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Charter House Innovations Builds On Michigan Momentum

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As mature as green building is today, there are just a handful of companies that have made a commitment to lead efforts to newly construct or renovate to either LEED standards or something comparable. Of course Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide with its Element brand comes to mind (12 hotels now open in United States and Canada). Atmosphere Hospitality Management is another with its Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites (two hotels open in the United States). Other developers have made strong commitments to LEED—Concord Hospitality is one example.

A company I would like to highlight in this column is Charter House Innovations, Holland, Mich. The company was the first in our industry to open a LEED certified hotel in the Midwest—the 56-room, boutique-style CityFlatsHotel in Holland, Mich. The new construction property opened in late 2007. Charter House later opened another CityFlatsHotel in Grand Rapids, Mich. in 2011. That 28-room, LEED certified boutique hotel is a renovation of a building originally constructed in 1874.

In case you missed the recent article on Green Lodging News, a third CityFlatsHotel is in the planning stages for Port Huron, Mich. This time Charter House Innovations will not own the hotel; it will license the CityFlatsHotel name to Sperry’s Landmark Inc., the building’s owner. Once again it will involve the rehab of an existing building—one that once housed the Sperry’s Department Store. According to Jack Peaphon, Marketing Coordinator for CityFlatsHotel, Charter House Innovations will manage the LEED-pursuing boutique property that is expected to have about 40 guestrooms and some type of food and beverage operation. The hotel is expected to open in spring 2015.

Wise Selection of Materials, Technology

As is the case with most boutique hotels, the CityFlatsHotels are each very unique. They all, however, share many green attributes. Materials, for example. Cork flooring is featured in guestrooms. If there is damage, only problem tiles need to be replaced. Countertops in bathrooms are made from recycled glass mixed with concrete. Materials taken from renovated spaces are either recycled or used again on-site. Low-flow fixtures conserve water, master switches turn off guestroom lighting, and guestroom energy management systems power down heating and cooling when rooms are vacant. Bamboo, instead of cotton, is the featured material in linens and towels. Low-VOC paints are used and fluorescent or LED lighting helps keep energy costs down. Curtains lined with a black-out fabric reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool guestrooms.

Supporting local businesses is also the aim of Charter House Innovations. In the case of the Holland property, more than 30 percent of materials used to construct the hotel were acquired from local sources. A majority of all seating and décor items were manufactured at Charter House Innovations’ own facility in downtown Holland, Mich. Mattresses are made locally and ingredients for the fresh dishes in the hotels’ food and beverage operations are sourced locally.

Peaphon says Charter House Innovations did not sacrifice style to build green. “We get comment cards all of the time praising the design,” he says.

With one licensing deal behind them, Peaphon says Charter House Innovations is “always looking at expanding the CityFlatsHotel brand. He added that the Holland and Grand Rapids properties are both doing very well. “We have had growth year over year,” he says. “Our Grand Rapids hotel opened a ballroom in 2012 and is hosting four events a week.”

Boutique hotel development has increased substantially in recent years. It is exciting to see companies like Charter House Innovations, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group and others embrace sustainable design and operations—while enhancing the guest experience.

Our Weekly Newsletter’s New Look

The Green Lodging News weekly e-newsletter has been redesigned and will continue to evolve in the coming months. Got suggestions for new sections or features? Send them to editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Green Lodging News Adds Hanita Coatings as Directory Partner

Green Lodging News welcomes Hanita Coatings as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Hanita Coatings’ SolarZone window films effectively filter UV radiation, glare and infrared heat, reducing heat buildup and improving the operational efficiency of HVAC equipment. Available in a wide spectrum of finishes, from cool silver to subtle smoke, these films can provide a full-scale, aesthetic upgrade to a hotel’s exterior—or preserve its original appearance with virtually indiscernible, heat-rejecting film. SolarZone can be installed quickly and easily with no disruption to guests or hotel operations. A sustainable glazing upgrade with HanitaTek Window Films can enhance a hotel’s green rating and certification. Call (800) 660-5559, e-mail info@hanitatek.com, or click here for more information.

Who is Your Sustainability Champion?

Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Looking for Guest Columnists

Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Planning Advertising for 2014?

Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2014. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2014 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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