| Home | Gateways | Academics | Admission | Directories | Site Index | SEARCH: |
Hotels Going Green
Going Green
Going Green: Hotels Going Green
The Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center is one three finalists for the Good Earthkeeping Award from the New York Hospitality and Tourism Association.
The hotel is being recognized for making a number of environmentally friendly changes. General Manager David Heymann said it's the right thing to do and makes good business sense.
"We realized there was some financial gain by going that way by saving energy. We also realized we could gain customers by being green because that's the way of the world and customers want to see that," said David Heymann, Sheraton SU General Manager.
One of their big investments is the Guest Energy Management System.
When a guest leaves the room it shuts back the temperature. We put that system after trying it out for several months in a handful of rooms and we've really have had some great results.
Unlike motion sensors, GEM detects infrared body heat to determine whether someone in the room then lowers then adjusts the heat or air conditioning accordingly.
New boilers were recently installed that are 98-percent efficient.
"I was amazed when I was told what the new boilers could do in relation to the old ones plus, it's a fraction of the size. The old boilers were massive, the size of a large SUV. And they don't fire very often because they are so, so efficient," said Heymann.
It was one of the first hotels in the area to put recycling bins in each guest room. They've also installed energy efficient lighting and use more locally grown food products in their restaurant.
Also up for the Good Earthkeeping Award are The Statler Hotel in Ithaca and the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid.
The winner will be announced at the Tourism Association's meeting in Saratoga Springs.
