Travel Weekly Digital Edition - 50th Anniversary Edition

Corporate responsibility at IHG
New strategic framework

At IHG, we took steps to elevate our green hotel guidelines to a new level and developed a global Corporate Responsibility (CR) framework. With almost 4,000 hotels around the world we need a long-term commitment and strategy to deliver real benefit, not a quick-fix approach. This gives our efforts clearer focus for corporate responsibility to support our aim to create Great Hotels Guests Love.

Our achievements in include:

• MEASURING OUR WATER, WASTE AND ENERGY USAGE

We piloted and are now rolling out an online system to measure our water, waste and energy usage across the world. This will enable us to set realistic reduction targets.

• ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINTING

We are the first major hotel group to have measured both our environmental and our carbon footprints. In 2008 we shall review this data and consider appropriate targets for energy reduction.

• CO² SAVINGS

In the Americas, we distributed more than US$1 million worth of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) to replace the old incandescent bulbs. We estimate the annual energy savings for this single initiative to be over US$2 million. The bulbs are recycled at their end of life.

• WIND ENERGY

The Willard Washington DC is our first InterContinental hotel to be powered by 100% wind energy. This means that the approximate 7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity the hotel uses every year produces zero CO².

• COMMUNITY SUPPORT

We are opening a new hotel on average every day somewhere in the world. To continue to be successful we recognise that we must invest in our employees and the local communities where we operate. We have a long tradition of community support and IHG hotels contributed more than US$14 million in their communities during 2007.

• LOCAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

We have set up the IHG Academy in partnership with local academic institutions in China to provide specialist hotel management training in our fastest growing market. Today there are approximately 1,600 students enrolled with the Academy in five cities and 10 schools. This is beneficial to our local communities and good for our business.

Innovation Hotel

• CONSUMER INSIGHT

We commissioned major consumer research during 2007. This work will provide the insight we need to shape the direction of our corporate responsibility strategy and the way we apply it to our brands.

Take a look – www.ihg.com/innovation

Our plans for 2008 and beyond

• ONLINE INNOVATION HOTEL

Our online Innovation Hotel is designed to showcase publicly our approach to managing our hotels responsibly, and to inform our employees, business partners and guests of what we can do to manage our environmental impact. By logging on, people can also comment on each innovation and vote for those they consider to be the best.