Tune Hotels inks energy services deal with GE

Tune Hotels, the pioneering “limited services” hotel chain owned by Tune Group, a private investment firm headed by AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, has signed of a Memorandum of Collaboration with General Electric (GE) to pursue sustainable development opportunities.

Tune Hotels chief executive officer Mark Lankester said that, pending project studies, the estimated investments in green technology would range from RM2 million to RM3 million (USD654,000 to USD982,000) per hotel over the next two to three years.

The company currently operate 13 hotels and has aggressive plans to open 30 new properties in the next year and to have 100 hotels in its global portfolio in 2015-6, with a particular focus on in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, India and the UK.

Lankester told Business Times that the collaboration with GE is expected to help the company cut its energy costs by 30 to 40 percent over the next three to four years. He added that the investment in green technology would cover building management system, lighting, heat recovery and wiring in all of its hotels.

Under the agreement, GE’s role will be to assist Tune Hotels in reviewing, planning and designing properties by contributing its knowledge and expertise in the areas of low-cost operational modeling, sustainable development, cost-saving infrastructure, energy efficiency and green technology.

The collaboration will also help Tune Hotels work towards achieving relevant eco-building certifications such as with Malaysia’s Green Building Index, the Singapore Building and Construction Authority’s BCA Green Mark and the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.