Memorandum To: Daniel D. McLean, Chief Operating Officer From: Ryan-Kirk Bautista, Chief Engineer Date: March 4, 2014 RE: Sustainability Initiative Recommendations I am respectfully submitting this memorandum to the members of the Board of Directors for purposes of recommending concerns regarding the subject. The report addresses the following: (a) range of sustainability options for our hotel; (b) our industry leaders and their efforts; and (c) recommendations pertaining to feasible approaches. RANGE OF SUSTAINABILITY OPTIONS Comprehensive Recycling The first step to achieving a higher long-term value of our property is to recycle. Statistically, recycling is noticed by customers more than any other green initiative. This would reduce our waste hauling expenses, increases employee and customer loyalty, as well as obtain a higher level of competitive advantage.1 This can be done through a new recycling initiative across all three boards of the property: administrative, public, and service areas. By including separated bins in guest rooms, offices, public areas, and meeting rooms, all three areas of our building that require a significant improvement at a long-term low-cost are covered. A few of the many products include: paper materials used for on-property marketing, plastic bathroom amenities, and used light bulbs. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has launched a Recycling Recognition Program that has been developed to record and recognize recycling efforts across the state. This avenue would be wise to explore considering the public relations and social responsibility if we would like to explore that avenue. Reducing Energy Use The entire property can benefit from a more energy-efficient approach with lighting and occupancy sensors. Options in respect to lighting include changing to ENERGY STAR efficient light bulbs which are found to use 75% less energy and heat than our current incandescent light bulbs and lasts about ten times longer.2 Alternatively, by switching to new LED lighting from GE, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has saved nearly 4.1 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year.3 We may implement this throughout the entire property in all facilities to greater reduce our energy use and overall costs. We may take a cost-effective approach and replace and recycle our old light bulbs progressively throughout the entire property. As more codes are becoming more stringent, the implementation of occupancy sensors would be another great way to reduce the amount of energy we use in unoccupied rooms. Rooms are often unoccupied by guests or associates and lights are left turned on leaving the responsibility to others. Being open 24 hours, installing these in conference, office, and storage rooms would be a step towards adding another LEED certified change to our facility. Dan McLean UNLV Dan McLean UNLV Good Paper Green Hotel Amenities There has been a growth in bathroom ...

1. Memorandum
To: Daniel D. McLean, Chief Operating Officer
From: Ryan-Kirk Bautista, Chief Engineer
Date: March 4, 2014
RE: Sustainability Initiative Recommendations
I am respectfully submitting this memorandum to the members
of the Board of Directors for
purposes of recommending concerns regarding the subject. The
report addresses the following:
(a) range of sustainability options for our hotel; (b) our industry
leaders and their efforts; and (c)
recommendations pertaining to feasible approaches.
RANGE OF SUSTAINABILITY OPTIONS
Comprehensive Recycling
The first step to achieving a higher long-term value of our
property is to recycle. Statistically,
recycling is noticed by customers more than any other green
initiative. This would reduce our
waste hauling expenses, increases employee and customer
loyalty, as well as obtain a higher
level of competitive advantage.1 This can be done through a
new recycling initiative across all
three boards of the property: administrative, public, and service
areas. By including separated

2. bins in guest rooms, offices, public areas, and meeting rooms,
all three areas of our building that
require a significant improvement at a long-term low-cost are
covered. A few of the many
products include: paper materials used for on-property
marketing, plastic bathroom amenities,
and used light bulbs. The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection has launched a
Recycling Recognition Program that has been developed to
record and recognize recycling
efforts across the state. This avenue would be wise to explore
considering the public relations
and social responsibility if we would like to explore that
avenue.
Reducing Energy Use
The entire property can benefit from a more energy-efficient
approach with lighting and
occupancy sensors. Options in respect to lighting include
changing to ENERGY STAR efficient
light bulbs which are found to use 75% less energy and heat
than our current incandescent light
bulbs and lasts about ten times longer.2 Alternatively, by
switching to new LED lighting from
GE, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has saved nearly 4.1 million
kilowatt hours of electricity a year.3
We may implement this throughout the entire property in all
facilities to greater reduce our
energy use and overall costs. We may take a cost-effective
approach and replace and recycle our
old light bulbs progressively throughout the entire property. As
more codes are becoming more
stringent, the implementation of occupancy sensors would be
another great way to reduce the
amount of energy we use in unoccupied rooms. Rooms are often

3. unoccupied by guests or
associates and lights are left turned on leaving the
responsibility to others. Being open 24 hours,
installing these in conference, office, and storage rooms would
be a step towards adding another
LEED certified change to our facility.
Dan McLean UNLV
Dan McLean UNLV
Good Paper
Green Hotel Amenities
There has been a growth in bathroom laundry programs and
enhanced guestroom controls, and
green toiletries. Brands such as Marriott, Intercontinental, and
Hyatt have implemented programs
that allow guests to elevate or place towels on a rack to signify
to their staff that they would like
to contribute to their green initiatives. Not only would this
reduce the amount of water use, but
also labor and transportation costs. By allowing guests to
regulate the temperature in their rooms
we can save on unused and unnecessary energy use. According
to IHG the better overall air
quality throughout the entire property is contributed by their
new systems that monitor CO2
levels and health and comfort for guests and employees.4 In
regards to toiletries, there are
alternative sources that produce bottles made from recycled
plastic. If our property would like to
partner with the Clean the World Foundation they also collect
used bars of soap and bottles if

4. you would like to go with a cost-free approach.
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS IN OUR INDUSTRY
Wyndham Worldwide: Wyndham Green
The leader in environmental performance in our industry,
Wyndham, has worked with their
sourcing department to seek suppliers and vendors that meet
their sustainability mission
conserving natural resource, protecting nature’s habitats,
and reducing pollution. They are
recognized uniquely for their Green Uniform Program that uses
textiles produced by recycled
polyester fibers spun from plastic beverage bottles. These
uniforms reduce plastic use, do not
require professional laundering, and are cleaned using minimal
amounts of chemicals due to their
specialized fabric; ultimately providing cost-savings. 5
MGM Resort International: Green Advantage
With twelve Green Key certifications, MGM’s Green
Advantage Program is coveted due to their
partnerships with local education institutions to provide them
with reusable paper products at no-
cost, installing AutoFlame computerized combustion controls to
reduce natural gas consumption,
and Variable Frequency Drives to automatically regulate
electricity flow to cooling systems. 6
Their properties are also converting to citrus-based non-
ammoniated and non-bleach based
cleaning products—reducing both the need for protective gear
and harsh chemicals.

5. Hyatt Hotels: Hyatt Thrive
Hyatt has taken their sustainable initiatives to the employee
level by implementing various green
programs called (a) My Green Touches, (b) Hyatt Earth
Training Program, and (c) Meet and Be
Green.7
(a) A program that incorporates sustainable actions all facets of
their property can
incorporate into their daily job functions
(b) An environmental responsibility program that focuses on
creating a culture for
employees for both the on-property and home levels through
interactive workshops.
(c) A program that provides meeting planners with ten ways to
make their meetings
greener. It includes a three percent discount incentive for the
environmental
commitment.
SUSTAINABILITY RECOMMENDATIONS
Geothermal Approach: Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps would essential HVAC costs up to
80%, lower our reliance on fossil
fuels, and eliminate above ground equipment. The technology
behind the system draws heat,
using a liquid, to absorb natural heat from the earth or aquifer
and is transferred to and from the
building by a heat sink that pumps warm air into the facility.

6. These heat pumps can also work
against the natural flow of heat and can also be used to cool hot
buildings in the summer by
transferring heat from the building back into the ground. This
technology also works during any
season at any above-ground temperature due the relatively
constant temperature of underground,
addressing any concerns you may have with inconsistency.8 To
make things better, this system
also generates energy to produce a free hot water source. In
regards to cost, this one-time starting
cost may seem heavy; the payback from this investment is done
in an average of three to five
years, it is quieter and lasts almost two times longer than our
industrial heaters. Localization also
reduces our carbon footprint and fortunately for our property,
Florida is one of the largest
exporters of geothermal heat pump systems and installation.9
Water Management Program
Water is a scarce resource. Water use in hotel properties is an
average 10% of our utility bills—
which includes the purchase and disposing of waste and with a
new water management system
we can save up to 50% more water.10 We may begin by starting
to log water consumption,
educating our staff, and by implementing new water systems.
Although a long-term investment,
we should audit where our major water costs are and install
fixtures where necessary now to
forecast spending. Using programs and seminars to educate our
staff will help assist them in
understanding this new implementation. As for new water
systems introducing the towel reuse

7. program, low flow showerheads, and water efficient taps are a
few of our more cost-effective
routes without reducing the guest experience. Installation is
also not specialized, so training for
my team would be extremely minimal. As aforementioned, all
our industry leaders are working
towards water management initiatives so auditing, analyzing,
and introducing a new water
management system is the first step. Our long-term, more
expensive goals for our property to
include in the future are: manual watering, ozone laundry
systems, and recycling using grey
water system11but we will plan those as the results see feet. As
for now, we must focus on what
our property can do before making these costly choices.
I assure you that the returns on investment and projected value
added to our hotel implementing
these initiatives reflect the competitive advantage you are
looking for. After careful review with
the Board of Directors, please direct any questions you may
have to my email. Thank you
References
1
http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/p2/business_industry/hospitalit
y/fall2011workshop/
waste_management_for_hotels_and_restaurants.pdf
2 http://www.energystar.gov/certified-
products/detail/light_bulbs
3 http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/case-studies/las-
vegas-sands-corporation.jsp

8. 4 http://innovation.ihgplc.com/bedroom/enhanced-guest-room-
controls
5 http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/news-media/press-
releases/wyndham-hotels-introduce-
green-uniforms-spun-plastic-0
6 https://www.mgmresorts.com/company/environmental-
responsibility-more.htm
7 http://thrive.hyatt.com/globalInitiatives.html
8 http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomkonrad/2014/02/28/how-
geothermal-heat-pumps-can-soar-like-
solar/
9 http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/how-does-
geothermal-energy-work-use-the-
earth-to-cool-your-home/987569
10 http://www.greenhotelier.org/know-how-guides/water-
management-and-responsibility-in-
hotels/
11 http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/geothermal-heat-
pumps
http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/p2/business_industry/hospitalit
y/fall2011workshop/
http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/case-studies/las-
vegas-sands-corporation.jsp
http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/news-media/press-
releases/wyndham-hotels-introduce-green-uniforms-spun-
plastic-0
http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/news-media/press-
releases/wyndham-hotels-introduce-green-uniforms-spun-
plastic-0
https://www.mgmresorts.com/company/environmental-
responsibility-more.htm
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomkonrad/2014/02/28/how-

9. geothermal-heat-pumps-can-soar-like-solar/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomkonrad/2014/02/28/how-
geothermal-heat-pumps-can-soar-like-solar/
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/how-does-
geothermal-energy-work-use-the-earth-to-cool-your-
home/987569
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/how-does-
geothermal-energy-work-use-the-earth-to-cool-your-
home/987569
http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/geothermal-heat-pumps