Meetings and Conferences: This is certainly an area that business travelers in particular can focus on and work towards with eco-friendly practices.
Hyatt is offering guidance to ensure eco-friendly practices take place, thus enhancing meetings. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has launched a new program, Meet and be Green, that encourages guests and planners to make green choices for their meetings. In order to “Meet and Be Green” at Hyatt, planners and meeting attendees will pledge to take these ten steps to “go green” during their meeting:
- Recycle during the meeting
- Use products with 100% recycled content
- Print materials locally
- Minimize shipping
- Rather than setting materials at every seat, place meeting materials, such as handouts, notepads, pens, etc., in a central location so attendees can take as needed
- Maintain room temperatures at an appropriate level
- Eliminate disposable water bottles
- Minimize use of other disposable products such as plates, cups, napkins, and utensils
- Select locally grown seasonal foods when planning the menu
- Plan ahead for the meeting to make it easier and more economical to keep the meeting green
Dedicated Hyatt meeting planners will help source products with 100% recycled content where possible, find local suppliers, and maximize efforts to reduce waste to create a meeting experience that exceeds expectations and helps the environment at the same time. To discuss Meet and Be Green options, meeting planners should contact a Hyatt sales representative.
For new meetings booked by December 30, 2010, and held by March 31, 2011 at full-service Hyatt hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada, groups participating in the Meet and Be Green program will be eligible for a 3% rebate on qualifying charges on the master bill. Meet and Be Green is one of the latest additions to Great Happens, Hyatt’s ongoing campaign to emphasize the power and importance of in-person meetings.
“We created Meet and Be Green as a way to reward businesses for helping reduce the environmental impact that can result from meetings,” said Jack Horne, vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts – North America. “By seeing how simple it can be to plan and participate in a green meeting, we are hoping to make green meetings a must-have for all businesses preparing and planning meetings.”
Meet and Be Green is one part of Hyatt’s larger pledge to conserve energy, minimize waste and create responsible, sustainable corporate practices to care for the earth and guests. By empowering guests to do the same, Hyatt and its planners can help minimize the environmental impact of meetings.
In addition to the launch of Meet and Be Green, Hyatt recently announced the rollout of new Seasonal Banquet Menus. These menu selections are updated quarterly and provide food and beverage enhancements for meetings and events that feature items from local and regional farmers, fisherman and cheese makers.
Hyatt was recently recognized as the top hotel chain for meetings in the 2010 Executive Travel Magazine Leading Edge Gold Awards.
For full details of the Meet and Be Green program and available promotions have a look at www.hyattmeetings.com.
Source: Hyatt
Editorial Director
