Hotel & Hospitality Energy Procurement in Illinois

Hotels run 24 hours a day and carry both significant electricity and significant natural gas load, which makes them a distinctive commercial energy account. For Illinois hospitality — from downtown Chicago and O'Hare/Rosemont convention properties to suburban and highway hotels — procuring both commodities well matters.

Who this is for

General managers, directors of engineering, controllers, and ownership groups for Illinois hotels and hospitality properties. Convention-driven markets (downtown Chicago, Rosemont near O'Hare) and suburban clusters have different usage patterns, and both benefit from account-specific procurement.

The hotel load profile

• Electricity around the clock — guest rooms, common areas, HVAC, elevators, and kitchens produce steady load with occupancy-driven swings.
• Heavy natural gas — space heating, domestic hot water, laundry, and kitchens make gas a large share of the energy budget. The gas utility depends on location: Peoples Gas in Chicago, Nicor in most suburbs, North Shore Gas in parts of Lake County.
• Occupancy and seasonality — usage tracks occupancy and season, which matters for contract volume-tolerance terms.

Both commodities deserve attention

Because gas is such a large share of hotel energy, procuring commercial natural gas is not an afterthought to electricity — both should be reviewed. Confirm the gas utility from a bill first, since the territory determines whether and how supplier choice applies.

Portfolios and renewals

Hotel groups with multiple Illinois properties usually procure best as a grouped multi-location account, aligning renewals and grouping by utility. A renewal calendar keeps any single property from rolling to a post-expiration rate.

How procurement should approach a hotel

Gather 12 months of electric and gas bills per property, confirm utilities and usage patterns, and price both commodities on matched terms through the procurement process. No savings figure is promised in advance.