Ben Doster
From the start, it was clear that the mission of the Proximity Hotel was to create a hotel that was Leed Platinum certified. It was very important to the owners that they create not only a “green” hotel but also one that was still considered to be four star luxury. This meant that the hotel management could not rely on the guests to make the hotel green by doing things like turning off lights and using less water, but instead by making the building more efficient in order to save resources.
Being a luxury hotel, the average guest to the proximity is for the most part pretty wealthy. This apparently was one of the challenges in marketing the hotel due to the fact that people who are willing to pay upwards of $350 a night for a room are not usually looking of an environmentally friendly hotel but instead a luxurious one. The average customer to the proximity values the luxuries and environmentally friendly practices that the hotel conducts. According to our tour guide, the guests also value the fresh food that is served at the Print Works Bistro that is attached to the hotel. The local meats and produce that are served in the bistro go right along with the sustainability theme seen all throughout the hotel by cutting down on the shipment cost of transporting foreign food to the restaurant. Guests also seem to enjoy the health benefits of dining locally and eating meats and produce that they know come from a safe and reputable source.
The results of all these effects are a very nice, luxury hotel that guests are willing to pay an average of $350 to stay in every night. Personally, I think that this hotel is a great idea because despite the $30 million price tag, the hotel has remained very profitable. Our tour guide was explaining how many of the expensive, eco friendly parts used in the hotel have already paid them selves off in just seven years. On top of saving money, they are also saving resources which is a cool thing to do now. This attracts many people including our current president among other distinguished guests to stay at this great hotel.
I would only imagine that the plan for the Proximity at this point would be to continue doing what they are currently doing. They built the hotel with the mindset that they would maintain family ownership of it for at least a hundred years, which at that point one can only assume that it will already be payed for. All that would leave is for the management to keep it up to current environmental standards in order to continue attracting people to this environmentally friendly facility. Due to the new technology used in this hotel just seven years ago, it will not be due for renovations for quite a long time.
I feel like the general manager that gave us our tour and more so the family who owns this great hotel really enjoy what they are doing. It would be hard to not enjoy your job when you get to work in such a luxurious space where you have an opportunity to interact with guests who enjoy the hotel and all of its features. The solar panels on the roof alone were enough to start a great conversation with the many guests of your hotel. I believe the people there have a very nice work environment that many would love to be around.
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