust and true third-party assessment of a hotel’s operations, citing the example of a European system under development where hotels have to report the percentage of renewable and non-renewable energy sources in their consumption. Nevertheless the fact that many hotels in Doha are unable to come up with the data to fill up even this basic report is something that needs to be given long and hard thought. However he is clearly in favour of ensuring there are proper measurement systems in place for future developments, warning that unless a strategy is devised to resolve this, “it will definitely come [home] to roost, because the government has committed to a carbon-neutral World Cup. We have to be able to implement good systems that generate accurate data on each hotel’s environmental practices and carbon footprint, starting from now and then targeting to reduce it going forward in all the new buildings.”

Now, there is no denying that metrics are the foundation for implementing green practices. “Hotels need to know what is driving their emissions, and measuring them is the first part of setting a benchmark for an environmental management system which looks at not just how much energy is used but where this is used and if it can be reduced,” says Hughes. But only a few

hotels in Doha are alive to this fact. Ford says that at Crowne Plaza they measure their environmental credits via an audit process, and the results form part of “an annual performance review that is monitored

by IHG Corporate Office when comparing hotels within the region”. Many other hotels like the Renaissance Doha and the Ritz-Carlton use Green Hotels Global, “an online environmental sustainability dashboard that collects data and calculates each hotel’s carbon footprint, water footprint and waste diversion rate as well as featuring a comprehensive list of each hotel’s environmental practices”, according to Muriithi. A few others have an internal audit.

Many don’t.

“The awareness is there and the desire to do good is there, but in the absence of financial motivation and lack of consequence it’s very difficult to drive that level of change,” says Humphrey. “Yes, they are making changes,” he concedes. “Installing LED lights and sensors, for example, but not doing so would not hurt them financially. The general feedback we get from hotels is that they are willing to make a few capital investments (wisely), but they are not going to change every single bit because there is no payback.” Vetry echoes these concerns,

THE RITZ KIDS PROGRAMME TARGETS CHILDREN STAYING IN THE HOTEL FOR ‘EDUTAINMENT’ ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

"THE FOCUS IS ON SUSTAINABLE SOURCING, PRIORITISING PURCHASED PRODUCTS THAT ARE MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIAL OR PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE RECYCLED, AS WELL AS FOOD THAT IS LOCALLY OR ORGANICALLY GROWN IN THE REGION." HOSSEIN VETRY

Cluster General Manager, Ritz-Carlton Doha

RITZ-CARLTON

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"THE DISCHARGE OF CFC FROM REFRIGERATION HAS A VERY NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE A REFRIGERATOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME WHEREBY WE MONITOR AND CONTROL THE USE AND DISPOSAL OF CFCS."

saying there is no collective incentive to go green unless it is being done, as in their case, to generate positive emulation between organisations.

So what is the solution? Unthinkable as it may be, considerations of profit need to be set aside, not just because “it is our moral responsibility for our future generations to act in such a way whenever possible”, as Davi puts it, but also since this is a special case. Chant points out why: “If I were the chief sustainability officer of a major hotel in Qatar anticipating the FIFA World Cup, the excuse that there is not enough return on investment is not going to save the reputation of the hotel when it comes to light that the hotel’s sustainability practices are in stark contrast to the top-notch ones in the stadiums and World Cup facilities outside. All the eyes of the world are going to be on the country; environmental journalists will be thronging to the event; the reputation risk is significant. Even in the absence of the World Cup, people are more and more internationally educated and environmentally sensitive now; they will notice. It will end up on Trip-Advisor, who now have a ranking system that looks at what hotels are doing behind the scenes,” Chant points out.

She also urges the powers that be to think long-term and large-scale. “Hotel chains, at the very highest corporate levels, need to have an understanding of the macro-ener-

JAMES MURIITHI

Chief Engineer, Renaissance Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center

INSTALLATION OF TIMERS TO CONTROL USAGE OF LIGHTING IN PUBLIC AREAS RENAISSANCE DOHA CITY CENTER

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gy economics. Look at Saudi; by 2030 they are going to be using a significant part of their hydrocarbons internally rather than exporting them. This is a disaster waiting to happen. It is the job of every citizen at the top of every industry to be aware of these things and prepare for them as best as they can. Yes, energy is cheap now, but who’s to say in the run-up to the event the government might not start targeting the business sector by putting a pricing curb on energy, so that after a certain level of energy usage the cost becomes significantly higher.

They have done this in Dubai, and this has resulted in a major overhaul at many of the hotels,” she says.

Building the basics But the LEDs and solar heaters are still relatively “peripheral issues”, Williams says, compared with the build quality of the assets and refurbishments. “An average building produces 300 million tonnes of carbon in its lifecycle, with 80% of it being produced during operation. Though the construction phase contributes maybe just 15% to the footprint, the majority of energy consumption is driven around decisions made around design and construction, and you can reduce carbon emissions due to operations down to 60% in real terms.” So if had compromise on quality at the beginning, it will always be challenging to operate an energy-efficient building.

“Ninety-nine percent of the hotel brands here have moved into inherited buildings not built for them specifically, and in some cases not even designed originally as hotels.

A few are actively involved in the development process and might be able to influence it, but often they have to make do with what the developer builds for them. If equipment has been installed during construction that consumes too much power, or an inefficient design has been implemented, there’s nothing the operator can do about it. We know a hotel building which, if it were turned by 45 degrees, would have reduced energy bills by a quarter,” Humphrey says.

“There is a limit to what operators can do,” he goes on. “When they are retrofitting and refurbishing at their own cost they can influence the technology, but when the owner is the one footing the bill they can only make recommendations.”

Older buildings can be refurbished and retrofitted to achieve green standards,

MAXIMISE THE UTILISATION OF FRESH AIR TO REDUCE THE COOLING LOAD ON CHILLERS MARRIOTT DOHA

Diaa El Masry, Co-Founder and General Manager of Qatar Green Leaders, says, provided you bring in the right people for the job. “We can’t just hire one contractor who’ll come in, replace a couple of things and stick you with the bill. You’ll need a consultant who can study the building as a whole and give customised recommendations. There are no generic, one-size-fitsall solutions for hotels. And what makes financial sense for one property may seem completely not-worth-the-effort for another one.” The more challenging task is, of course, getting the owner or developer to even consider a “green” refurbishment.

New but better?

Which is why, the QTA's Williams reminds us, the message has to seep into the whole value chain, from the owners to the operators and the regulators. “Some of the oldest hotels in Doha are more than 30 years old, but the environmental build quality of hotels that have been finished over the last five years has not necessarily moved significantly forward in all cases.”

The GHIG is working with the upcoming hotels, Humphrey says, and having discussions about sustainability. “But what it boils down to is: Are you prepared to spend a 10-15% premium on your capital which will then generate 20-30% reduction in overall usage and utility cost over the lifetime?” How do you convince a developer, who may or may not have any return from energy saving, to sink this arbitrary sum into a project?

And arbitrary it is! Qatar Green Leaders provides a green certification management service – currently using either LEED or GSAS standards – to developers who are building sustainable buildings, so there is no one better than El Masry to help us understand the cost of going green. “This is a very contentious topic,” he says. “There are a lot of studies and analyses that show varying results across the world. In fact there is a study in the US which claims that if you start off at the early design stage with the intention of applying LEED specifications then you’ll be able to get the minimum LEED certification level without spending anything extra. This seems a little farfetched to me. It’s definitely unthinkable in Qatar. Due to various reasons like the non-availability of materials, scarcity of professionals with the right knowledge and general lack of awareness among developers, to have a LEED-certified building in your hands, even the most basic one, would cost on average 10% of the original amount with a payback period of 7-15 years.”

It’s not surprising that developers here are unwilling to invest in this bizarre new concept with lengthy payback periods. “It’s all relatively new," says El Masry, "LEED was first heard of in Qatar only around 2007-2008. Then in 2010 Qatari Diar and Barwa got together to develop the Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS) (later rebranded as GSAS in a bid to spread the standards globally) for all local developments, namely Lusail and Barwa projects.

So except in the cases where it’s mandated (like, for example, in Lusail, where all buildings must have a minimum 2-star GSAS rating), developers are not very keen to invest that extra amount.”

It is clear that while the need to build sustainably is becoming increasingly important for Qatar, so long as it is not mandated it will remain an afterthought. “The government is pushing for regulation through LEED and GSAS but it’s not law, it’s just a desire,” says Humphrey. Though he is optimistic that new GSAS specifications, which are expected to be released soon, will help the cause, he is doubtful they will get a legal mandate, as resistance from the private sector might be very high.

To El Masry’s knowledge, there are no hotels in Doha that have attained the green certificate under any of these systems.

But there is hope on the horizon, as a few

"THERE IS ONE HOTEL UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN EDUCATION CITY, DEVELOPED BY PREMIER INN HOTELS QATAR, THAT IS BEING BUILT ACCORDING TO LEED SPECIFICATIONS." DIAA EL MASRY

Co-Founder and General Manager, Qatar Green Leaders

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coverstory > The Green Room

GRAND HYATT'S GREEN TEAM AT WORK

upcoming ones seem to have applied for it. “For example, there is one under construction in Education City, developed by Premier Inn Hotels Qatar, that is being built according to LEED specifications,” he says. Which means, apart from the basic tenents of any green building system – energy and water savings – other factors like the materials used, where they are sourced from, what type of land and ecosystem the building is situated in, how it complements the neighbourhood, indoor environmental quality improvement, waste generation reduction, minimising impact of private transportation etc. will also be given due diligence.

To encourage operators and developers to embrace green technologies despite the limited returns, the government should adopt the carrot and stick approach, El Masry says. “In the latest version of the Qatar Construction Standards, the green practices are mentioned as recommendations rather than mandates like the rest of them. This makes sense, because this is not something you can force on developers; then they’ll start to look for a back door around it. You should give them some kind of incentives. How did LEED proliferate in the US and Europe? The government would give tax rebates to developers who get the certification. But in my opinion, that alone wouldn’t be enough here – taxes are already low to non-existent, and a rebate might not produce the desired effect. Other innovative incentives are in order. Like in Lusail, developers who agree to go higher than the mandated 2-star GSAS rating get a higher percentage of area; which translates into bigger, taller buildings and hence more rentable area.”

El Masry says he has been approached by a few existing hotels in Qatar who were looking for certification, but the lengthy process and the cost of implementation often put them off. “Issuing LEED certification for existing buildings is not easy – usually we’d have to study their operations for the period of one to three years,” he says, adding however that many hotels, even if not seeking certification, are meeting their green obligations in order to make their operations more sustainable.

Wooing green corporations One of the many reasons why going green makes business sense is that it attracts

50 > QATAR TODAY > FEBRUARY 2014

USE OF OZONE FOR FOOD AND VEGETABLE SANITATION INSTEAD OF CHEMICALS ORYX ROTANA

other corporates who have a green leaning too. “Being perceived as a green hotel could increase business by attracting more environment-friendly clients worldwide,” admits Oryx Rotana's Amjed Ali. In fact, according to Hughes, the HCMI was born out of the need for hotels to be able to respond to corporate customers' requests for this information in a consistent manner. “More and more companies are asking for this information, and this is only going to increase. As Qatar is a key destination for business travellers, are hotels there prepared?” she asks.

The industry is certainly aware of the value of the green tag. “Nowadays most corporate companies ask about green initiatives in the hotel before booking guest rooms or meeting halls,” says a representative from the Intercontinental Doha The City. “Our Level-3 Green Engage certification helps us get more business from corporate groups.”

Or as Vetry puts it elegantly: “Today, it is not only a responsibility but a demand from our guests, our corporate office and our owning company, the local authorities of Qatar and our international partners, to act and think sustainably. The most important is that we see this demand emerging not as a trend but as a real component of the travel experience itself, and of the business relationship we hold with our various stakeholders.”