For the 5th time, the General Managers Council (GMC) of Vienna organised the Young Hotelier Award 2009. This contest was launched in 2004 by this Council of general managers of the 4- and 5-star hotels in Vienna, to train and develop young talents within the hospitality industry.

The requirements for the young hoteliers attending this event, are, that they don’t work within a management position and that they are younger than 25. This year’s event counted 14 motivated ‘young hoteliers’ who all had to answer this year’s theme-question:

“How should a green hotel look like, and how to bring it alive?”

Presenting their point of view, in English, took place in Imperial hotel on the 26th of February.

Thomas Eder, Barbara Eckmann (Winner) and Martin Fuehrer

In the jury, who had a long day judging all the presentations, director of Wien Tourismus Norbert Kettner, Manpower-manager Katharina Münchmeyer, Johnson Diversey director Martin Führer, hotel owner Michaela Reiterer, Hilton Vienna Plaza director Michael Reinhardt, Christophe Bergen from Cornell University and consultant for the hotel project Hotel im Palais Schwarzenberg and chairperson Thomas Eder of the GMC were represented.
Johnson Diversey is the main sponsor of the event, who also realised the first price which is a summer-course at the Cornell University in Brussel or nearby New York. Not only was the course sponsored, but the flight and accommodation as well.

Manpower organised two days of training in presentation skills for the young hoteliers. These training days took place in November, where the young hoteliers were trained and prepared in giving presentations.

On the 26th of February the event took place in Imperial hotel and already started at 08:00 hours in the morning, with the first candidate. On the next day, the 27th of February, the winner of this event was announced and a small after-party was organised. This took place in the Imperial hotel as well. The young hotelier, who answered the theme question the best and convinced the jury of her presentation skills, was Barbara Eckmann of Le Meridien. She won the summer-course at the renowned Cornell University, including the flight and accommodation worth of around € 4.000.

Second best was Caroline Winter of InterContinental Wien, who won a course at the Chamber of Commerce, worth of € 500. A difficult decision for the jury was the third place, on which two Young Hotelier Award candidates ended. Thorben Thiemann of the Radisson SAS Palais Hotel and Angelique Piquer representing Grand Hotel Wien and The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel.

So what exactly is a green hotel?

Green travel is based on travelers who consider the environment whilst they are traveling, and try to waste or disturb the environment as less as possible. A green hotel considers the environment and community as well, as in taking responsibility for the impacts of the hotel’s activities. Taking this responsibility can be done in many ways, for example with energy efficient lighting, installing solar panels to win alternative energy, offering the guests a linen program, making use of biological and regional products in the kitchen, using chemical free cleaning solutions or only treating your guests with natural spa products. These are not the only solutions, but some general examples, as there are hunderds of solutions to implement when taking responsibility.

Why are hotels taking the responsibility?

The main advantage for companies to take the responsibility is creating a win-win situation. When implementing ‘green’ solutions, the environment will benefit, but the company as well. Some of the main advantage for these companies could be; improving their financial position by decreasing costs, improvement of brand image, increase of guest loyalty and more satisfied and motivated employees. Besides the win-win situation which is created, more and more companies are forced into taking the responsibility, due to the increase of costs of resources, the overall opinion about the climate change, and governmental institutions and other organisations developing new rules and regulations for companies and hotels to follow, in consideration for our environment.