Dear Mr. Tatum,
I am writing to give my unqualified endorsement to your "Conserving For Tomorrow" program. We have had the program in place since May of 1996, and I cannot imagine running a property without it. The program has been easy to implement, highly effective, and yet almost invisible to our guests. Participation in the program ranges close to 100%, and we have had only one complaint since the program was started. To the contrary, we have received several compliments on the program.
In our property and our community, laundry is the top producer of waste-water. Through the Conserving For Tomorrow program we are able to feel good about reducing our effects on the environment. At the same time, we are able to reduce our housekeeping and laundry costs through the tremendous savings the program provides. Compared to other full-service hotels in our management group, we see savings of 3-5 minutes on our average room cleaning time over other properties currently not using the program. Annually, saving 5 minutes of cleaning cost in each occupied room can equate to an annual savings of around $15,000 in payroll cost. And that does not even take into account the savings in chemical cost, linen replacement cost, or the cost of water and sewer.
As for quality, our guests still perceive that their rooms are very clean. From the time we started the program, and all the way through today, all our guest satisfaction scores as they relate to cleanliness, have consistently exceeded the brand average for full-service Holiday Inn hotels.
In summary, I feel this program is a great success at our hotel. As I mentioned above, I cannot imagine running a property without it. I would encourage any General Manager to strongly consider the program.
Regards,
