Green meetings find a new ‘Destination’

Taking the cue from the success of its Destination Earth sustainability program, Destination Hotels & Resorts has created a new platform for all group and meetings business.

Built on green practices, the platform aims to reduce waste, conserve water and better manage energy use while meeting the needs of group and meeting programs.

Meeting planners who have worked with the company provided input and recommendations as the company developed its green meetings platform, focusing on ood and beverage operations and sourcing, meeting room setup and supplies, waste management, purchasing, energy efficiency and water conversation.

“A ‘green’ meeting will now be standard throughout all group, meeting and conference center properties in the Destination collection,” said Mark Hickey, senior vice president of operations for the company. “Basic principles of waste reduction, water conservation, as well as sustainable food and beverage practices are among the customary meeting offerings. However, there are different shades of green available too if a planner wants to employ even more aggressive sustainability practices. We believe this will allow our corporate clients, meeting planners, wedding planners and others to make informed choices about the environmentally aware options available throughout the collection.”

With the new platform in place, meetings, conferences and events at Destination properties now will take into account various sustainability practices, including: in-room recycling stations, available whiteboards (as opposed to paper flip-charts), donation or reuse of leftover conference supplies, local and in-season regional ingredients from sustainable suppliers and partners incorporated into menus, and digital thermostats to control meeting room temperatures.

Also, based on budgets, planners will be able to choose from a variety of other options, including: organic food and beverage options,  bio-based flatware and recyclable/biodegradable plates and cups instead of plastic items, alternative fueled airport shuttles, free parking for hybrid vehicles and access to purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates.

“We really listened to the meeting planning community,” Hickey added. “We understand how important these offerings can be to a company that practices sustainability, and we kept this in mind as the program offerings evolved.”

No stranger to sustainability

Destination’s new green meetings platform was designed in conjunction with Destination Earth, which creates a baseline standard of sustainable practices for the company’s hotels and condominiums while encouraging individual properties to be innovative in their operations.

As properties reach various stages in their implementation, new levels of green business practices are identified and outlined for the collection. All properties are encouraged to be resourceful in indentifying and implementing green practices that are relevant to their operation and community.

The lodging group offers a variety of distinctive settings and experiences for group and meeting planners. From intimate gatherings to seven IACC-certified meeting facilities, the selection spans coast-to-coast and from sea level to altitude, with meeting experiences in one-of-a-kind settings.

With such a unique array of choices, and valuable input from customers, Destination created a baseline meeting program that supported sustainable practices across the portfolio.

“The collection’s green meeting standard is just one example of how we’ve created new levels of sustainability throughout the collection,” Hickey added. “Destination Earth is a dynamic program which evolves at each property based on the feedback of guests and associates. We believe our green meetings program will take on the same dynamic evolution as we continue to receive feedback from meeting planners, our suppliers and other key stakeholders.”