Home Publisher's Point of View Number of LEED Certified Hotel Projects Approaches 300

Number of LEED Certified Hotel Projects Approaches 300

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I often get requests for the latest list of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified hotel projects. Thanks to the folks at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), I now have the latest list. If you would like to see that list, just let me know by e-mailing editor@greenlodgingnews.com and I will send it to you.  

There are now 273 LEED certified hotel projects. Forty-four are marked in USGBC’s records as “private” so I can only slice and dice a list of 229. The majority of LEED certified hotels are in the United States—167, followed by 11 in China and nine in India. For those of you not familiar with the LEED rating system, there are four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum. Of the 229, just 20 have reached the Platinum level. Forty-six properties have earned the Certified designation, 84 have earned LEED Gold, and 78 have earned LEED Silver. One property is still listed as having earned Bronze certification in 2000, a designation that no longer exists within the LEED rating system.

The state of California leads all states with 25 LEED certified lodging establishments, followed by New York with 12, Florida with 11, Nevada and Pennsylvania with 10, and Texas with nine. Tennessee and Colorado have eight, and four states—Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Virginia—have seven.

Twenty-five properties have joined the list this year. The most recent one: the Hampton Inn and Suites Gunbarrel in Boulder, Colo. A notable addition this year is Cape Town, South Africa’s Hotel Verde, which earned LEED Platinum. Forty-two lodging establishments were certified in 2013.

Wide Range of Building Sizes

The sizes of the properties certified varies dramatically—the smallest being 2,337 square feet (Point Reyes Hostel in Point Reyes Station, Calif.) and the largest being 9,591,734 square feet (Venetian Resort in Las Vegas).

Marriott International is listed as owning five of the hotels on the list. ITC Limited is listed as owning eight.

What fascinates me most about the list is the stories behind the names, many of which can be found on the Green Lodging News website. A quick search on the Green Lodging News site showed “LEED” appearing in more than 1,300 articles—proof of the extent to which the USGBC’s certification system has penetrated our industry.

When I first launched Green Lodging News eight years ago, there were many conversations in our industry about the cost of LEED certification. I don’t hear those conversations as much these days. LEED can still be pricey but the certification is definitely here to stay with its allure of credibility, marketing clout and the guarantee of superior indoor air quality, water savings, energy efficiency, and other benefits.

Green Lodging News Adds UGE as Directory Partner

Green Lodging News welcomes Urban Green Energy (UGE) as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. UGE works with leading hotels, resorts, and Fortune 500 companies in more than 80 countries, creating distributed renewable energy solutions that cut energy bills and eliminate carbon emissions. The company’s end-to-end service platform includes site assessment, system design, and installation. One of UGE’s most notable installations in the United States is a wind turbine installation at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort that consists of six 52-foot, 4 kilowatt wind turbines. UGE can help arrange financing to bring a project to life and make renewable energy a viable option. Call (917) 720-5685, e-mail info@urbangreenenergy.com, or go to www.urbangreenenergy.com.

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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