Will Hyatt’s new Vice President of Environmental Affairs create "deep green" or "green washing"? Will either translate into brand equity?
Hyatt (prvt) has made some smart, strategic steps in preparing for the sustainability war going on in the hospitality industry right now. It seems that carefully selected, smart moves may do well for real greening, but may not build the brand equity some of the competitor’s greenwashing programs will create.
The company announced early this year the creation of a new Vice President of Environmental Affairs. Hyatt appointed Brigitta Witt to this position. Witt’s most recent experience is with GreenDimes, Inc, a junk-mail stopping business whose mission is to reduce the waste created by mail order catalogues. Prior to that, Witt worked at Wayport and was involved with introducing wireless services at McDonald’s restaurants across the country.
Hyatt seems to have found someone with an entrepreneurial spirit to drive change, and the experience of managing change across multiple units in a national context. Hyatt was smart in going for a system to create "green" rather than rapid-firing off programs. But will Witt be able to overcome Hyatt’s inertia and be given the freedom and authority to get the job done?
Other companies have been much faster off the line in their sustainability initiatives. Will Hyatt play the part of the tortoise?
Disclosure: This is not a publicly traded stock, but I felt it was worth discussing because it competes directly with the publicly traded hotel companies and should be considered when looking at the strategic plays being made in the market around sustainability.