La Quinta Named 2000 Energy Star Buildings Hospitality Partner of the Year; Environmental Protection Agency Recognizes La Quinta's Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Business Wire, May 16, 2000

Business Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2000

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named La Quinta(R) Inns, Inc. the 2000 Energy Star Buildings Hospitality Partner of the Year.

The EPA annually presents Energy Star Buildings awards to companies demonstrating a commitment to energy efficiency and mitigating global climate change.

Dallas-based La Quinta Inns has been an Energy Star partner since 1995. The company is one of 4,400 Energy Star Building partners and one of only 10 companies to be recognized with a 2000 Partner of the Year award.

The EPA finds that energy-efficient hotel upgrades of equipment such as lighting, HVAC systems and exit signs help prevent pollution. In the hospitality category of 55 hotels and motels, La Quinta leads the pack in replacing guestroom table lamps, bathroom and common area lights with energy-efficient ones. The hotel chain has replaced electric package terminal air conditioners with heat pump models in 15,000 hotel rooms because heat pump models consume 25 percent less energy. La Quinta also tracks energy use and has established benchmarks to further reduce energy consumption.

"La Quinta has increased its commitment to energy efficiency at every turn. We're looking at what we can do to be good friends of the environment and the communities where our properties are located," said Jim Ackles, director of energy and engineering for La Quinta Inns, Inc.

La Quinta owns and operates 231 Inns and 70 Inn & Suites in 28 states. The hotel's environmental awareness has paid off by saving more than $1.2 million annually from these retrofits. La Quinta has finished installing all-fluorescent lights in each of its 301 hotels and has the potential to reduce overall electricity use by eight percent this year. The EPA considers La Quinta to be a model case study for the hospitality industry.

"It's not an easy task for a company of La Quinta's size to do whole-building energy improvements," said Kate Lewis, communications director for the Energy Star Buildings program. "I think that the EPA's support, tools and resources do add value, but companies such as La Quinta have to take several strategy steps that include decreasing energy loads and right-sizing equipment."

La Quinta has no plans to slow down its environmental initiatives. Through a pilot program, the hotel has installed an in-room direct digital control system that allows guests to have full temperature control when they are in the room and will automatically return to an energy-saving level when the room is empty. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that these systems can trim energy costs in hotels by more than 30 percent. If the pilot proves successful, La Quinta plans to install this technology at all of its properties.

The EPA encourages every industry to make a contribution to energy efficient practices. The EPA provided the following hotel industry statistics regarding energy consumption.

-- There are 49,000 hotel/motel properties in the U.S. with a

total of 3.8 million rooms. In 1997, the average occupancy

rate was 64.5 percent.

-- The lodging industry, on average, spends more than $1.41

per square foot on energy annually. There are

approximately 2.4 billion square feet of hotel facility

space in the United States.

-- Lodging is the fourth most intensive user of energy in the

U.S. commercial sector.

-- U.S. hotels, on average, spend $771 annually per available

room for electricity or 58 percent of total utility costs.

-- Hotel utility costs average 3.9 percent of total revenue.

-- Ballrooms account for close to 26 percent of lighting

energy consumption in hotels.

-- Water heating accounts for 40.3 percent of energy

consumption in hotels.

Dallas-based La Quinta Inns, Inc. owns and operates 231 Inns and 70 Inn & Suites in 28 states. La Quinta is the lodging division of The Meditrust Companies (NYSE:MT), a real estate investment trust. For more information about La Quinta, please visit its website at www.laquinta.com. Other news about The Meditrust Companies is available at www.reit.com.