Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A Certification in Green Hotel Management

I was excited to learn that the Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Training Center is now offering a certificate program in Green Hotel Management. To my knowledge, few schools offer this type of course. Why not more? According to the Training Center website, the course is being offered now through November 30 and again in January. It is being taught by Tom Griffin, director and co-founder of Greener Results, and Laura Wood Habr, a 20-year hospitality/restaurant industry veteran.

According to the course description, those who participate in the program will learn how to develop a green hotel program; track and measure waste and recycling; track consumption of water and energy; and learn about other green practices and techniques that will result in cost savings. The course is geared toward hotel owners, managers, and green program coordinators.

Those owning and operating lodging establishments in Virginia have good reason to educate themselves about green hotel management--not only for the operations benefits but also for the marketing benefits as well. Virginia has an aggressive green lodging program called Virginia Green. It is a voluntary green tourism program that features self-certification for green lodging facilities. Virginia also now has its own Virginia Green travel website for visitors to that state.

Are there any schools in your area that offer Green Hotel Management courses? If so, I want to know about them. Write to editor@greenlodgingnews.com. A list of colleges and universities that offer some type of sustainability-related course can be found at Green Lodging News.

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