RESTON, VA.—Being environmentally friendly is a growing trend, and the Westin Reston Heights walks the walk, taking home the 2016 Green Travel Leader Award. The award was given by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s travel arm, the Virginia Tourism Corp. Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the hotel is managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, an operator of over 100 hotels throughout North America, including 14 in the Washington, D.C. area.
“We are so proud to have won this award among the countless hotels in the state of Virginia,” said Don Anderson, Complex General Manager, who oversees the hotel and the adjacent Sheraton Reston Hotel. “This award is particularly meaningful because Westin, as a brand, is all about rejuvenation and wellness, and nothing speaks to that more than leaving the planet a little better than how we found it.” The brand promotes guests to: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well.
The Westin Reston Heights has had a green program in place since opening in 2008. As part of the Starwood 30/20/20 Sustainability Program, their goal is to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent and water consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020. By implementing a Recycling and Waste Reduction Program, the facility recycles throughout the hotel (including in guestrooms), reuses as much material as possible, purchases recycled content paper, minimizes the use of pesticides and herbicides, uses green cleaners and uses bulk soap in public areas.
Examples of Efficiency Steps Taken
Through the Water Conservation Program the hotel has installed high efficiency dryers, low flow toilets and automatic faucets and toilets in public restrooms. Through the Energy Conservation Program, the facility uses compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED exit signs, high efficiency HVAC systems, individual thermostats for each room/area, uses Energy Star rated computers, copiers and appliances, uses light sensors to turn on/off lights and has thermal rated windows and insulation. With the Green Events Package, the facility offers environmentally friendly packages for meetings including offering all signatures and correspondence via e-mail to reduce paper waste.
With the Starwood Sustainable Meetings program, all meeting guests are offered paperless meeting planning, electronic proposals, receipts, menus and booking options. Clutter free setups and recycled paper products are used in meeting rooms. Food is sourced locally and ethical and sustainable choices are made whenever applicable. The hotel supports local vendors, fishmongers, farmers, dairies, and artisan producers.
The environmentally friendly spirit can also be seen in the hotel’s award winning restaurant, Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro, which uses locally sourced food, a chef’s garden for fresh vegetables and herbs with minimal pesticides and herbicides. The Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro also uses Energy Star rated computers, and appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED exit signs, thermal rated windows and insulation, green cleaners, bulk soap and electronic menus when planning special events.
The Virginia Green Travel Star Awards, which are featured at www.VirginiaGreenTravel.org , are presented to the most outstanding green tourism efforts. Awards were given to 21 tourism operators in various categories at the Virginia Green Travel Conference & Mid-Atlantic Green Tourism Expo. The Virginia Green program is run through a partnership of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Tourism Corp., and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Assn.
