Parmar avows that the hotel was not looking at shoring up the profit-lines when they looked at the ISO 14001 certification but wanted to achieve the best quality targets that the industry had. ``We always look at the higher targets. After ISO 9000, we decided to go in for ISO 14001, now we will look to achieve a tougher target,'' he says. The idea to get the certification, he adds, is to let theguests know that they are staying in an intelligent, caring environment.

Simple, back of the book calculations show that the company has reduced its energy consumption by 15 per cent and water by 20 per cent. For this, it has had to invest Rs 1.75 crore in energy-efficient equipment and effluent treatment plants to recycle water. ``We used about 45,000 to 50,000 units per day and after installing CFL bulbs, automatic energy savers in the rooms, the consumption has reduced by 15 per cent. We also have been able to generate about 1,000 kilo litres of water through recycling from the kitchen and laundry wastes,'' says V K Seth, manager, environment and safety.

The hotel had also reduced the use of CFC-based cooling systems by 80 per cent and has introduced green fuels to run cooling towers. ``In the next two years, we will be increasing the use of green fuels and renewable energy,'' says Seth.

The next target will be to reduce the consumption of water in the guest rooms, says Seth. Already the hotel hadinstalled infra red sensor driven automatic flushes, which use much less water than the regular w/cs. ``A regular w/c uses about 16 lts of water and we have reduced this to about 7 lts. In the new wing of the hotel that is under construction, we will be installing a hi-tech flushing system that will reduce the water usage to 2 lts for a small job and 5 lts for the big job,'' says Parmar.

Seth is also looking at reducing the use of water by fitting the taps and showers with water-saving faucets that will reduce the quantity used. But at the same time, the hotel management is aware that they have to be realistic about their water and energy saving mechanisms. ``The guests' needs have to be kept in mind. We can't say we are a five-star hotel and offer a trickle instead of a shower in the bathrooms,'' Parmar says.

With the increasing awareness about the environment, Maurya executives realise that they have to comply with both local and national environmental laws and more than anything else stay ahead of therace by showing their guests that they really care.