Crestline Hotels & Resorts Launches 'EarthPact'

Where Hospitality & Sustainability Meet

FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the
fifth largest independent hotel management company in the US, today announced
an expansive sustainability initiative that is scalable and inclusive across
all of the branded and non-branded hotels in the company's extensive
portfolio. Crestline manages 70 full and select service hotels, resorts and
conference centers throughout the U.S.
"EarthPact is a comprehensive green initiative program that uniquely
addresses sustainability across multiple disciplines including Administration,
Food & Beverage, Facility Management, Conferences & Meetings. Owner
Relations, Public Relations and Rooms Operations," explained Dave Durbin,
President & CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts. "In designing EarthPact we
looked at other existing green certification programs and determined that we
wanted a sustainable initiative that included many of the sound ideas in the
existing hospitality programs but cut across many disciplines to provide a
comprehensive operations guide for our properties. EarthPact uniquely
accomplishes this objective by incorporating a rating scale and enabling
hotels to work towards excellence in sustainability throughout the property's
operations," added Durbin.
EarthPact includes an Energy Management Plan that presents guidelines to
improve performance and limit energy usage. It addresses issues such as:
interior and exterior lighting; HVAC and domestic hot water systems; central
cooling systems & air handlers; building management systems; laundry and
kitchen equipment; sauna, pool and exercise areas, as well as ice and vending
machines. It also sets criteria for green meetings, sustainable sales logic
and guest relations programs.
EarthPact initiatives are being rolled out throughout Crestline properties
with 100% participation anticipated during 2009. "Some 20 Crestline managed
hotels already have a green or sustainable certification either through their
brand, state or a national organization," said Durbin. "We believe that with
the rollout of EarthPact we will see all Crestline hotels at the forefront of
sustainable business practices."
In addition, in 2008 Crestline Hotels & Resorts relocated its corporate
headquarters to a new campus at 3950 University Drive in Fairfax, VA. The
move helped to fulfill EarthPact's mission by incorporating several
sustainable measures. "First and foremost," explained Durbin, "the new campus
is in a location that has immediate access to public transportation and also
provides alternative modes of transportation for employee commuting such as
on-site storage locations for bicycles and shower facilities for those who
bike or walk to work. And for those who do drive, carpooling is encouraged
including priority carpool parking spaces in the garage."
The new corporate offices also follow sustainable guidelines for water
conservation with low flow faucets, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals.
There is energy efficient lighting and motion sensors to automatically turn
off lights in vacant areas. Windows feature automatic shades and film to
reduce heat, while light harvesters automatically dim lights when natural
light is abundant, and all appliances are Energy Star(R).
During the build-out of the office space sustainable construction
practices were in place such as an onsite management process to recycle
construction waste and an indoor air quality management process to protect
HVAC systems from contamination. Materials such as drywall and acoustic
ceiling tile were selected for their high content of recycled materials.
Decorative materials were chosen from naturally renewable resources such as
bamboo, regional materials were used wherever possible, and carpeting, paints
and adhesives were selected for their low emissions. These practices help
make the Crestline Hotels & Resorts corporate offices a model for the
EarthPact initiative.
About Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
About The Company
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is one of the nation's largest
independent hospitality management companies. Founded in 2000, the company
presently manages 70 hotels, resorts and conference and convention centers
with nearly 14,600 rooms in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Crestline
Hotels & Resorts manages 13 independent properties in major US markets
including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.Crestline
also manages properties under such well-regarded brands as Marriott,
Hilton, Westin, Renaissance, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and Wyndham. For more
information visit www.crestlinehotels.com.
Note: Certain matters discussed herein are forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain, but
not necessarily all, of such statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology, such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will,"
"should," "estimates" or "anticipates" or the negative thereof or comparable
terminology.
SOURCE Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Gayle MacIntyre of Global Ink Communications, +1-404-643-8222,
gaylemacintyre@aol.com, for Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc.