As hoteliers struggle to maintain market share and occupancy levels, here are three actionable steps any hotel can implement to minimize expenses and help sustain the bottom line. They're actions all hotels should consider adopting regardless of the current downturn in the economy. In future articles, we'll present measures to take in response to diminished levels of occupancy levels.

1. Install energy saving devices on vending machines.

   A motion sensor will turn off the machine's compressor when it hasn't been used over a long period of time. The sensors cost less than $150 but each can save about $192 in annual electricity and reduce carbon dioxide by 2,300 pounds per year. However, the less the machine is used, the greater the energy and CO2 savings because the lights shut off when no one is standing in front of the vending machine and the refrigeration mechanism powers down when the sodas or refrigerated snacks are already cold.

2. Set the water temperature correctly for all domestic water use systems.

   Guestroom hot water shouldn't exceed 120 degrees at the coldest point of delivery. The National Swimming Pool Institute suggests swimming pools should never exceed 80 degrees, and hot tubs shouldn't exceed 102 degrees. There is no sanitary benefit to heating laundry water and dish washing water over 140 degrees. Exceeding these recommended peak temperatures poses a safety threat while incurring additional and unwanted energy expense.

3. If the hotel's indoor pool is in a lockable room, install an insulating pool cover on both the pool and the whirlpool.

   A thermal pool cover consists of material that looks like bubble wrap used for shipping purposes that floats on the surface of the pool. It can be folded up and placed in a storeroom during daytime periods. A solar pool cover captures the heat from the sun. Both types of insulating pool covers minimize water loss due to evaporation and inhibit heat loss.

   The average cost of these products is typically less than $300, but can save as much as 50-70 percent of the heating costs per pool. It only takes one BTU to raise a pound of water by one degree, but each pound of 80-degree water that evaporates takes a whopping 1,048 BTUs of heat out of the pool. Generally, a hotel can save $2 to $4 per square foot of water surface per year, if humidity is controlled and at least 95 percent of the pool surface is covered.

*Dr. William D. Frye is a former resort general manager, an associate professor of hotel management at Niagara University and co-author of the textbook Managing Housekeeping Operations - Revised Third Edition from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. He is also the executive editor of The Rooms Chronicle, a bi-monthly lodging publication that provides hoteliers operational expertise on rooms division matters. Thanks to Phil Sprague of PSA Energy Consultants for his input for this article. For more information, go to www.roomschronicle.com.