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Stayin' Green :: Element Hotels Will All Be LEED-Certified

April 22nd is Earth Day so all this week we will be bringing you the latest news on Green Hotels. Got some eco-friendly news you wanna share? Let us know.

Starwood's newest upscale business travel hotel brand, Element Hotels, are going green.

Starwood has required that all Element hotels pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED certification requirements. Already, Starwood has used the first Element property in Lexington, Mass. as the guinea pig for green building of the brand. Such eco-friendly practices include:

energy efficient stainless steel appliances and lighting, water-efficient faucets and fixtures and bins for paper, plastic and glass which make recycling easy. Filtered water in guest rooms and amenity dispensers in the showers reduce plastic bottle waste.

In addition, ELEMENT hotels use low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints and carpets with up to 100% recycled content and anti-microbial carpet pads which improve indoor air quality for guests and staff. Guests driving hybrid cars are rewarded with priority parking.

Even the ubiquitous "Do Not Disturb" sign gets a green makeover, replacing the traditional paper tag with the environmentally-friendly magnet.

But Element says you won't have to sacrifice the pleasure of hotel comforts. The Element hotels will still feature Westin's Heavenly Bed, spa-like bathrooms with oversize showers and rain showerheads (which are water efficient of course), a state-of-the-art fitness center, complimentary breakfast and organic pantry options, and complimentary bikes for guests.

The Lexington property should open in July 2008 with locations in the Las Vegas, Houston and Baltimore suburbs to follow.