Sustainability

Travel with Purpose

Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s Environmental, Social and Governance strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally.  We have committed as a brand to double our investment in social impact and cut our environmental footprint in half by 2030.

Hilton LightStay is our comprehensive corporate responsibility measurement tool that helps you track to reduce your environmental footprint and increase your social impact.  This tool is available for meeting planners both pre and post event.  Hilton requires all hotels, whether owned, managed or franchised, to measure sustainability performance by using the LightStay tool.  Through LightStay, Hilton is able to calculate and analyze the company’s aggregate sustainability performance across more than 200 indicators. It measures multiple utility and operational metrics such as energy, water, carbon, paper product usage, waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation.  Learn More

Palmer House Hilton is committed to improving our performance toward a sustainable future while enhancing Team Member and guest experience at our hotel.  As a result of our efforts we have achieved the following:

Recycling

Paper

• All back of hotel areas, meeting spaces, and offices have containers for paper recycling
• Computers are networked to local copiers to reduce ink consumption.
• Printers are defaulted to print double sided.
• One side copies are kept and reloaded into the printer for single sided copies.

Cardboard

• Several collection locations throughout the building capture cardboard from the kitchens, meetings, engineering, housekeeping, etc.  The cardboard is bailed for recycling.

Styrofoam

• Styrofoam products are no longer used, all existing has been depleted.

Glass

• Glass is collected from back of hotel and all meeting space for recycling. (Green, Brown, Clear)

Plastics

• All back of hotel areas, meeting spaces, and offices collect number 1, 2, & 3 plastics for recycling.

Metals

• Aluminum cans are collected in back of hotel areas for recycling.
• Precious metals (Brass/Copper/Aluminum/Stainless/Bronze) are collected from several sources throughout the building and picked up for recycling.

 

Waste Reduction

• Waste tracking and bench marking allows the hotel to view progress of recycling initiatives and set goals for each year.
• Batteries, fluorescent bulbs, ballasts, waste oil, are all recycled through Waste Management. Electronic waste (e-waste) is recycled through Waste Management’s e-waste program.
• Spent cooking oil is collected and recycled through Mahoney Environmental.
• Furniture is sold to liquidators so that it can be reused for needing households and not into landfills.
• Cornerstone Community Outreach collects shampoo, conditioner and lotion bimonthly.
• Old bed linens/towels are donated annually
• Half used toilet paper rolls from guest rooms are used in team member locker rooms/washrooms
• In house dry cleaning facility collects hangers and reuses them for team member dry cleaning.
• Toner cartridges are returned to supplier for refilling/recycling.

Food Waste, Composting Program

April 2011 began composting program and partnership with Waste Management.  Food scraps are kept separate from trash and collected by Waste Management to be turned into compost at their plant.

 

Garden

• Microgreens and herbs are grown in the hotel and harvested for use in our restaurants and banquets.

 

Energy Conservation

Energy tracking

• Computer software is used to track and monitor energy through meter reading, allowing engineering to view reports and compare usage to other Hilton properties.  Alarms alert engineering about peak energy consumption allowing operators to reduce/shed loads.

Lighting

• Checklists for Manager on Duty and Security to ensure lights are turned off in areas not in use.
• Compact Florescent light bulbs in guest rooms and back of the house areas.
• Dimming systems are installed in all ballrooms to save energy.
• LED Retrofit programs are in process throughout the building.

HVAC

• New HVAC systems have been installed with variable frequency drives (VFD) to save energy.
• High efficiency motors have been installed on all new fan systems to reduce energy consumption.
• A building automation system scheduled the HVAC systems to run only when there is a meeting scheduled to avoid unnecessary cooling/heating of a room to save energy.

Water

• Low flow shower heads are Hilton standards to conserve water.
• All public restrooms have automatic faucets to conserve water.
• Low flow toilets are used in public restrooms to conserve water.
• Linen reuse program allow guest to reuse towels to conserve energy and reduce water consumption.

Natura Water System for Meetings

The Natura Water System is an environmentally friendly alternative to the waste and energy associated with both bottled water service and tap water in pitchers typically served during meetings.  Natura is served in 2 gallon dispensers in all meetings using Corn Cups which are biodegradable within 60 days.  The Natura Water System eliminates waste produced by traditional bottled water, reduces the carbon impact of Hilton by reducing the need for shipping, storage and recycling.  Detergent and energy for cleaning glass cups is also reduced.