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Green Hotel Focus

In Green Hotel Focus, Green Lodging News features those properties that deserve just a little bit more attention than your typical green hotel—those properties that have invested in green building design and technologies, energy and water conservation, indoor air quality, and much more. Would you like to nominate a property for coverage? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Green Hotel Focus

Home Green Hotel Focus
In Green Hotel Focus, Green Lodging News features those properties that deserve just a little bit more attention than your typical green hotel—those properties that have invested in green building design and technologies, energy and water conservation, indoor air quality, and much more. Would you like to nominate a property for coverage? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Hope Lake Lodge at Greek Peak Mountain Resort Receives LEED Certification

CORTLAND, N.Y.—Hope Lake Holdings, LLC has received a congratulatory letter from the President, CEO & Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, S. Richard Fedrizzi, on earning LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, certification on Hope Lake Lodge & Convention Center. The project has achieved LEED Certification under the LEED for New Construction Rating System.“LEED certification identifies Hope Lake Lodge & Convention Center as a showcase example of sustainable design and demonstrates leadership in transforming the building industry,” Fedrizzi said. “In honor of this impressive achievement and in appreciation of Greek Peak’s participation in LEED, certificates...

Hilton Meadowlands Opens in New Jersey with Solar Installation

MCLEAN, VA.—Northern New Jersey’s newest Hilton Hotels & Resorts property, the 427-guestroom Hilton Meadowlands, is now open at Two Meadowlands Plaza in East Rutherford. The property, which recently completed the first phase of a multi-million dollar renovation, was previously a Sheraton. The greenest highlight of the Hilton hotel is its 1.1-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation on its carport. The solar panels are expected to generate 20 percent of the property’s energy.Other green programs include composting of organic waste, meeting space recycling, food donations, elimination of Styrofoam, and energy-efficient digital signage. The hotel participates in Clean the World, a nonprofit, global...

Seasonal Dumpster Service Cost at Grand Canyon Lodge-North Rim Axed from $54,000 to $4,000

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK—Forever Resorts’ Grand Canyon Lodge-North Rim has received an Environmental Achievement Award from the National Park Service for Environmental Stewardship at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The award was conferred specifically for the Grand Canyon Lodge-North Rim’s waste reduction program.In 2009, the lodge embarked on a program of daily hand sorting of all solid waste. In 2012 alone, it recycled nearly 55,000 pounds of cardboard, 3,600 pounds of paper, 10,000 pounds of metal, 40,000 pounds of glass and 18,000 pounds of plastic. In addition, 103,000 pounds of food waste was converted to a...

Herb N’ Kitchen Restaurant Debuts at New York Hilton Midtown

NEW YORK—Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide, announced the launch of Herb N’ Kitchen, its new dining concept that infuses fresh, local gourmet food into an upscale restaurant and convenient culinary market. Now open inside New York Hilton Midtown, the largest hotel in Manhattan, the first Herb N’ Kitchen offers locals and travelers healthy fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and the choice of restaurant dining at their leisure, meals packaged to take away or in-room delivery for hotel guests.With a shift in the way today’s travelers dine, the quick service segment is moving to...

Radisson Blu Mall of America: a Green Star in the Gopher State

BLOOMINGTON, MINN.—The 500-room Radisson Blu Mall of America was green out of the gate when it opened in March this year just next to the bustling 520-store Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. A highly energy efficient building, typical of all new Radisson Blu properties, it is on its way to be the first hotel in Minnesota to achieve LEED certification.While the hotel is the second Radisson Blu in the United States, all future hotels will strive for LEED certification.“Why would we do it any other way?” says Ted Lorenzi, Senior Director of Technical Services, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel...

Wind Turbine Installation Begins at Hilton Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort is changing its roof top landscape by adding six wind turbines to the 25-story all-suite resort located across from the Atlantic Ocean on AIA in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 374-suite resort has been committed to saving energy since opening in 2007 and was the first hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach to be awarded a Florida green lodging designation. Continuing the commitment of going above and beyond environmental regulations and voluntarily implementing hotel conservation programs, the hotel has begun installation of the six wind turbines that will help reduce energy consumption that will...

MGM Grand Detroit Completes One of Nation’s Largest LED Parking Garage Retrofits

DETROIT—MGM Grand Detroit has completed the light-emitting diode (LED) lamp retrofit of its 61-acre parking garage. Cited as one of the nation’s largest LED parking garage makeovers, the three-month installation boasts 3,117 LED lamps and will reduce the garage’s annual energy use by 80 percent at the Four Diamond destination resort. “As a property fully committed to the fundamental principles of environmental stewardship, we are proud to complete the LED lamp installation and further minimize MGM Grand Detroit’s energy consumption,” said Steve Zanella, president and COO of MGM Grand Detroit. “Like many of our conservation initiatives, this renovation...

SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Idaho’s First LEED Hotel, Opens

COEUR D’ ALENE, IDAHO—The 118-suite SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, opened on August 5. The SpringHill Suites Coeur d’Alene will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by CDB Hospitality, LLC of Spokane, Wash. Located two miles from downtown, 35 miles from Spokane International Airport and five minutes from Lake Coeur d’Alene, the hotel offers guests convenient access to Centennial Trail, the Spokane River, and Silverwood Theme Park. The SpringHill Suites Coeur d’Alene has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for its contributions in making the environment a healthier place by...

NYLO Dallas South Side Hotel Earns LEED Gold Certification

DALLAS—NYLO Dallas South Side has achieved LEED Gold certification—one of the highest possible rankings from the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel, which opened in August 2012, is the first NYLO property to achieve LEED certification, the first historic hotel in Dallas to achieve LEED Gold certification and one of only 69 LEED Gold certified hotels in the United States.“This was NYLO’s first adaptive-reuse project, and it’s in a landmarked historic building to boot—which meant our design team did even more creative problem-solving than usual,” said Michael Mueller, NYLO Hotels’ CEO. “We couldn’t be happier or more proud of...

Grand Hyatt Atlanta Engineer’s Observation Leads to Rainwater Harvesting System Implementation

ATLANTA—About a year ago, not long after starting as director of engineering at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta, Wes Shirley was overlooking the third floor terrace of the 439-room hotel during a rainstorm. He thought to himself, “What a waste. If only we could somehow harvest and reuse all that water we could really save some money.” With the assistance of a plumber, the Director of Administration and Development at Southern Polytechnic University (who is an engineer), and some students at Southern Polytechnic University, Wes came up with a plan to harvest the rainwater that falls on the 32,000 square...