Step aside, dream team, Hyatt is deploying a “green team” in San Antonio. The Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk is allocating resources to create a group of dedicated professionals to help planners put together eco-friendly meetings. The on-site team works with planners to develop a sustainability plan for each event customized to their needs.
From individual recycling plans with bins in every meeting room to scheduled lighting and climate-control systems, the hotel offers programs with a flexible menu of options for meetings to keep sustainability a priority. The green team works closely with the planner, banquet managers, and chefs to calculate the proper amount of food necessary for each meal and thus lessen food waste. The hotel also coordinates outside food donation programs for leftovers.
Directly connected to Alamo Plaza, the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk recently completed a $38 million renovation to all 630 guest rooms, corridors, and waiting areas that includes the addition of floor-to-ceiling windows and updated layouts. The property offers 30,000 square feet of meeting space with 21 individual meeting rooms, including a 10,700-square-foot ballroom.
Just a 10-minute walk down the river, another of Hyatt’s hotels—the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk—also has implemented sustainable practices to reduce the carbon footprint of meetings and events. The hotel is adjacent to the Henry B. González Convention Center and offers 1,003 guest rooms along with 115,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
To reduce the hotel’s dependence on plastics, keyless mobile check-in and entry is available through the World of Hyatt app, and meeting information is distributed digitally. High-efficiency lighting-control systems monitor energy consumption and prevent overuse, and windows are treated with window film that reduces the heat transfer indoors to cut down on air-conditioning costs.
Water-refill stations encourage use of refillable water bottles, and single-use straws and plastic containers provided by the hotel are made of biodegradable materials. Like the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk, the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk restaurants use locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms.