IHG rolls out Green Engage programme across global estate

From January 2015, InterContinental Hotels Group, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, will be rolling out its flagship IHG Green Engage programme across the company’s global estate of over 4,700 hotels.

IHG Green Engage is an online environmental sustainability tool, which gives hotels the ability to track how much energy, carbon and water they are using, as well as assessing how waste is managed. This allows them to see how much they are spending and saving and to feed data directly to IHG’s corporate clients as part of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

The IHG Green Engage system comprises more than 200 specific actions – or ‘Green Solutions’ – designed to reduce hotels’ environmental impact, with IHG’s managed hotels avoiding $73 million in energy costs alone in 2013. This is another significant benefit given that utilities typically represent one of the highest expenses for hotels.

IHG will take an active role in supporting the roll-out, helping hotels not currently registered to sign up and reach IHG Green Engage Level 1 certification by the end of next year. This will include satisfying 10 Green Solutions such as the training of colleagues, tracking utility data, managing the use of non-essential lighting and implementing best practice in areas such as housekeeping and laundry.

Richard Solomons, ceo of IHG commented: “Today’s announcement is an important milestone for IHG and is another powerful demonstration of our ongoing commitment to protecting the environment. We know our guests care as much about sustainability as we do, so making each and every one of our properties an IHG Green Engage hotel is a great step forward for our business and for the communities in which we operate.”