Page 266 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 5: LEA VE A LASTING FOOTPRINT
be accustomed to being afforded the option of having their
linens left unchanged during their stay. Asking guests to partner
with them in environmental conservation while at the same time
not suggesting anything that decreases the perceived value of the
stay is a balance that Ritz-Carlton leadership weighs carefully.
Simon Cooper comments, “We continue to craft our messages
in these regards.We have pilot projects naturally occurring in lo-
cations such as our California properties.We want to make sure
we don’t impute guilt on guests who are paying for a luxury ex-
perience but at the same time we want to create openings for our
guests to help us steward precious resources.”
In an effort to strike this balance, several Ritz-Carlton ho-
tels, including those at Half Moon Bay, Tyson’s Corner, Reynolds
Plantation, Sarasota, and Beijing Financial Street, are experi-
menting with different ways to communicate to guests about the
hotels’ focus on conserving natural resources without impacting
the luxury experience. Specifically, each hotel is looking at dif-
ferent avenues (for example, signage, information in the room,
or a conversation at check-in) that give the guests an option to
select a less-frequent linen and towel change service if they de-
sire or that emphasize ways for the guests to participate in the
recycling or reduced use of environmentally sensitive products.
Rather than rushing to a nonviable solution, leadership is me-
thodically looking for the most effective and respectful approach.
Bill Bolling of the Atlanta Food Bank observes that Ritz-
Carlton leadership is known for thoughtful consideration of
complicated issues: “It’s not as much a negative as it is a cultural
thing. When Ritz-Carlton goes about doing something, it does-
n’t do it quickly. It does it thoroughly. It’s one of the things we’ve
learned about partnering with them. I actually support and re-
spect that because in the long run when we decide what it is that
works, I fully assume we’re going to be successful.”
Sue Stephenson offers examples of how Ritz-Carlton looks
at ways to have a positive environmental impact. “One of our
approaches has been to partner with organizations that have

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