Now that green is at the height of mainstream fashion, hotels are trying to out-green each other, touting everything from their low-flow toilets to how organic they run their kitchens. Many hip, artsy properties are at the forefront of this movement.
One of the eco-conscious leaders, even before the green tide swept in, has been San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels, with 42 hotels in the U.S. and Canada, each with its own level of hip, but a standard level of green.
“Every hotel is unique within our portfolio,” says Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels. “They all have their own personality, ranging from contemporary to modern, some playful and whimsical.”
Leondakis cites the Rouge in Washington, D.C., for its modern, sexy design; The Palomar in San Francisco for its sophisticated appeal; the new Monaco in Alexandria, Va., for its whimsy and color; and the more classic Monaco in Chicago.
Kimpton’s first green hotel was San Francisco’s funky Hotel Triton, which continues to be an inspiration for the brand’s green program.
EarthCare
Kimpton’s program is called EarthCare, and encompasses 40 different environmentally friendly practices, including using soy-based ink for printed materials, conserving water and energy, recycling in guest rooms, and even offering organic fair trade coffee.
“Overall, the program is saving us money,” Leondakis says. “Conserving water and energy is a big saver.”
It also continues to garner support from its customers.
“We get a lot of positive feedback from our guests, who really appreciate we’re making an effort,” Leondakis says. “Sixty percent of our customers said in a survey that preserving the environment is very important to them. Sixteen percent said they made the choice to stay with us because of our Earth-friendly programs.”
She adds that the level of demand extends to its meeting base, with more meeting planners including green questions in their RFP process to help in their decision-making process.
“We also know from surveys that through EarthCare we have been able to solicit business from other like-minded companies who tell us they are putting their group in our hotel because of our Earth-friendly practices,” Leondakis says.
Kimpton’s green practices helped earn Chicago’s Hotel Allegro one of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s GreenWorks Awards. The hotel manages to straddle the line between hip and chic with its Art Deco-inspired details.
Green Standard
Joie de Vivre Hospitality, another San Francisco-based hotel company, is also ramping up its green practices.
“The greenness of our hotels is a huge initiative, not only to be green, but to be green by San Francisco standards,” says Dawn Shalhoup, spokesperson for Joie de Vivre, whose first property, the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco, continues to be a rock star haven.
“California standards are tough, but San Francisco standards are the toughest to achieve,” Shalhoup says. “The goal is to have all our hotels certified by San Francisco standards. It’s a big investment, from marketing to buying cleaning supplies. We want to be part of the movement for the cause, not for publicity, and a lot is going on internally to make this happen. Our goal is to have all our hotels certified by green standards by Earth Day of next year.”
One of Joie de Vivre’s properties, San Francisco’s Hotel Vitale, now offers groups the Green Standard, a new green meeting program that incorporates eco-friendly practices throughout every aspect of meetings and events.
The hotel also offers team-building and off-site opportunities that incorporate green initiatives, such as setting up tours of wineries that use local organic or biodynamic wines, or offering educational options, such as how to shop green.
Yet another star example in San Francisco is Joie de Vivre’s Hotel Carlton, which installed solar panels that came online in February and are projected to produce about 12 percent of its energy use.
Ace Initiatives
A smaller chain, Seattle-based Ace Hotels, caters to the youthful urban market with its recycled furniture and artsy vibe. Ace Hotels also runs Ace Hotel Portland and is slated to open hotels in New York and Palm Springs.
“The thing that has the most impact visually is the way we reuse and recycle,” says Jack Barron, a partner in the hotel company. “There are few hotels that use as much found, repurposed and salvaged materials. We use salvaged wood from old houses, and a majority of the furniture was found.”
The headboards used for its beds, or softboards, are covered in vintage olive green canvas made from recycled Army ponchos, while mattresses are 100 percent organic.
At the Listel Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, art is the key theme, with each guest room showcasing contemporary Northwest Coast Art through a partnership with the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology. The hotel’s one-bedroom suites and rooms on the gallery floors spotlight modern and contemporary works by some of the renowned artists courtesy of the Buschlen Mowatt Art Gallery.
The hotel has a full program of composting, recycling and water and energy conservation. It also serves only sustainable seafood in its restaurant. Shampoo and soap pumps in showers have replaced individual packaging.
“We used to go through 44,000 small bottles a year, and we’re small,” says Lise Magee, director of public relations for the Listel Hotel. “It is becoming a bit of a game. We’re all trying harder.”
New Purpose
Recently restored to its mid-century glory, Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Ariz., also prides itself on green initiatives, including the efforts of executive chef Charles Wiley, who uses local food growers and local ingredients. The local movement helps save on food miles, which is the distance food has to travel from supplier to destination.
In addition, during its restoration, Hotel Valley Ho estimates it saved 20,000 tons of landfill and debris by using an existing building rather tearing the original structure down.
Another repurposing of an existing building is the upcoming W Hotel Minneapolis–The Foshay, due to open this summer. The hotel is taking over the Foshay Tower, an office tower built in 1929 that resembles the Washington Monument. The Foshay Tower at one time was the tallest building in Minneapolis. Floors are all different heights, decorated in cool blues and reds. There will be an observation deck with a Sky Lounge and private space for meetings overlooking the city. The hotel also installed cell phone booths.
“It’s not a building going for LEED certification, but energy efficiencies are built in,” says Sarah Voigt, spokesperson for the W Hotel Minneapolis–The Foshay. Basics include restoring and refurbishing light fixtures, accommodating employees who want to commute by bike and installing lighting systems with dimmers for the incandescent fixtures in common areas.
Though green is becoming more of a standard, there are still a number of obstacles for all hotels.
“On our wish list would be that our industry associations get the information organized for us around where green suppliers are, who suppliers are—some way to vet which suppliers have real green products and which ones just say they do,” Leondakis says.
According to Leondakis, it is time consuming to find products at the right price point and green quality level.
“There isn’t any organization or standard on that right now, like how it used to be with organic,” she says. “It would be great if there were some standard, like light green, medium green, dark green. Right now it’s murky water.”
