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Gaia Hotel Owner Says Missing Bibles Was an 'Oversight'

Where: 3600 Broadway St [map], American Canyon, CA, United States, 94503

The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel made waves last week for putting copies of Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth in its guestrooms and removing the bible from the nightstands. However, the owner Wen-I Chang has said that the hotel's "replacement" of the bible has been overexaggerated.

Chang, 62, said in a telephone interview that Gaia had not "replaced" the Bible with Gore's book, as has been claimed by some media outlets.

Instead, he said, the hotel staff overlooked providing Bibles in their haste to prepare for the official grand opening March 30 and did not intentionally leave them out of the rooms.

"I apologize to Christians" who may have been offended, Chang said. "We made an oversight."

Chang, a Taiwanese immigrant and a Buddhist, said that as soon as the issue came to his attention this week he instructed his staff to put Bibles in the hotel's nightstands. Copies of Buddhist scripture also will go in the drawers within the month.

And Al Gore's book will remain in the guestrooms as well. But let's just hope Chang doesn't get caught up in the race of trying to please everyone here. There's just not enough room in the nightstand for that.

Related Stories:
· Bible not inconvenient, says hotel owner [Medill Reports]
· Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Replaces Bibles in Green Hotel [HotelChatter]

Green Hotels / Eco-Hotels / Napa Valley Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Replaces Bibles in Green Hotel

Where: 3600 Broadway St [map], American Canyon, CA, United States, 94503

We just learned that one of the hotels on our Green Hotels list is even greener than we thought. The Gaia Napa Valley in California has replaced the Gideon bibles in the nightstand with a copy of Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" (the book), which is placed on the bureau for guests to see right away. Expect other green hotels to do the same, except of course, Marriott.

Related Stories:
· California Hotels Go Green With Low-Flow Toilets, Solar Lights [Bloomberg News]
· Best Green Hotels in the U.S. [HotelChatter]
· Finding your religion in the nightstand [HotelChatter]

Napa Valley Hotel Reviews / Stacy Finz / → All Tags

Floral Wallpaper is the Trade-Off for Prime Napa Valley Location

Where: 6529 Yount St. [map], Yountville, CA, United States, 94599

It's not quite easy for the folks living in NorCal to hop on a plane and head to the south of France but luckily for them, a Napa Valley hotel is attempting to bring a little "Old World charm" to the area.

At the first read of Stacey Finz's review of Maison Fleurie in Yountville, we thought this place was perfect for grandma.

Appointments include floral or toile duvet covers with matching curtains and wallpaper, with a sprinkling of antique furnishings and throw pillows. There's ample lighting for reading in bed.

The common areas have plenty of room for reading, crosswords, and knitting, plus Grammy would enjoy some of the sherry they offer there.

But we perked up when we read that this 13-room inn is a quick walk to the area's best gourmet restaurants like Thomas Keller's Bouchon and French Laundry restaurants, along with Bistro Jeanty. A few blocks down is the Silverado Trail with views of the area's famous vineyards and there's a Dean & Deluca nearby too.

Even better, this inn is one of the few places in the area that doesn't require a two-night minimum. Rooms start range from $130 to $300. There are three separate lodging houses--the Main House, the Bakery Building and the Carriage House--and a garden and swimming pool. Some rooms have small sitting areas overlooking the grounds and all have private baths. But like Grandma's house, Finz says the rooms are a bit "lived in" and the furniture is worn.

Related Stories:
· Europe in Yountville [SF Gate]

Green Hotels / Eco-Hotels / Napa Valley Hotel Reviews / Hotel Trends / → All Tags

Green Hotels Are the New Boutique Hotels

Where: 3600 Broadway (Highway 29) [map], American Canyon, CA, United States, 94503

Another Northern California area has gotten its very own Eco-Hotel. The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel in American Canyon broke ground in 2001, just one block away from Napa, with the developer/owner Wen-I Chang's motto being: "Our mission is to change the world one traveler at a time."

The hotel recently opened to guests and has a plethora of environmentally-friendly products, but the biggest, or the greenest thing about this hotel, is its green construction. Essentially, using more recycled materials and less energy to build the actual structure.

The hotel "fuses natural light and recycled materials into a sustainable and environmentally sound motif" and inside everything is green (not the color) from recycled carpets to low-emissions paints. Even the animals placed in front are good for the environment.

The hotel integrates scrap metal, recycled wood and rainwater runoff to create Swan Lake, home to two "territorial swans" that will run off any other birds looking to nest, said James Soule, general manager.

Of course, just because it's green doesn't mean it's rustic. The hotel has all the amenities you expect in a chic boutique hotel from large TVs to spacious beds and high-speed wireless internet. The hotel also plans to add a restaurant and spa to go with the hotel's meeting and conference facilities by February.

Hotel Mavens, you will be seeing more of these types of hotels in the future. Eco-Hotels, or Green Hotels, are a huge hotel trend and will be popping up all over the place in the coming years . And in 2007, look for many more hotel chains to start adding more environmentally-friendly services to their list and not just the "Please don't wash my towels or linens" type of services.

Related Stories:
· Eco-friendly Hotel Caters to Conscientious Travelers [Contra Costa Times]