Smart hoteliers are implementing a variety of operating strategies to cut costs and improve efficiencies during the current economic downturn. In this, the second part of a series, here are actions you can take immediately.

1. Regularly check the water consumption of guestroom showerheads and hotel toilets.

   Verifying that showerheads consume no more than 1.75 gallons of water per minute can be done by placing a bucket under the shower for 60 seconds and measuring the amount in the bucket.

   In one year, a leaky toilet can waste mote than 22,000 gallons of water. If the toilet in every guestroom in a 300-room hotel leaks, the potential extra expense, not withstanding repairs, is $8,800. Worn and poorly fitting toilet flapper valves account for the majority of wasted water in toilets. To determine whether a toilet's flapper valve needs to be replaced, drop a dye tablet or food coloring into the toilet's reservoir tank, wait 15 minutes, then see if any of the colored water in the tank has leaked into the bowl. If it has, the flapper should be immediately replaced (at a cost of about $2-$4 each, slightly more for silicone and plastic).

2. Recapture residual thermal energy and redirect it for auxiliary uses.

   Only 60 percent of a hotel's purchased energy performs useful work, yet much of that waste can be economically recaptured to perform other functions. For example, the exhaust heat from the on-premise laundry or refrigeration units co-generate indoor heat and warm swimming pools, saunas and hot water makeup tanks. Air conditioning is the process of removing heat from an object or the atmosphere. By implementing a simple water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, heat extracted by cooling towers and central heat pumps can be redirected to warm water in other systems. Similarly, the energy from the inside air, whether it is cooled or heated, can be recaptured by a special energy recovery system before it is returned to the outside environment.

3. Here are a few more quick operating tips you can easily deploy:

   • Implement a voluntary guest linen reuse program. Fewer linens washed decreases labor, energy and chemical expenses.

   • Wash only full loads of laundry to minimize chemical, energy and water waste, as well as effluent discharged into the sewer system.

   • Consider installing guest and public-area bathroom motion sensors that automatically turn the lights off after 15 minutes of non-activity.

   • Install motion sensors on sinks, toilets and urinals in public-area restrooms. This will save considerable water expense.

   • Train housekeepers to set guestroom thermostats appropriately for the time of year. Use a sketch of the thermostat for employees with language barriers. Also, be sure housekeepers close blackout draperies to within six inches after the room is cleaned and to report all maintenance items observed in the guestroom.

*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.