Editor’s note: After expanding to include a suite of data solutions for hotel owners and operators, MDO (myDigitalOffice) rebranded to become Otelier in February 2024. Please excuse any brand inconsistencies in the content below.
BETHESDA, MD., April 21, 2023 – MDO, the world’s fastest-growing hotel performance management platform, continues to shine the spotlight on hotel owners and operators dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint. This Earth Day, MDO celebrates the 15 operators comprising more than 1,500 hotels who have qualified for MDO Sustainability Certification by verifying a paperless night audit process to save substantial natural resources.
Companies such as Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Commonwealth Hotels, Remington Hotels and McNeill Hotel Company have all adopted a paperless night audit process. Going paperless has enabled the night audit teams to move critical financial documents into a secure, digital environment for storage and compliance. The process can be directly correlated to significant reduction in tree and forest harvesting.
The MDO Sustainability Certification launched late last year, and its rapid adoption demonstrates the industry’s accelerated focus on sustainability efforts.
Key Facts for Hoteliers on Earth Day
According to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA), to keep pace with the targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, the global hotel industry needs to reduce carbon emissions per room per year by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. Leading hotel companies have aligned themselves with science-based target initiatives (SBTi), which manage emissions reductions and net-zero commitments. Many hotel companies have adopted near-term targets on the path to achieving net zero.
The paper and pulp industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gasses among U.S. manufacturing industries. The paper industry is responsible for 9% of the total emissions of carbon dioxide from manufacturing industries. The production of 17 reams of paper releases 110 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. On average a tree can only produce 17 reams of paper but takes about 100 years to grow. Trees release oxygen and absorb greenhouse gasses. Hoteliers can help purify the air through saving trees.
Paper makes up 26% of landfills and degradation produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat trapping capacity of carbon dioxide. Landfills are the source of 34% of methane released and the single largest source in the U.S. Hoteliers can save cubic yards of landfill space by not printing nightly audit reports.
In addition to helping its hoteliers eliminate printing, MDO has a longstanding tradition of planting one tree each year for every hotel that is live on MDO’s myDocs Digital Document Management solution. In 2022, 2,600 new trees were planted through the National Forest Foundation of Missoula, Montana.
As of January 2023, MDO and its customers’ efforts contributed to saving 45,470 trees, 7,653 cubic yards of landfill, and 17,393,592 gallons of wastewater.
How to Get MDO Sustainability Certified
To become MDO Sustainability Certified, hotel owners and operators can visit the MDO Sustainability page to enter their information.
The MDO Sustainability Certification program will take just a few minutes to fill out and preview your environmental impact immediately. The verification process will take about one week to complete so long as you meet the requirements and coordinate with our team.
This program is a self-certification program validated by use of MDO’s myDocs product. Certificates are good for one year and will automatically renew based on continued communication.
About MDO
myDigitalOffice (MDO) is the world’s fastest-growing hotel data platform, providing nearly 10,000 hotel owners and operators across the globe with centralized, digital access to their most critical documents and cross-functional performance metrics. The visibility, connectivity, and control delivered by our award-winning cloud-based software allow teams to reach greater levels of productivity, make more profitable decisions, and reduce environmental impact. MDO’s vision is to make data work for hospitality, not hospitality work for data. Learn more at www.mdo.io.
