MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIF.— Britannia Pacific Properties, a Lewis Trust Group company, announced that the town of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., has granted entitlements to build an innovative hotel and residences project called “Handmade Hotel Mammoth View.” With an extensive portfolio of properties, Britannia Pacific Properties has now set their sights on driving business and providing jobs to the town of Mammoth Lakes with their latest initiative, a 5.51-acre project which will feature geothermal heating for purposes of encouraging conservation of natural resources. Handmade Hotel Mammoth View will be an entirely new concept for the hospitality market in the small but...

VINELAND, N.J.—For the last year and a half, drivers motoring down Route 55 in Vineland, N.J., have been met with a surprising site—a 2,500-solar panel installation behind the Ramada Vineland. The .5-megawatt system sits on three acres of land owned by NGL Property Management, owner and operator of the adjacent 102-room Ramada. The solar system provides about 75 to 80 percent of the hotel’s power. That is significant given that the hotel has a banquet hall and three food and beverage facilities: Dakota Prime Steak House and Sushi Bar, Harry’s Pub (Bar & Grill), and The Speedway Café. According...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Montage Deer Valley, which opened in Park City, Utah in December 2010, has been awarded Silver Certification as part of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for New Construction V2.2. This third-party rating system has been designed to encourage the design, construction and operation of more sustainable buildings. Montage Deer Valley, the first certified hotel in the state of Utah, is a newly constructed mixed-use hotel and residential project which has been LEED certified as a single development, denoting it as a high performance building that is a responsible, efficient and healthy...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Manchester Texas Financial Group LLC announced a proposal for a 1035-room hotel adjacent to the Austin Convention Center that will pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The project includes two restaurants, retail, and 115,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. Manchester Financial Group LP of San Diego (the parent company), contributed the land for the San Diego Convention Center and built both the Manchester Grand Hyatt and The San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina consisting of approximately 3,000 rooms. Douglas Manchester admires what he refers to as “Texas’ finest city” and believed in the...

MIAMI—Up on the roof of the 16-story Hampton Inn & Suites, a 221-room hotel in the Brickell Financial District of downtown Miami, building developer Hospitality Operations, Inc. originally planned to install solar thermal panels for the purpose of heating hot water. A local hurricane ordinance will prohibit them from adding the system to their property that is scheduled to open September 15. Even without the panels, the hotel is set to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, according to Howard Wolfson, vice president operations for Nashville-based Hospitality America, Inc., the company that will manage the...

NEW YORK—Harvesting crops in Manhattan is tough. So Element New York Times Square West is doing the next best thing. Giving guests and neighbors easy access to fresh, seasonal produce and artisanal farm products, the earth-friendly hotel will launch a pioneering partnership with Holton Farms, an eighth-generation Vermont-based farm and Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) program. The partnership makes Element Times Square West the nation’s first hotel to participate in a Community Sponsored Agriculture program. Element will join Holton Farms’ CSA as an active member, supporting the program by purchasing a “share” in this season’s harvest. Memberships are usually available...

OURAY, COLO.—If Karen and Richard Avery could save another therm, they would. They certainly are trying. The couple, who own the 39-room Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo., have reduced the lodge’s natural gas consumption by more than 70 percent in the past four years. The Averys have wisely invested in a geothermal system that utilizes the natural hot springs on their 2.6-acre property. Once used by the Ute Indians many years ago and last century for a sanitarium, the hot springs are used to heat the guestrooms and all of the hot water for the...

EWING, N.J.—Ewing is now the home of New Jersey’s first LEED-certified hotel. Element Ewing Hopewell, an eco-chic boutique hotel, has earned a coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed to be “green from the ground up,” Element hotels blend nature-inspired smart design, inspiring public spaces, and comfortable modern touches. Element, from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., made history with its 2008 launch by becoming the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue LEED certification. Element serves as Starwood’s green innovation lab, where sustainable practices are...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill., was named the winner of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) year-long Energy Slasher Challenge. The Challenge, launched on Earth Day 2010, helped participating hotels obtain a 5 percent overall energy reduction. The hotel receives a full day with the AH&LA Green Guru for a personal eco-strategy session, as well as other prizes courtesy of HD Supply. Participants could use several tools to help with tracking their costs, including GreenQuest, EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager, or their brand/corporate benchmarking program. Costs were compared and analyzed to determine who slashed their...

DALLAS—The Omni Dallas Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Dallas, has outlined its sustainability plan which will lead to the property’s LEED Silver New Construction (NC) certification upon opening. The plan includes use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, reduced construction pollution and water conservation initiatives. “Earning the LEED Silver New Construction status will be a tremendous accomplishment—one made possible by the tremendous efforts of the City, Matthews Southwest, Balfour/Russell/Pegasus, 5Gstudio_collaborative, BOKA Powell, Vivian-Nichols Associates and every team member who has a hand in keeping the project focused on sustainability,” said Nils Stolzlechner, general manager of the Omni Dallas Hotel....