A green building feature has been installed at the Westin Melbourne to redirect wastewater from the hotel to neighbouring city fountains.
Weekly tests of the hotel's fire sprinkler systems – which are mandatory – had resulted in the waste of thousands of litres of water, which got Westin staff thinking about ways it could be put to better use.
Eventually, the Westin Melbourne approached the city council to see if the water could be redirected to the fountains at nearby City Square.
"The hotel has a strong environmental sustainable program in which we are continually and actively working to reduce the environmental impact on our business activities," said Guy Giardina, chief engineer at the Westin Melbourne.
A total of five tanks with a storage capacity of 15,000 litres are now used to capture water from the hotel's sprinkler system, where it is then redirected to the fountains – topping up water that is lost through the process of filter cleaning and evaporation.
Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle asserted that the solution was "such an obvious and simple way to put good water to good use".
The five-star Westin Melbourne is located at 205 Collins Street.