James (Jay) Schultz
Senior Vice President,
Hospitality Group
Allow me to clear up any confusion: the Hotel Business annual Green Book has absolutely nothing to do with sustainability. As a matter of fact, the only thing “green” about the Green Book is the color of the cover and the ink used to print it. This is truly an example for one to never judge a book by its cover.
We get numerous inquiries throughout the year from those not entirely familiar with the Green Book, each nearly always assuming that he or she is calling about a publication dedicated to hotel sustainability matters. Nope. Simply put, green is the color of money, and our objective when creating the publication 20 years ago was to offer our readers all of the facts, figures and analyses needed for them to maximize the revenue [money]generated at their respective properties.
We have always done our best to allow the Green Book to evolve with the times. We are open to adding new research categories and data bases, and enhancing the graphs and charts. The one thing, however, that has not and will not change is the basic fundamentals and DNA of the publication. The Green Book will always be a compilation of exclusive, in-house-generated research and analysis conducted by Hotel Business editors throughout the year and bound into the annual edition.
This leads me to a second relevant phrase: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It seems that every couple of years, a publication serving the field sets its sights on “knocking off” the Green Book. When we created the blueprint for the first-ever Green Book, our number-one objective was to create an annual edition unlike any other being published at the time. It had to be worthy of our readership—the hotel industry’s most active owners, developers, lenders, brokers, management companies and brand executives. It could not be another directory of manufacturers, nor would we just publish a bunch of incomplete, industry-related databases laid out with no rhyme nor reason. The Green Book had to be special, unlike any other annual edition serving the field.
Mission accomplished. The Green Book has become a brand unto itself. Year after year, we get hundreds of calls from readers looking to get their hands on a Green Book. Some call requesting issues be sent to their entire staff, and others are just looking to replace the copies that have mysteriously disappeared from their desks. This extra distribution is, of course, in addition to the more than 40,000 Green Books that are mailed out annually.
Before I sign off, on behalf of the Hotel Business team, I’d like to wish you all a joyous holiday season and a 2017 filled with, yes, “green.”
