Hotel uniforms are part of 'Going Green.'
Hotel uniforms are part of 'Going Green.'
Select Wyndham®
hotels will introduce the new uniforms beginning this fall by job
category. Front desk and other customerâ€"facing employees are required
to begin wearing the new uniforms by the end of 2009 and housekeeping
and other backâ€"ofâ€"house staff by 2010. All new properties are required
to provide the new uniforms upon opening.
The textiles are
produced from postâ€"consumer products, including recycled plastic
beverage bottles, which are processed into flakes, then filaments that
are spun into yarn and ultimately woven into very soft fabrics.
Recycling polymers keeps more plastics out of landfills.
The
uniforms, which do not require professional laundering, minimize the
use of chemicals during cleaning and provide a cost savings to hotel
operators.
Cincinnatiâ€"based Cintas Corporation will design and
manufacture the uniforms and continue to introduce new ecoâ€"friendly
fabrics for the Wyndham apparel program.
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is the first national upscale lodging chain to mandate the Cintas ecoâ€"friendly uniforms systemwide.
As
part of our quest to find new and innovative green practices, we
challenged Cintas to design a program that reflected our three Wyndham
brandâ€"defining pillars of innovation, personalization and flexibility,â€
said Faith Taylor, Wyndham Worldwide vice president of sustainability
and innovation. “Cintas answered the call by selecting trendy,
ecoâ€"conscious garments that are machine washable, easily modified and
mixedâ€"andâ€"matched for a more personal look.â€
The end result is a “fashionable suit that is costâ€"effective and extremely comfortable,†added Taylor.
The
program offers two collections: Trend, an urban line with solid and
pinstripe styles emphasizing dark and light blue colors with red
accents; and Fresh Air, geared at resort locations, featuring
natureâ€"inspired earth tones with a core color palette of brown, coral,
yellow and celery hues.
Hotels may select among several design
options within each job category to create a customized uniform program
based on location, climate and décor.
“We tested the uniforms at
several Wyndham hotels and found staff appreciated the comfort of the
garments but also the retailâ€"inspired, upscale contemporary look,†said
Peter Strebel, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts president. “Introducing a
sustainable uniform is not only consistent with our vision to be more
mindful of the environment, but also educates employees on the
importance of being greenâ€"minded at all levels of the organization.â€
The
new Wyndham uniforms will be displayed at the 2008 International
Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show to be held in New York's Jacob K.
Javits Convention Center, Nov. 8â€"11, at the Cintas Corporation trade
show booth.
In addition to its “green†uniforms, the Wyndham
chain incorporates several ecologicallyâ€"friendly initiatives including
use of energyâ€"efficient compact fluorescent lighting; lowâ€"flow water
practices; an “Earth Smart†guest linen reuse program; and numerous
recycling efforts. The chain recently announced its Wyndham
ClearAir(sm) initiative to offer allergyâ€"friendly guest accommodations
designed to remove up to 98 percent of allergens. Wyndham Hotels and
Resorts is the first national upscale lodging chain to mandate
allergyâ€"friendly rooms systemwide.