Ohana Real Estate Investors' Early ESG Commitments Pay Off for Luxury Hospitality Portfolio

SAN FRANCISCO and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbon Lighthouse, an energy services company delivering real carbon reduction impact and value for commercial real estate (CRE), and Ohana Real Estate Investors ("Ohana"), a vertically integrated investment firm focused exclusively on the luxury hospitality space, today announced that they are extending their partnership to help further advance Ohana's environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities.

Through this partnership, Ohana will continue to work with Carbon Lighthouse to implement impact-driven carbon reduction strategies and solutions across its developed and owned assets. Following several successful energy efficiency projects, Ohana will also deploy Carbon Lighthouse's AI-driven Efficiency Production solution at its latest acquisition — the Waldorf Astoria's Monarch Beach Resort & Club (formerly the Monarch Beach Resort) in Dana Point, California — to capture new value through energy and operational efficiency. This initiative is expected to save the resort $145,500 in energy costs in the first year alone and demonstrates the proactive steps Ohana is taking to enhance asset value while creating positive ESG outcomes.

With a focus on the biggest energy consumers and sources of carbon emissions in a commercial building, Carbon Lighthouse identified hidden opportunities to optimize the resort's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and will monitor the resort's energy use over the life of the partnership to continuously deliver immediate and sustained financial value with reduced carbon emissions over time. Furthermore, Carbon Lighthouse leveraged its 100 million square feet of real CRE data to help Ohana evaluate investment properties like Monarch Beach Resort and Hotel Commonwealth in Boston pre-acquisition, giving the firm a competitive advantage when considering investment opportunities.

"Our commitment to sustainability is a core part of our broader ESG program, which continues to evolve," said James Cole, Partner of Asset Management at Ohana. "We recognize the opportunities we have as a firm to invest in a manner that benefits both society and our investors, and our expanded partnership with Carbon Lighthouse accomplishes just that. Carbon Lighthouse's analysis and implementation will guarantee energy savings and carbon emission reduction across our portfolio, assuring sustained financial benefit with real carbon reduction impact now and as our portfolio grows and evolves." 

Ohana has been prioritizing and embracing sustainability and technology investments over the past decade and has established the foundation for a more agile, resilient portfolio, primed and ready for today's new climate-driven era of CRE. The Monarch Beach Resort project follows several successful energy efficiency projects Carbon Lighthouse has led for Ohana.

At Ohana's formerly owned Montage Beverly Hills Hotel (now The Maybourne Beverly Hills), Carbon Lighthouse reduced the energy bill by 8% with a lifetime carbon reduction of 1,789 tons, the same as avoiding the use of 4,142 barrels of oil. The increased net operating income (NOI) achieved was value-additive to Ohana's 2019 disposition of Montage Beverly Hills Hotel, which at the time was the highest price-per-key hotel sale in U.S. history.  

Carbon Lighthouse's energy efficiency optimizations already guarantee a total of $252,700 in energy savings and 1,877 tons of carbon reductions for Ohana's Montage Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Now, Carbon Lighthouse is tapping its HVAC expertise to deliver real-time, guest-facing indoor air quality (IAQ) ratings for the resort, which is critical to helping build trust with guests as travel picks back up.

Beyond its relationship with Carbon Lighthouse, Ohana has taken other meaningful and financially prudent steps to enhance the value of its portfolio while prioritizing the environment and advancing its commitment to function as a responsible corporate citizen. In September 2020, Ohana partnered with Tesla to implement a first-of-its-kind energy solution at Twin Dolphin in Los Cabos, Mexico, a 1,400-acre master-planned project that includes Maravilla Los Cabos, a private residential community and club; Montage Los Cabos resort and residences; and Twin Dolphin Club. The initiative will leverage Tesla's fully integrated solar panels and battery energy storage and software systems to provide reliable renewable energy for the entire community. In addition to Twin Dolphin, Ohana's solar energy program with Tesla has been implemented at Ohana's Montage Healdsburg resort in Sonoma County, California.

"While ESG's popularity has grown significantly recently, leaders like Ohana have been busy actually executing against their ESG strategies and leveraging the latest technology solutions to achieve real financial, environmental, and operational impact," said Raphael Rosen, CEO, and co-founder at Carbon Lighthouse. "Carbon Lighthouse understands the significant challenges and opportunities hospitality has today when it comes to its climate impact, and over the past decade we've honed our Efficiency Production solution so hotel owners and investors no longer have to choose between business and climate goals."

ABOUT OHANA REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
Ohana Real Estate Investors is a vertically integrated investment firm focused exclusively on the luxury hospitality space. Founded in 2009, the firm invests in debt and equity via commingled fund vehicles and separate accounts. Ohana owns a collection of properties in some of the most sought-after locations in North America. For more information, please visit www.ohanare.com.

ABOUT CARBON LIGHTHOUSE
Carbon Lighthouse is on a mission to stop climate change by making it easy and profitable for building owners to eliminate carbon emissions caused by wasted energy. The company's unique approach to Efficiency Production goes deep into buildings to uncover and constantly correct hidden inefficiencies that add up to meaningful financial value and carbon elimination that continues over time. Since 2010, commercial real estate, educational, hospitality and retail customers nationwide have chosen Carbon Lighthouse to enhance building comfort, increase net operating income and achieve their sustainability goals. For more information visit: www.carbonlighthouse.com.

SOURCE Carbon Lighthouse

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