Steve Sackman knew it would be a major undertaking to replace more than 5,000 light bulbs at the 212-room hotel.
Yet the upscale Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center expects a major payoff in lower utility bills as a result of the investment. The new compact fluorescent bulbs installed in the guest rooms, hallways, conference rooms and the lobby last 10 times longer and use far less energy than conventional light bulbs. Sackman said it is good news for the environment because each new bulb will save about 450 pounds of power-plant emissions over its lifetime.
"It is the right thing to do from a standpoint of cost savings and being a more profitable organization," said Sackman, the regional director of sales and marketing at Tarrytown House. "But it also is about being a socially and environmentally responsible organization. That is certainly at the front of everyone's mind right now."
Tarrytown House joins growing numbers of hotels nationally in going green during an age of rising public concerns about the environment and global warming.
Seventy-three percent of guests indicate they will participate in green programs if they are aware that the hotel offers them, according to a recent survey by J.D. Power and Associates.