From cleaning rooms in natural light and using environment friendly cleaning products to energy management systems in guestrooms and more, Motel 6 and Studio 6 are scoring high in environmental sustainability.

All 1,100 properties in the brand received certification, in late summer, from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. The Green Key certification process uses a 150-question online self-assessment about environmental strategy. It’s followed by an audit to be sure the properties truly measure up.

Originally developed for the Hotel Association of Canada by a leading environmental engineering firm, the Green Key program focuses on sustainable practices in the lodging industry.

Documenting sustainability practices for Motel 6 and Studio 6 fell into the hands of General Managers. They worked with housekeeping and maintenance departments to assess the green culture of their property. Based on their finding, the property received a rating between 1 and 5, with 5 being the greenest. Most properties ranked 3 or 4. Going forward, the goal is to score at least 4 at each motel.

“For the individual hotel it was a measurement tool so they know where they stand and they can make improvements to become more green,” says Renee Swoger, director of energy and environment services. “It’s formalizing the initiatives we’ve been doing, seeing what we can implement and increase our rating next year.”

“As a company it has a pretty large meaning, the fact that we were able to certify 100% of locations show that we’re really committed,” notes Swoger. “Our goal as a brand is to be the leader in terms of energy and environmental management.”

“At a property level,” she says, “it opens up a new door for our hotels to attract environmentally conscious consumers.”

Renee Swoger

Consumers learn about the chain’s efforts when they make reservations as well as from plaques in the lobby. Environmentally conscious travelers find the chain listed on the www.greenkeyglobal.com web site. The sales and marketing staff use them as sales points for corporate business.

Before certification went chain wide, it was piloted at 19 Motel 6 and one Studio 6 locations in 2010. “We wanted to see if Green Key was a fit for our brand,” says Swoger. “We learned where challenges were, the things we needed to iron out for the brand rollout. The pilot was key to learn what we needed to do to make the certification process easy.”

What they learned led to a 30-minute online class teaching the general managers the who, what, where, when, why and how. Then, they were asked to fill out the electronic 150-question property assessment, which ranges from operational to very technical questions.

Corporate properties began the process in March, with franchisees following in April. All properties were done by August 2011. The cost per property ranged from $325 to $500, depending on the number of rooms in the hotel. That reflects the discounted rate available to members of the AH&LA.

“As a company we’ve always been committed to reducing our environmental impact,” says Swoger. “It’s what we’ve always been doing, now we’re getting credit for it through a certification.”

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