The owner of the InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotel chains is set to move its environmental programme up a gear by rolling out its bespoke online green reporting tool across its 4,700 hotels.

 

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) this week confirmed it would expand a system called Green Engage that contains advice on more than 200 best practice environmental measures and technologies, covering energy, operations, water, build design and renovation, and running from zero cost to large investments.

 

The move is designed to help the company deliver on its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint per occupied room by 12 per cent between 2013 and 2017 while cutting water use per occupied room by the same amount in water-stressed areas.

 

As part of the programme, IHG said it would help hotels not currently registered to sign up to Green Engage and assist them in achieving the initial level of certification under the programme by the end of 2015.

 

The move is also expected to deliver significant financial savings for the group. IHG said Green Engage had already helped avoid $73m in energy costs alone in 2013.