Philadelphia-based Hersha Hospitality Trust has been named the 2013 Global Leader in the hotel sector.
Honored by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the award is the result of the company’s EarthView initiative and its consequential environmental achievements. There were over 540 participants in this year’s survey across all asset classes, which included Host Hotels and Resorts, Brandywine Realty Trust, and Simon Property Group Inc.
The group’s portfolio includes 115 full service, select service, and extended-stay hotels. As a developing standard for fully integrated environmental and community policies, the EarthView initiative delivers environmental and conservation programs that positively impact a hotel operation’s bottom line and improve the well being of guests, employees, communities, and the planet.
Hersha Hospitality has implemented sustainable practices within their hotel properties-specifically the Rittenhouse hotel in Philadelphia. At this location, the hotel is donating 2,000 pairs of bathrobes and slippers to IMPACT SERVICES, retrofitting incandescent bulbs to CFLs or LEDs, and procuring Energy Star and Water Sense-labeled products. Recycling efforts continue at the Rittenhouse with offerings in all guestrooms, as well as in the use of recycled content or rapidly renewable paper products and recycled content key cards.
The cumulative environmental impact of EarthView Phase I across the Hersha Hospitality portfolio is estimated to have reduced carbon by 10 percent, water by 7 percent, and waste by 42 percent. In addition, Hersha Hospitality Trust is partnering with Clean the World, an innovative not-for-profit organization that aims to prevent the spread of preventable diseases around the globe by recycling soap and bottled amenities. Hersha’s partnership with Clean the World annually provides more than 1 million bars of soap to be recycled.
