Guest Author: Robyn A. Rocco, Community Association Manager of The Dover House Resort
The hospitality industry is constantly changing. As a five-year licensed manager for the Landex Resorts International Inc., a company specializing in the time share, condominium, homeowner association, and the real estate industry for 50 years, I have witnessed the evolution firsthand.
The good news is that the industry is changing for the better, with more hotel chains and time shares investing in environmentally-friendly technology and sustainability. Those two sectors, through dedicated work and collaboration, have begun to pave the way towards a more environmentally conscious future and an outcome that benefits everyone.
Here at The Dover House Resort, a timeshare condominium resort based out of Delray Beach, FL, we have also taken part in the sustainable revolution. This Landex Resorts International, Inc., property took one of the easiest and most energy-efficient changes by directly by partnering with The Refinishing Touch and investing in their furniture asset management services.
As leaders in sustainable furniture re-upholstering, refinishing, and furniture asset management, The Refinishing Touch helped us renovate furniture in every area of our timeshare condominiums. Everything from headboards, dining tables, nightstands, armoire conversions, dressers, built in’s, and furniture hardware, The Refinishing Touch worked with us to transform our condos to an updated tropical oasis, making it more modern, sleek, and most importantly, sustainable.
The overall experience and outcome was exceptional, and something The Dover House Resort would like to do again when our rooms are up for remodeling, which occurs every five to seven years. The amount we saved on our bottom line and the way The Refinishing Touch were able to refinish and reuse existing furniture, greatly exceeded our expectations.
But our steps towards a more sustainable resort do not end with The Refinishing Touch. The Dover House Resort has also upgraded lighting to energy-efficient metal halide and compact florescent bulbs, installed all new water sense plumbing fixtures, and use a majority of green-certified cleaning products. Because we are a week to week timeshare condominium we also only initially provide samples of toiletries and kitchen supplies, enough a guest may need for a day or two, and towels are only exchanged once a week. For visitors wanting bi-weekly or daily room cleaning, changing sheets, and additional towel exchanges, an extra fee applies. Not only do we cut operating costs and waste, but we reduce energy consumption which positively impacts the environment.
We are also planning our own long-term future here at The Dover House Resort, which will combine technology and sustainability. Soon, we hope to invest in solar heating for our pool, and for the individual water heaters and HVAC handlers. Along with the solar power, we also want to adopt controllable temperature and ambiance lighting gauges to improve energy-efficiency. And to top it all off, we will soon be going paperless by using a combined wireless computer software program for our accounting, reservation system, and client database / property management needs.
These sustainable actions, fueled by The Refinishing Touch and their furniture asset management services, have helped The Dover House Resort transform into a more Eco-friendly lodging place. We hope our efforts will earn us a LEED (Leadership in Enrgy Efficiency and Design) accreditation and set an example for other hotels and resorts to follow.
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