Hyatt Tamaya combines sustainability, luxury

The Hyatt Tamaya heats two of its pools around the clock, but pumping alcohol across the water surface at night cuts down on the energy needed to maintain the water temperature. (Photo by Hyatt Corp.)

Seeking to meet the growing demand for "green" venues for conferences and workshops, the Hyatt Tamaya Spa and Resort found surprisingly simple—and cost-effective—answers to the complicated, expensive-sounding question: how can a hotel deliver a high-end guest experience using sustainable business practices?

Located on 500 acres of the Pueblo of Santa Ana between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M., the resort has the luxury end of the equation covered. In addition to its unique cultural environment, amenities include a spa and salon, riding stables, an 18-hole golf club, tennis courts and the Tamaya Cultural Museum and Learning Center.

Local, corporate goals coincide

The tribe undertook its effort to "green up" the Hyatt Tamaya operations in 2006. "About the same time, the Hyatt Corp. launched its global sustainability initiative," recalled Assistant Engineer Nathaniel Jaramillo. "It helped to have the corporate support."

Some efficiency measures were already in place, including compact fluorescent lamps and low-flow plumbing fixtures in the guest rooms. The resort was also recycling metal and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), because of the mercury content. But that was only the beginning of what could be done.

To identify energy-saving opportunities, Tamaya management formed a green team, comprising members from each department. "We started just by asking ourselves, 'What can we do more efficiently?'" said Jaramillo.

Reducing waste

Recycling was one area where every department could make a difference. Hotels generate a large, diverse waste stream containing many materials that can be recycled. The resort went from recycling only metals and CFLs to diverting food waste, cardboard, white paper, clear plastic and aluminum from the landfill.

Getting the recycling program up and running required a lot of staff training, Jaramillo noted. "We keep better track of waste, now," he added. "I can tell you how many pounds of food waste, white paper and cardboard get recycled each month."

Cardboard recycling represented the resort's biggest investment in sustainability. The nearest city, Bernalillo, N.M., doesn't have an infrastructure for recycling cardboard. During the summer, the resort sent its cardboard to the pueblo's casino, the Santa Ana Star, to be bailed. "It was good for the casino, too, because it was getting more use from its bailing equipment," said Jaramillo.

In the winter, however, it became too difficult to haul the cardboard to the casino, so the Hyatt Tamaya paid a waste management company to pick up the material. That expense eventually leveled off, thanks to the comprehensive recycling effort. With so much of what used to go into the trash compactor now being recycled, the resort pays for fewer trash pick-ups overall. "So the cost of hauling away the cardboard is pretty much a wash," Jaramillo explained.

Training staff to save energy

For other measures, the largest investment was in time and training. Security guards, for example, are in the perfect position during their regular rounds to turn off lights and heaters in rooms and offices that aren't in use. The green team developed a checklist of equipment and systems in each area for guards to carry with them on their rounds. The checklist also has a place for noting potential energy-wasting situations or savings opportunities.

The Hyatt Tamaya's two restaurants and five kitchen units presented one of those low-cost savings opportunities. Kitchen staff used to turn on ovens in the morning and leave them on all day so that the appliances would be ready when the cook popped in a dish. "It saved a little time, but used a lot of energy," observed Jaramillo.

The green team walked the kitchens, timing how long it took to pre-heat each oven—in most cases, less than half an hour. Metal signs are now affixed to each unit telling kitchen workers the exact number of minutes necessary for ovens to reach the desired temperature.

Sustainability also means using water wisely, particularly in the desert southwest. As part of their conservation training, the maintenance staff has learned to look for water leaks in guest rooms and facilities. The landscape manager, too, has started to make adjustments in the watering schedule. As with recycling, Jaramillo pointed out that the best conservation tool is a staff that is trained to be aware of their energy-use habits.

Investing in efficient systems

Technology has a place in the Hyatt Tamaya's green operations, too. Putting automated timers on exhaust and supply fan systems reduced the units' running time by six or more hours in some cases.

Pool heating, a significant expense for resort hotels, is difficult to reduce because guests expect to be able to use a pool from the moment it opens in the morning. The Hyatt Tamaya heats two of its swimming pools around the clock. Installing more efficient heaters when it was time to replace the old units helped, and so did the addition of isopropyl alcohol to the water. "A layer of alcohol pumped across the water creates a thermal blanket that cuts down on energy use for heating overnight," said Jaramillo.

The expense of the alcohol initially offset the energy savings somewhat, a problem solved by finding a vendor who sold it in bulk. The better deal enabled the resort to cut out one more source of energy waste without affecting guests' comfort.

Communicating results

Integrating recycling with the conservation efforts—"basically, cutting out a lot of energy waste," Jaramillo called it—lowered the Hyatt Tamaya's combined gas and electric consumption by 5 percent in 2007. The reduction was not accompanied by a corresponding drop in operating costs, however. "We started our program about the same time as natural gas prices doubled," admitted Jaramillo. "We are using less energy, but paying more. Imagine what our bills would be without conservation!"

Methods for tracking energy use have improved too. "We adjust for factors like occupancy and weather in our reports now," Jaramillo stated. "It gives a much more detailed picture of our energy expenditures."

Projections indicate that the resort shaved almost 3 percent more off its energy use in 2008. "If the green team does its job right and continues to find new savings, the percentage will go down each year because the measures reach a saturation point," the engineer said. "That's an important message that we have to communicate to management."

Attracting business

Potential guests are another audience for the Hyatt Tamaya's message of sustainability, and Jaramillo has become actively involved in communicating with them. "I've participated in meetings with meeting planners who want to make sure the resort is 'walking the walk' when it comes to sustainability," he said.

That's the advice George Gay, CEO of the socially-responsible investing (SRI) firm First Affirmative Financial Network, gives to meeting planners who want a green conference. AFN representatives did just that when the Hyatt Tamaya answered the Colorado Springs, Colo., firm's RFP for a site for its 2007 SRI in the Rockies conference. The resort won the contract, boosting its reputation as a green conference destination.

The Hyatt Tamaya currently includes information in its sales packet about its green attributes—along with a press release about Conde Nast Traveler naming the resort one of the top 75 in the nation. It seems that ''sustainable luxury" is not an oxymoron, but a business strategy for success in the highly competitive hospitality industry.

Resources

Hyatt Tamaya Spa and Resort

Pueblo of Santa Ana

Santa Ana Star

First Affirmative Financial Network

People

Nathaniel Jaramillo

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