The Ramada Santa Barbara is proud to announce that as of Aug. 19, it is the first hotel in the Santa Barbara and Goleta area to have been awarded the prestigious Green Business Certification from Green Business Santa Barbara County.
In addition to being a four-time Ramada Worldwide award winner for its exceptional customer service, high quality accommodations and consistent brand performance, Ramada Santa Barbara is also a proud partner member of the Green Hotels Association and Santa Barbara Car Free Partnership.
Ramada Santa Barbara’s voluntary commitment to “going green” has led to a diverse range of green measures over the years, including the installation of a solar hot water heater for its year-round heated swimming pool, three electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot, and efficient fluorescent fixtures in all guest rooms.
The Ramada Santa Barbara also extends this mindset to its interactions with the community by donating its partially-used amenities and older linens to local shelters, and patronizing local vendors for the majority of its service and supply needs.
Going through the Green Business Program helped the hotel gain credit for many of its existing green practices but also created an incentive to build upon them. As a result of the checklist’s guidance, Ramada trained staff to encourage guests to choose the paperless checkout option, asked their vendors to supply items with even higher recycled-content percentages, and formally banned further purchases of inefficient T-12s or incandescent bulbs throughout the hotel.
The hotel also pursued some new measures as well, adopting a formal facility-wide green purchasing policy, installing high efficiency rotating nozzles and rain sensors on its irrigation, and phasing out the purchase of polystyrene (Styrofoam) plates and bowls for its breakfast service.
“Our hotel has a strong commitment to doing the right thing for the environment and for our local community,” said Tom Patton, general manager of the Ramada Santa Barbara. “Earning certification through the Green Business Program encouraged us to formalize and expand on this commitment and gives us an easy way to communicate the hotel’s green practices to our guests. We look forward to building on this achievement as part of our continual efforts to minimize our environmental impact.”
— Drew Wakefield is the marketing director for Ramada Santa Barbara.