SAINT CHARLES, MO.—EcoRooms & EcoSuites, a leading certification and marketing resource for green hotels in the United States and abroad, has unveiled a newly-redesigned logo and website. The new look highlights the growing role of sustainability in the hospitality industry while also offering travelers a more user-friendly online experience, helping them more quickly and easily locate the greenest hotels on the planet.
“We expect 2009 to be a huge year for EcoRooms & EcoSuites, and in the growth of consumer awareness regarding green lodging options,” says Ray Burger, president of Pineapple Hospitality and founder of EcoRooms & EcoSuites. “As consumers continue to become more knowledgeable about green travel, we’ve changed the look and feel of our logo and website. We’ve added new properties to our directory, streamlined our rigorous ‘Significant 7’ criteria to becoming a member, and we recently added a new member to our Board of Advisors.”
“We’re excited to have the Proximity Hotel, Seaport Hotel and Inn by the Sea join our ranks,” Burger adds. “These three facilities have incorporated some of the most-forward thinking eco-friendly designs and programs that the industry has seen. They are most deserving of all the recognition they’ve been receiving and we’re proud to have them aboard.”
EcoRooms & EcoSuites’ Board of Advisors is a panel of some of the greenest minds the hospitality industry has to offer. With decades of combined experience, the Advisors have helped shape the website’s criteria for membership and assist both members and the public on best green practices.
The newest member of the Board is Doug Gamble. Gamble is a managing partner with the Q Hotel and Spa in Kansas City, Mo., one of the greenest hotels in the entire Midwest. Since coming to the hotel, located in the heart of Kansas City’s historic Westport Entertainment District, Gamble has helped initiate a 38-point sustainability program. The plan includes Green Seal-approved cleaning products, the virtual elimination of plastics, the use of water-saving aerators for every device handling water, and bulk, bio-friendly bathroom amenities. The green hotel also recently instituted an extensive guestroom recycling program.
“I’m very honored to serve on EcoRooms & EcoSuites’ prestigious Board of Advisors,” says Gamble. “Since we took over operations of the Q Hotel, we’ve done a lot of experimenting with sustainable operations and instituting green policies. We’ve seen how a lot of little things—like turning off the lights in the lobby during the day, offering bicycles to guests for short trips and adding bulk amenity dispensers to our bathrooms—have added up. It’s better for the guests, better for the environment and better for the hotel’s bottom line.”
Go to EcoRooms & EcoSuites.
