The Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown Lakefront wanted to wear its eco-consciousness like a flashy Lady Gaga getup, so it decided to put up a 720-square-foot indoor living green wall—the largest in Chicago—right in its lobby.

Okay, it may not be as much of a spectacle or as carnivorous as Gaga's meat dress, but the giant standalone wall is made of 3,840 plants, including the hardy neon, rabbit foot fern, aboricola and rex begonia. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2011-06-16T09:18:37-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/10/18/91213/143 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/30451/OxfordHotel_NYT.jpg" class="top"><p><i>The Oxford Hotel in Bend, Oregon</i><p>This weekend, the <i>New York Times</i>' travel section went west in search of eco-friendly hotels. Not surprisingly, the Pacific Northwest was fertile ground and three hotels in the region got the thumbs up from the Gray Lady.<p> Here's how they impressed the paper with their green credentials:<p> Everything at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Oxford+Hotel/ian/333370 "><b>The Oxford Hotel</b></a> in Bend, Oregon--aside from that fireplace--is powered by Columbia River Gorge wind farms and hydro dams, thanks to renewable energy credits through Pacific Power&#146;s Blue Sky program. <i>Tick</i>. Mattresses in the guest rooms are all-natural--they contain no polyester--and are bought local. Rooms are cleaned with a nontoxic solution made from electrolyzed salt and water. <i>Tick, tick</i>.<p> The hotel will MsRebecca 2010-10-18T12:55:05-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/9/8/134251/4861

Leave it to the Aussies to out-eco everybody. We've been following Emirates Hotels and Resorts' Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa for some time now but it was the property's official designation as the world’s first carbon-neutral luxury resort that really got our attention.

Not only is the resort in the gorgeous Blue Mountains outside of Sydney super-duper green, it's been topping 'Best Of' lists all over the world, including Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List, Travel + Leisure’s 'It List 2010,' and Luxury Travel Magazine’s 'Gold List Awards.']]> EricRosen 2010-09-09T15:24:47-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/12/14/92654/428 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/rafayel.jpg" class="top"> <p>How&#146;s this for perfect timing: while the politicos are busy debating climate change in Copenhagen, London&#146;s new <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/21/85042/858/hotels/An_Eco_Hotel_For_London_s_New_Left_Bank">Left Bank</a> is about to show the world that green can be trendy, gorgeous, and pretty effortless too. <p><b>Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank</b> is opening (on schedule! Hurray!) on Friday, and this morning it uploaded some photos to its <a href="http://rafayelshotel.blogspot.com/">blog</a> that made us feel pretty excited. The good news is that the bedrooms (and bathrooms) are looking big and flooded with natural light and the views are going to be pretty fabulous. <p>Room categories are named after rivers (Mississippi and Yangtze rooms, Amazon and Nile suites), rainwater is going to be harvested from the roof, guests will juliab 2009-12-14T13:07:21-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/21/85042/858 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/hotelrafa.jpg" class="top"><p> Watch out Paris! You may be all smug with your Left Bank but you have a pretender to your throne. London is about to get its own Left Bank. <p>Ok, so maybe the French shouldn&#146;t be doing any boot-quivering yet. Because the London&#146;s Left Bank is currently under construction, and is going to be tucked away in Battersea, in south-west London. And last time we were in Battersea, there wasn&#146;t a whole lot going on. At all. <p>Still, the new <b>Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank</b> is hoping to up the vibe, and it sounds pretty nice. Opening in December, it&#146;s going to be a five star hotel complete with bakery, champagne bar and Thameside restaurant. So juliab 2009-10-21T12:48:41-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/