WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Westin New York at Times Square has been awarded Gold Certification by Green Seal, a leading environmental certification organization. The hotel is only the sixth nationwide to achieve Gold-level Green Seal certification.
“Being an environmentally conscious hotel has been a core part the property’s operation from our inception,” said Westin New York at Times Square General Manager Sean Verney. “We were proud to be the first Silver Green Seal hotel in New York City. We wanted to do more so we created a comprehensive plan to get to the next level. For an 873-room hotel such as ours to achieve Gold recognition from Green Seal is a significant accomplishment that our team is incredibly proud of. We will continue to do all we can to conserve, reuse and support sustainability efforts.”
By achieving Gold, the Westin New York at Times Square has met the most stringent criteria under Green Seal’s Standard for Hotels and Lodging Properties (GS-33). Since 2008 when it achieved the Silver level, the hotel continued to meet additional criteria and is now operating at the top echelon of sustainability.
Hotel Sets 2020 Goal
In addition to significant results in waste minimization, energy and water efficiency, and environmentally sensitive purchasing, the Westin New York at Times Square demonstrated continuous improvements, including:
• Setting energy reduction goals, including specific measurement and monitoring of energy use over time. The hotel plans to have a 30% reduction in energy use per available room by 2020.
• Tracking energy and potable water consumption and waste collected for disposal/incineration and recycling.
• Monitoring water use.
“Being Gold Certified is a landmark achievement,” says Arthur B. Weissman, Ph.D., President and CEO of Green Seal. “The Westin New York at Times Square should be commended for demonstrating such leadership in sustainability in the lodging industry.”
Go to Green Seal.
