1. Facility Overview: Sustainability Tackled by a Lean, Highly Efficient Team at the Gateway to Kyoto
Located directly in front of the Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit, "ibis Styles Kyoto Station" sees an exceptionally high international guest ratio, reaching approximately 75% to 80%. Despite operating with a lean team of just 18 staff members, the hotel works "as one" with its tenant restaurant, external equipment partners, and cleaning contractor companies to tackle the Green Key assessment criteria.
2. Good Practice: Dramatic Results Through Strategic "Eco-Cleaning"
The hotel focused most heavily on a fundamental overhaul of its cleaning operations. They introduced "Eco-Cleaning"—where full cleaning is conducted once every three days as a base, and only garbage collection and towel replacement are performed on other days—as their standard service.
・Collaboration with Partner Companies:
In cooperation with a linen supply company that focuses heavily on sustainability, the hotel thoroughly reduced fuel costs and water volume associated with washing linens.
・Contribution to Management:
As a result of this initiative, the hotel successfully boosted its GOP (Gross Operating Profit) significantly while maintaining its sales volume. This achieved a sustainable management cycle where the generated profits are funneled back to the employees.
・Guest Responses:
Because the initiative easily gains the understanding of international guests, there was almost no negative impact on online reviews resulting from the operational change.
3. Challenges: The Importance of "Fine Adjustments" Tailored to Equipment Characteristics
On the other hand, challenges regarding physical infrastructure also came to light. When adjusting the shower water volume for water conservation purposes, an issue occurred where the volume of hot water supplied fluctuated due to changes in air temperature, a result of the building's structural design.
・Lessons Learned: This resulted in an insufficient volume of hot water during the winter season, drawing remarks from some guests. Rather than a "set-and-forget" approach, the hotel has set its next point of improvement on the importance of operations where frontline staff continuously perform fine, frequent adjustments in response to seasonal and temperature changes.
4. Message to Facilities Considering Introduction
The case of ibis Styles Kyoto Station demonstrates that "Eco-Cleaning" is an extremely effective method, particularly at facilities with a high international guest ratio.
By reviewing the conventional common sense of "conducting a full clean every day" and transitioning to a cycle of once every 3 to 4 days as a base, you can simultaneously achieve a reduction in environmental footprint and cost savings. Based on this firsthand experience, the hotel continues its activities with the spirit of Green Key placed at the core of its management.
