Americas Best Value Inns recently took a seemingly small but very important step in the ongoing greening of the hotel industry. The 50,000-plus-room limited-service chain became the first national hotel brand to use biodegradable packaging for its guestroom amenities, including shampoo, body lotion and soap.

“This isn't just a commitment to the environment, it's a commitment to our hotel owners and guests,” says Roger Bloss, CEO, president and founder of ABVI parent company Vantage Hospitality. “We need to make sure we maintain the cities and towns where are properties are located and where our guests reside by not contributing unnecessarily to the local landfills.”

The amenities packaging from ABVI vendor Concept Amenities is made with Eco Pure, a non-toxic organic enzyme additive that meets rigorous recycling standards. According to Craig Leitch, ABVI's vice president of sales support and assurance program, a typical used hotel amenity bottle that goes into a landfill takes about 450 years to dissolve. The Eco Pure packaging biodegrades in just nine years.

ABVI made the announcement of the change at the chain's annual conference last December. Properties were allowed to make the switch to the new amenities as their existing supplies depleted. Leitch says just about all properties in the chain have made the transition. And as a bonus for ABVI owners, Leitch says the new amenity program is available to owners at no additional cost.

“The response from the members was overwhelmingly positive when we discussed the change at our convention,” says Leitch. “They're happy to be doing something environmentally positive and which doesn't cost them anymore.”

About 20 percent of ABVI properties are approaching green amenities from a different perspective. These hotels use wall-mounted soap, shampoo and lotion dispensers in their guest bathrooms. Another vendor, Pineapple Hospitality, supplies this program, which ABVI embraced about five years ago.

ABVI hopes its green initiatives resonate with guests. A press release announcing the program has so far been picked up by 278 consumer websites, including several eco-friendly sites. An upcoming ABVI consumer e-newsletter will spotlight the program, and chain officials are encouraging owners to promote the green program at the local level.