The Coast Chilliwack Hotel has struck green gold winning the 2009 City of Chilliwack Green Business Award.
The Coast Chilliwack Hotel was recognized for its pioneering environmentally-friendly programs that have helped reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint and contributed to the quality of life in the Fraser Valley.
“We’re extremely honoured to be recognized for our environmental initiatives,” said Joey Beltrano, Coast Chilliwack Hotel General Manager. “The team at the Coast Chilliwack Hotel really took this sustainability program to heart and ran with it. Our staff is very passionate in their collective belief that it is every individual’s responsibility to do what they can to improve our environment. Everyone at the Coast Chilliwack Hotel is dedicated to continuously improving our sustainable business practices and helping make our community a great place to live, work and visit.”
Since it opened last August, the Coast Chilliwack Hotel established a purchasing policy eliminating the use of unnecessary chemicals, Styrofoam and plastics wherever possible. Fabric in the uniforms worn by staff at the front desk is made from 70 per cent recycled pop and water bottles, and disposable products such as in-room coffee spoons are made from potato starch. All cleaning products used in the hotel are eco-friendly and wherever possible food products are purchased in the Fraser Valley to support local businesses and reduce transportation costs.
Hotel employees have placed major emphasis on recycling and composting to recover paper, cardboard, glass, tin, organics and other materials that were once destined for the landfill. In the hotel’s kitchen, staff routinely separate non-biodegradable waste from organic waste that can be composted. Approximately 32 litres per month of used cooking oil from the deep fryer is recovered and donated to a local company that uses it for animal feed.
The end result has been a dramatic reduction in waste heading for the landfill. Today, over 90 per cent of the hotel’s waste is either recycled or composted.
When Coast Hotels & Resorts originally bought the Chilliwack property last year, the hotel had a 100-yard trash compactor which was taken away and replaced with a six-yard bin. “Most hotels our size have two six-yard bins that they have emptied twice a week,” said Beltrano. “We’re having a hard time filling one six-yard bin once a week.” The compactor room now serves as a recycle/compost area.
Other green initiatives at the hotel include: replacing old water heaters with Energy Star rated models, installing energy-efficient lighting and low-flow toilets and shower heads in all guest rooms for water conservation, and turning down heat in unoccupied rooms. The Coast Chilliwack Hotel has an optional towel exchange and bed change program where guests can choose to use their linens for multiple nights rather than have them washed every day. Guest are provided with shampoo, bath gel and lotion in bulk containers to reduce the number of small bottles used. Housekeepers are encouraged to use natural light by opening the drapes rather than turning on lights. In the hotels’ kitchen, staff are asked not to continuously run water when washing vegetables.
About eCoast
eCoast is Coast Hotels & Resorts’ in-house environmental program dedicated to helping the hotel chain reduce its carbon footprint. Through ongoing operational improvements and working in partnership with guests, Coast Hotels & Resorts is taking meaningful steps to make the world a greener place. Our sustainability efforts encompass everything from using recyclable key cards to providing large-volume bottles of amenity products and encouraging guests to re-use towels and bed linens. At Coast Hotels & Resorts we’re committed to minimizing our environmental impact because we believe we’re all guests on this planet.
About the Coast Chilliwack Hotel
The 110-room Coast Chilliwack Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Chilliwack, a short distance from Chilliwack Heritage Park, the 5,000-seat Prospera Centre, home of the Chilliwack Bruins WHL hockey team, and the new Chilliwack Cultural Centre Project, which will include an art gallery, a 500-seat performance theatre, music instruction rooms, arts and crafts studios and related amenities. Chilliwack, B.C. is located approximately 100 km east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley, a short distance from three border crossings, and offers a multitude of recreational experiences such as river rafting, horseback riding, hiking, waterskiing, wind surfing, kayaking, boating, mountain climbing, mountain biking, golfing and world-class fishing.
About Coast Hotels & Resorts
Coast Hotels & Resorts is a leading hotel chain in western North America. The company’s philosophy of serving its guests through a superior standard of value, hospitality and service enables its continuing expansion. Coast Hotels & Resorts now owns, manages and franchises 42 hotel and resort properties located throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, the western United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Visit www.coasthotels.com or call 1-800-663-1144 for more information.
