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Santa Monica Hotels

The Shangri-La Might Be Actually Green, Not Just Gimmick Green

Where: 1301 Ocean Avenue [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401

November 5, 2008 at 4:32 PM | 1 Comment

It's hip to be green. And when something is hip, marketers jump all over it promising that everything they do is green. Usually they're not lying, but they are creatively explaining their budget cuts. Green gimmicks like one-page menus instead of four, or no more bottled water, are examples of hotels cutting costs rather than actively helping the environment.

We can't help but frown on this sort of behavior, so we're super excited that the newly renovated Hotel Shangri-La is bragging greenness with actual green evidence:

· dual flush toilets
· amenities are all natural and come in bio-degradable packaging
· bottled water is in glass bottles which will be sanitized and re-used
· men's restrooms will have waterless urinals (don't worry, they still get cleaned, just differently)
· restaurant food will be from local vedors and purveyors
· wine list will feature AMerican wines to help lower carbon impact
· pool will be solar heated (which might be code for unheated, we're not sure)

In addition to the above, they have all the standard green stuff: newspapers will only be delivered by request, sheets will only be washed by request, windows are double layered to prevent loss of heat/air, non-toxic, organic cleaning products will be used, all paper is recycled, and other easy green moves.

We're hoping for a mid-November opening, but don't have a confirmed date yet. It looks like they have a pretty good reason for that delayed opening.