Sheraton Suites Tampa chooses ‘Green’

The property has just initiated its new “Make a Green Choice” (MAGC) program to enhance sustainability across the board.

Perhaps taking a cue from its parent company’s (Starwood) green line of hotels (Element Hotels), the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport is putting some green into their operations.

The property, managed by Davidson Hotel Company, is finishing up on a multimillion-dollar renovation project that includes some major eco-improvements – many of which focus on sustainable housekeeping practices, a key factor in green hotel management, as well as landscape design and waste management.

“The new management team, Davidson Hotel Company, is committed to engaging all guests as well as employees to actively support sustainability efforts,” said Ray Zepp, general manager at the Sheraton. “This new program helps to reward those that make a ‘green’ decision, no matter how small it seems.”

Zepp says that the MAGC program is a wise business move; one that will result in fewer rooms needing to be cleaned – saving on water, energy and chemical expenses. Furthermore, it should increase loyalty and drive more guests to the hotel’s new restaurant.

Participating guests can decline housekeeping service for a day, and in exchange for helping the Sheraton conserve natural resources, they receive a $5 gift card for use at the hotel restaurant or 500 Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Points.

Building on sustainability

Another facet of the renovation project is the inclusion of a new, eight-story tropical atrium – an indoor landscaping design created to increase the building’s sustainability factor. A large garden will make up most of the atrium floor will include the largest indoor screw pine in Florida, as well as Canary Island Date Palms, which are rarely seen in interior landscaping due to their large size.

Many of the plants, especially the large palms, have been growing there since the hotel was built in 1986.

The attractive indoor plants will also serve another purpose; in a number of ways, the garden lowers the hotel’s demand on the water supply, improves the indoor air quality, reduces excess noise, and more.

“Our hotel is known for the large, open atrium that you see the minute you walk in here,” Zepp said. “While not many people know that our indoor garden increases our property’s sustainability, what better way to immediately communicate ‘green’ than a tropical landscape?”

Attention to details

The hotel’s new green intitative will also include a robust recycling program, in which they recycle paper, cans, plastic, batteries, light bulbs, and copy toner cartridges; lights are monitored and turned off when not needed; and the water flow has been lowered in both the showers and sink faucets. The hotel has also eliminated the need for a garbage disposal.

Taking the time to make these improvements in increasing its sustainability proved worthwhile last year. The state of Florida awarded the Sheraton a One Palm Certification in 2008. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, “the voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving ‘green’ practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.”

“As a major business in the area, we are more than happy to do our part in maintaining a focus on going green in this community,” Zepp said. “We are excited about the renovated hotel and look forward to maintaining and increasing our environmentally friendly property.”

For more information, visit the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore online.