Davidson Hospitality Group has renewed its commitment to sustainability and conservational efforts through streamlined engineering management, strategic operational partnerships, robust food and beverage programs, and differentiated guest experiences.
"Staying true to our core value of 'Create Value in All that You Do,' we are continually focused on identifying areas within our portfolio to save, reuse and conserve," Davidson Hospitality Group CEO Thom Geshay said in a statement. "As environmental stewards, sustaining responsible operations is critical, and we are proud of the progress we have made to contribute to a healthier, cleaner and nontoxic planet."
Partnership with Procell
Davidson Hospitality Group is the first management company to partner with Procell, A Duracell battery company. Procell InSite is a wireless device management system which allows facilities to connect battery-operated devices to a single online system and track when batteries and other consumables need replacing. The hardware can connect to door locks, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers, faucets and flush valves which are then connected to a simple web-based dashboard integrating advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and real-time operational management tools.
Additionally, Davidson partners with Insite Intelligence, a building efficiency solution, to track electric, water and gas consumption real-time. Abnormal consumption can be identified immediately, leading to cost savings, quality control, and reduced carbon emissions.
Stop Food Waste Day
Started in 2017 by Compass Group USA, Stop Food Waste Day unites millions of people globally to educate, inspire, and ignite change. Below is a sampling of how Davidson-operated properties are participating:
- The Alexander in Indianapolis will be utilizing fruit peels, its largest food waste, to make assorted flavors of Tepache (fermented fruit beverage made with leftover peels and cores from fruit, water, and sugar). The F&B team will also be turning overripe tomatoes into salsa and gazpacho; processing overripe and excess fruits into jellies and jams for breakfast buffets and restaurants; making chicken stock out of the bones for soup sauces on the line; and donating coffee grounds to local farms to help grow the vegetables used onsite.
- Islamorada Resort Collection in Islamorada, Fla. is offering leaf to root concepts with monthly seasonal vegetable incorporations to daily specials as well as launching a dog food concept with its pet-friendly dining venues. Food "scraps" that cannot be used aesthetically in the kitchens will be portioned out and available for guests to purchase.
- Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa'a, Hawaii donates weekly food waste to a local pig farm. Additionally, the Executive Chef will be creating second life recipes for the team member cafeteria, featuring Chicken Luau, a Hawaiian recipe incorporating items from the property's popular Luau Ka Hikina.
- Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Mich. will contribute an abundance of pantry and produce items before its expiration to the FREEDGE program, which is a sharing mechanism run by the local police department aiming to reduce food waste and build a stronger community through food sharing to support local families in need.
- The Fontaine in Kansas City, Mo. will offer a Pineapple Vanilla Martini from April 22-28, utilizing the core, skin, and stem of the pineapples to make pineapple infused vodka into a martini and garnish it with a leaf from the stem. The fruit is used daily on property, within banquets and the restaurant.
Sustainable Food & Beverage Operations
Davidson Restaurant Group, the dedicated food and beverage operating vertical of Davidson Hospitality Group, continues to innovate on its mission to solve food waste through predictive preparation and purchasing. This includes robust Culinary DNA training – production charts, line checks and collaboration between front of house leadership and kitchen leadership to discuss food quality on a daily basis – ordering and receiving -- to run business more intelligently. This season, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island will pilot the OZZI system in its employee cafeteria, which eliminates disposable products and replaces them with 100 percent reusable ones.
Additional efforts to support sustainability include rollout of end-to-end cooking oil management; green beverage program with specifications for single-use plastics and biodegradable straws; and a strategic sourcing score card measuring portfolio wide purchasing on a quarterly basis.