MCLEAN, VA.—Hampton Hotels, the international brand of nearly 1,800 mid-priced Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Hampton by Hilton Hotels, announced that the Hampton Inn and Suites Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport achieved LEED Silver certification, as recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is the first Hampton Hotel property to earn this recognition for sustainable building design, construction and operations.
“This is a wonderful accomplishment for Hampton Hotels, and we are proud to add the Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport with LEED Silver certification to our Hampton family,” said Phil Cordell, global head, Focused Service and Hampton Brand. “This achievement emphasizes our commitment to sustainability and drives us to continue creating strategies to help our hotels operate efficiently.”
The Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota/Bradenton Airport received its LEED Silver certification on May 27, 2010. The hotel incorporated a variety of sustainable design strategies to achieve the certification, including categories in energy use, lighting, water and material use. LEED certified buildings save money and energy, decrease CO2 emissions, improve water efficiency and indoor environmental quality for hotel guests, employees and the community. Guests can even see firsthand how energy is being saved at the hotel by viewing the variables on a monitor in the lobby.
USGBC Founder Comments
“With each new LEED certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainably built environment within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, the Hampton Inn and Suites Sarasota/Bradenton Airport is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”
The Hampton Inn and Suites Sarasota/Bradenton Airport was developed and constructed by Sarasota-based Finergy Development and Firmo Construction. Gaining LEED certification for this hotel was based on a variety of design and construction elements that produce a positive impact on the community and building itself. These include:
• A solar water heating system that will generate 1.7 million BTUs per year.
• Water saving fixtures that will reduce water usage by a third.
• Zero CFC based refrigerants in the air-conditioning system.
• More than 40 percent of the products utilized during construction were purchased, assembled and manufactured within 500 miles of the site, limiting the transportation impact while improving the local economy.
• During construction, 92.1 percent of all construction waste and 22.8 percent of the construction products used were recycled.
• The hotel’s efficient insulation system, glazing, roof, hot water production, air-conditioning, heating and lighting equipment allows it to reduce its annual energy usage by at least 27.1 percent compared to a hotel built to standard building code.
• The hotel purchased 572,000 kWh worth of Tradable Renewable Energy Certificates. This amounts to 70 percent of the building energy usage over a two-year period. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of the hotel with the purchase of wind powered energy certificates.
• The hotel facility is 100 percent non-smoking.
• Low emitting (VOC) materials (glues, sealants, woods) were used during the construction.
• Landscaping utilizes native plants, reducing the need for watering.
• The hotel is conveniently located in proximity to a public transportation hub and provides a shuttle to guests to limit the need for car use.
• The hotel provides extensive bicycle parking and a shower facility to encourage hotel employees to ride their bicycle to work.
• The hotel provides preferred parking places for fuel efficient and high occupancy vehicles.
• The hotel provides a high tech storm water filtering device to reduce the environmental impact of runoff.
Hampton’s Take Care Initiative
All Hampton hotels take part in the brand’s Take Care program. Its mission is “to show the world we Take Care by preserving our environment and enhancing the health and well-being of one another, one caring moment at a time.” Hampton has implemented several programs as part of the Take Care initiative, such as optional linen and terry freshening programs and water aerators to reduce the use of water, energy and detergent. There’s even a pillow made from 100 percent recycled materials. Hampton is also continuing its innovation within the Take Care program with other future product enhancements on the way like CFL bulbs and eco-friendly disposable items in place brand-wide by the end of the year.
As a part of Hilton Worldwide, Hampton is currently rolling out the company’s proprietary LightStay system. By December 31, 2011, all 3,600 properties within Hilton Worldwide’s global portfolio of brands will use LightStay, making the company the first major multi-brand company in the hospitality industry to require property-level measurement of sustainability. LightStay measures energy and water use and waste and carbon output at Hilton Worldwide properties around the globe. The system also analyzes performance across 200 operational practices, such as housekeeping, paper product usage, food waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation. The company saved more than $29 million in utility costs in 2009 and the reductions conserved enough energy to power 5,700 homes for a year and reduce carbon output equivalent to taking 34,865 cars off the road.
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