Eldio Gomes – Director of Engineering at the Hyatt Dulles in Herndon, VA

As part of EcoGreenHotel’s partnership with Atlantic Energy Solutions, my team and I have been traveling across the country conducting free environmental audits of U.S. hotels since May.  At every property we’ve audited, we’ve been gratified to meet a lot of dedicated green hospitality folks doing great things for their hotels and for the environment.

But there’s one guy we recently met at an audit whom we just can’t stop talking about – Eldio Gomes of the Hyatt Dulles.  We believe that Eldio really “gets it” when it comes to the sustainable hospitality movement.  Educated in Brazil with a degree in mechanical engineering, Eldio joined the Hyatt family in 2002.  He became engineering director at the Hyatt Dulles in 2004, where his first move was to ensure that all the equipment was running at peak performance to improve energy efficiency.   

“When you think of equipment, you may think of big machines, but that’s not a totally accurate assumption,” Eldio said.  “I strongly believe that small savings – such as fixing a dripping faucet, turning off lights in an unoccupied office or closing the loading dock door after each delivery to prevent heat or cooling loss – will add up to big savings over time.” 

Eldio’s common-sense philosophy has paid off in spades for his hotel.  Our audit found that the Hyatt Dulles’s energy usage per square foot is lower than any other comparable building in the area, and it’s largely due to Eldio’s efforts.  Here are just a few of the things this busy eco-champion – who is a member of his property’s Green Team – has spearheaded at his hotel:

• Replaced old fluorescent light bulbs with T-8 fluorescent bulbs

• Replaced neon bulbs on the hotel’s roof sign with LED light bulbs

• Installed motion detectors in offices and maintenance closets

• Replaced old electrical motors with high efficient electrical motors

• Replaced old variable frequency drives in the ventilation system with newer, more efficient ones

• Cleaned air handled unit coils

• Installed high efficiency pressure assisted toilet flusher

• Installed low flow water aerator in all sinks and low flow shower heads in all guest rooms

• Installed digital thermostats in all guest rooms

• Corrected all water leaks in the hotel

• Replaced old timers for photo cells to control outside lights

• Installed wet soil sensor for irrigation

• Adjusted boiler water temperature to increase performance

• Replaced all incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents

 Eldio’s energy and commitment to sustainable hospitality have inspired us to name him EcoGreenHotel’s first ever EcoFeature Green Hospitality Employee.

 Hats off to Eldio for making the Hyatt Dulles a model of sustainability! 

 Do you know of an eco hotel employee who goes above and beyond the call of duty to promote green hospitality?  Drop us a line at info@EcoGreenHotel.com and we may spotlight him or her in an upcoming EcoFeature!

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