The Gold Wrench Award is a novel way that Loews Hotels recognizes leadership among the engineering managers across the country. In addition to a comprehensive criteria covering all aspects of building operation, the Gold Wrench Award incentivizes engineers to find energy saving solutions proactively and contribute to the company’s sustainability goals. The award highlights employees in the engineering department who have gone above and beyond performance standards. 

The nomination and selection process is straightforward: nominations are submitted by the regional vice presidents of operations, general managers, and the corporate office. Recipients of the award are selected for showing a high-level of commitment to monitoring energy use, engaging employees, developing energy management strategies, and other building management best practices. Some of the qualifications to win the award include:
•    Coordinating all training programs for department personnel and conducting monthly department meetings;
•    Developing all Energy Management strategies to ensure measurable performance reduction year to year;
•    Tracking energy performance through EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager;
•    Conducting or participating in monthly Green Team meetings and assisting with the success of the recycling committee; and
•    Following all TripAdvisor “Green Partners” recycling guidelines and tracking waste reduction through Waste Revelation.

Since the Gold Wrench Award’s introduction in 2008, the level of friendly competition, pride, and commitment to achieving this award has grown each year throughout the brands’ engineering teams. More directors strive to obtain this award, elevating the recognition for the winners and challenging the selection committee to decide the best of the best from among the nominees.

The Gold Wrench itself is two feet long, gold-plated, and weighs twelve pounds. It is awarded at an engineers’ annual meeting in front of the recipient’s peers and company leadership and executives. 

In 2016, Robert Lipinski, Director of Engineering at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, received the Gold Wrench Award for taking action during the California water crisis to engage community resources and implement a water recycling project that yielded substantial utility savings.