CHICAGO—Six hundred bucks is not a bad monthly electricity bill for a 15-story, 63-room urban hotel. Granted, The Ivy Hotel has not opened yet but general manager James Cazares says public space lighting has been burning 24/7. Key to the tiny bill last month is LED recessed lighting—MR16 bulbs that consume just one watt each. LED lighting is just one of the many green facets of the luxury boutique Chicago property set to open at the end of April.
Just over a block from Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood, The Ivy Hotel was once an office building. The newly renovated structure was first constructed in 1972. The owners of the property have taken numerous steps to ensure a high degree of energy efficiency—from the shell of the building to the interior heating and cooling system. Inch-thick solar pane windows provide insulation from the chilly winter air and hot summer sun. A heat pump system provides heating and cooling to the four or five rooms on each floor. Cazares says the system uses the energy of a light bulb per guestroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide natural light and guestroom drapes close automatically once guests check out. Lighting, heating and cooling, and the drapes are all controlled from the front desk using the hotel’s property management system. Compact fluorescents are used in guestrooms.
Flooring in guestrooms is made from bamboo. Guestroom rugs are made from thistle. Wallcoverings in the guestrooms and corridors and carpeting in corridors include recycled content. Guestrooms feature linen, towels and robes made from organic and Fair Trade cotton. Amenity bottles in guestrooms include recycled content. Green cleaning products are used throughout the property. Guests staying at the 100 percent nonsmoking property will be transported using two Lexus hybrid vehicles. Art from local artists will be featured.
The Ivy Hotel will include a small restaurant that will seat from 30 to 40 guests. “We will try to use as much organic produce as possible,” Cazares says. Only china and silverware will be used, along with linen napkins. No paper napkins or plates or plastic ware will be used.
Go to The Ivy Hotel.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
