Tag: Green Hotels View All Tags
Green Hotels
Renaissance Boston Goes Green with Pedicabs
November 26, 2008 at 12:05 PM | 0 Comments
This photo landed in our inbox recently showing off the recent free “green machine” pedicab service at everyone’s favorite newish hotel in Boston, the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. In honor of Beantown’s 2008 Greenbuild Expo, which was held last week, the hotel offered free transport to and from the conference to its tree-loving attendees.
But of course, there’s no such thing as a free ride, really. As they rode in style, guests were educated all about the hotel’s eco-friendly initiatives. Like, did you know 278 trees have been saved in eight months because of the new hotel recycling program? And the new composting program has turned eight tons of composted material into sustainable fertilizer that’s been sold locally. And last but not least, the hotel meets 22 of 26 LEED benchmarks required for a new hotel.
Then again, the riders were on their way to a green expo, so they probably ate up all that green goodness. And they sure do look cozy in their Renaissance robes.
[Photo: Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel]
Hotel Services
"Sand Valets" Available Via Walkie-Talkie at New Laguna Beach Hotel
November 25, 2008 at 12:23 PM | 3 Comments
Seven4One opened quietly in Laguna Beach back in August, and we've been hearing enough buzz about the small eco-conscious boutique hotel that we got over our aversion to the somewhat-obnoxious name and headed over to the website to check the place out.
Prepared for yet another pretentiously green-ified swanky boutique hotel, we were pleasantly surprised that the emphasis was on serious service more than anything else. And we also found out that the name has something to do with the hotel's street address, not an area code or anything.
Oh! And they've got some pretty cool staffers, too: a GEM (Guest Experience Manager) is a concierge, a butler and a personal Assistant rolled into one; they greet each guest upon arrival and serve as the main point of contact for the duration of your stay. Well, unless you're on the beach, that is — in which case you're waited on by a Sand Valet, whom you contact via walkie-talkie to bring over a complimentary iPod (not for keeps), food, a refreshing water mist, or to align your beach chair for optimum sun exposure (seriously).
Celebrity Scoop
Pierce Brosnan Heats Up Green Awards at Hotel Allegro in Chicago
November 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM | 1 Comment
'Twas a chilly, chilly weekend in Chicago, but someone showed up to an awards ceremony honoring people committed to green initiatives that made all the women at the Hotel Allegro warm up and probably turn red (har, har).
But really: Pierce Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye Brosnan, were honored at the Environmental Hall of Fame Awards this past weekend at Chicago's Hotel Allegro, which, according to the official blog for the ceremony, has been rated the Greenest Hotel in Chicago.
The only hotel company honored at the three-day ceremony was Kimpton (yay! Congrats!), and the Chicago Kimpton properties (which include the Allegro, Hotel Burnham and Hotel Monaco) were recognized "for their activism and commitment to organizations supporting a sustainable planet."
And we recognize Mr. Brosnan for being able to heat up Allegro's entire Walnut Room without the use of any electricity.
HotelChatter Flickr Pool
The Proximity Hotel's Old-Timey Cab
November 20, 2008 at 5:40 PM | 0 Comments
Continuing our obsession with hotel cars, we have this cool shot from SingNShoot of the old-timey Checkers cab at the Proximity Hotel. Another shot of an old London cab the hotel uses is here. We're loving this! How cute. Also, the rainy day is an apropro backdrop for the cabs. But we have to wonder, since the Proximity is a green hotel, are these cars hybrids?
Hyatt Hotels
Does Hyatt's New Partnership Hold Water?
November 11, 2008 at 9:05 AM | 1 Comment
The road to hell is paved with good intentions as they say. So what to make of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts recent partnership with Natura Water, Inc., then?
Natura is making its water-purification system available across the chain, which dispenses still or sparkling water into “attractive” glass bottles with sealed caps for “presentation to guests” thereby reducing waste and Hyatt’s carbon footprint by utilizing locally sourced water.
At present, Natura is available at restaurants at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Hyatt Regency Reston in Virginia, Grand Hyatt Dallas Fort Worth and Grand Hyatt New York. Additional Hyatt hotels are expected to begin offering the filtered water over the next several months.
This sounds all green and good, but we’re confused on one thing: are glass bottles all that better than plastic? Forgive us for our environmental ignorance, but it seems to us that people can still choose not to recycle 8 out of 10 bottles—as the Container Recycling Institute says—regardless of whether its made of plastic or glass.
But if we’re completely off base here, we’re sure you’ll let us know about it. We’re not so hellish that we can’t admit when we’re wrong.
Santa Monica Hotels
The Shangri-La Might Be Actually Green, Not Just Gimmick Green
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.
In-Room Dispensers
Hotels Are Searching for Sexy Toiletry Dispensers
November 5, 2008 at 3:48 PM | 5 Comments
Hey there! Remember when we created a guide to Hotel Toiletries? And we listed all of our favorite hotel toiletries, then we asked you to drop in your best hotel toiletry sightings? You do? Ok well, we are really regretting those stories right now.
While we love snatching up the mini-toiletry bottles to take home with us (especially if the products are from Fresh or Kiehl's), we recently learned of something that we didn't even think of once in our toiletry buzz--the amount of waste those cute little bottles create. D'oh.
So it's no wonder that hotels are trying to reduce the amount of waste they produce by using toiletry dispensers. For one, they can call themselves "green" hotels in doing so. And second, using dispensers is actually a heck of a lot cheaper. Ben Bethel the owner of the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix, says using dispensers means hotels will be spending less money on ordering those little bottles and less money on trying to get rid of the waste.
But the question is: how can you find a dispenser that fits in with the crazy/sexy/cool vibe of a hotel?
Hotel News Briefs
SLS Hotel Opening For Guests This Saturday
October 30, 2008 at 4:45 PM | 0 Comments
There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.
· The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is finally opening!: Technically, the hotel is open today but it will not be receiving guests until this Saturday, November 1st. We couldn't book a room online yet so we don't know if its sold out or if the reservations system is not working. Also, the hotel's website is also stating that the Bazaar restaurant helmed by Chef José Andrés, is not opening until Nov. 10th. [Official Site]
· MGM Atlantic City Gets Delayed: The $5 billion casino/hotel project which was announced last year has been put on hold. Cue Debbie Downer music. Wanh-wanh-waaaanh. [GlobeStreet].
· Loyalty Program News: Now is a better time than ever to fund your travel using those hotel rewards points you've hopefully been saving up. [Forbes]
· Westin Copley Goes Green: The Boston hotel is giving out 1300 energy-efficient light bulbs today-- one for each guest room, and one for each hotel associate--as a way to demonstrate the hotel's commitment to energy conservation. [Official Site]
· Laguna Seca Hotel in Peru: You had us at "a bath of milk and honey." [Telegraph UK]
Greensboro Hotels
The Proximity Hotel Is the First to Gain LEED Platinum Status
October 9, 2008 at 1:07 PM | 1 Comment
Hard work pays off, and nobody has been working harder for their LEED certification than Greensboro, North Carolina's Proximity Hotel, who have been rewarded as the first hotel in the US to hold Platinum status. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings, with platinum being the height of achievement.
Opened only last year, Proximity boasts all the usual amenities of a luxury property, including an outdoor pool and free airport transportation in your choice of a restored London cab or checker taxi. Even their sister property down the road, the O. Henry Hotel, provides more choice for lounging and dining.
AMResorts
New Origins Wellness Retreats to Offer Super Luxe Getaways for the Eco-Conscious
October 3, 2008 at 10:33 AM | 0 Comments
Yet another "ultra premium" resort brand was just announced when Philly's own AMResorts, mastermind of all-inclusive chains Secrets, Dreams and Sunscape resorts, named its newest brainchild, Origins Wellness & Spa resorts. Despite the name, the new label is utterly unrelated to beauty brand Origins, part of Estee Lauder's cosmetic empire.
But like Leonard Lauder's Origins Natural Resources, Origins Wellness facilities are firmly hitched to the "green" brand-wagon, touting the resorts' conservation of natural resources, protection of the surrounding environment, giving back to the local community and educating guests on the area eco-system and sustainability efforts.
Green Hotels
Green Hotel News :: Two Rydges Hotels Get Bronze Green Globes
September 26, 2008 at 10:50 AM | 0 Comments
The Rydges Hotel chain across Australia and New Zealand keeps a blog but if we're honest, it rarely produces any particularly interesting posts--and it doesn't help that they post on average once every six weeks. But today we read about their newly anointed Green Globe hotels and we're happy to spread the word.
Cambodia Hotels
Cambodia Hotel Guide :: Siem Reap's Hotel De La Paix
September 25, 2008 at 1:50 PM | 1 Comment
HotelChatter and Jaunted Contributing Editor Claire Duffett is now reporting from Cambodia and this week she is giving us the low-down on the hotel scene. Any questions about accommodations? Send 'em to us and we'll get them answered for ya.
Angkor Wat is Cambodia's penultimate symbol, source of national pride, and hottest travel destination. The network of ancient temples'--built during the height of the ancient Khmer culture and abandoned in the jungle during its decline--attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Dozens of hotels in the nearby city of Siem Reap accommodate this steady influx.
