【Introduction of Certified Facility】Sheraton Kagoshima: Achieving “7 Million Yen Annual Electricity Savings” Through Technical Expertise and Promoting Local Gastronomy for Regional Coexistence

 

 

1. Facility Overview

Sheraton Kagoshima, newly established as a landmark in Kagoshima City, is conveniently located near the main station and is a rare Marriott-branded full-service hotel featuring a natural free-flowing hot spring. Now in its second year, the hotel continues to deepen its sustainable operations rooted in the local community, enhancing both its physical infrastructure and service offerings.

2. Good Practices

Significant results have been achieved through infrastructure improvements driven by technical expertise and food-related initiatives that connect local producers with hotel guests.

・Major Energy Savings Through Inverter Control: Under the leadership of the Facilities Management Manager, who holds the national qualification of Energy Manager, the hotel introduced inverter control to precisely regulate the motor rotation speed of large HVAC systems. Even as occupancy rates increased, the hotel successfully reduced monthly electricity consumption by approximately 10%, amounting to around 7 million yen in annual cost savings. This initiative achieves both environmental impact reduction and operational efficiency at a high level.

・“Local Production for Local Consumption Collaboration Fair” Held Every Two Months : Leveraging Kagoshima’s abundant local ingredients, the hotel regularly collaborates with local municipalities and businesses to host culinary events. Past examples include “Tarumizu City × Italian Cuisine” and “Nagashima Town × Nordic Cuisine”. These fairs go beyond simple ingredient sourcing—they serve as a platform to showcase the region’s attractions to guests through fresh, creative perspectives.

3. Challenges

The next step is expanding specialized initiatives into shared understanding across all staff levels.

・Embedding Awareness Among Frontline Staff: The hotel holds a monthly Sustainability Committee meeting where managers and frontline staff work in pairs. However, the initiative still leans toward management‑driven leadership. A key challenge is translating technical knowledge and numerical data into language that resonates with all employees, enabling them to internalize sustainability as part of their own role.

4．Message

“Our natural hot spring is an invaluable resource, and responsible energy management is essential to preserving it. While we continue achieving measurable results through technical infrastructure improvements, we also aim to share Kagoshima’s rich food culture with the world. Through efforts on both the hardware and software sides, we strive to become a sustainable hotel that is trusted and loved by the local community.”